27 January 2023 , 11:50
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Kolo Toure will hope his first foray into management isn't his last after a tough start to life in the dugout.
Former Cote d'Ivoire international Toure, a Premier League winner with Arsenal and runner-up with Liverpool, took over at Wigan Athletic after coaching roles at Celtic and Leicester. However, he was sacked after 58 days having failed to register a single win.
The 41-year-old is by no means the only former Premier League star to find things difficult as a manager, though, and he has plenty of time ahead of him to build a reputation whereas some others called it a day early on. Here, MIrror Football takes a look at some more big names who were unable to replicate their success in the dugout after hanging up their boots.
Gary Neville - Valencia
Neville's first managerial job came, like Toure's, off the back of some lauded work as an assistant. He did at least pick up some wins at Valencia, but when you join a club on a deal until the end of the season it's not generally considered great if you fail to see out that deal.
The former Man Utd defender failed to win in any of his first nine league games - Toure was out at Wigan after just seven. Neville did pick up some cup victories, and eventually some league successes, but was sacked in March 2016 with Los Che at risk of relegation.
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Gary Neville failed to see out his one season at Valencia (Getty Images)“It’s the only thing I’ve never planned... and I said yes," Neville later told The Blank Podcast. "I kick myself to this day, not for saying yes, but for the mistakes that I made. They were stupid mistakes."
Dietmar Hamann - Stockport
Hamann, like Toure, held a coaching role at Leicester before dipping his toes into management. The German international, who played more than 250 times in the Premier League, started at the bottom when opting to take over at National League side Stockport County, but struggled to achieve what he wanted.
The ex-midfielder took over from Ray Mathias amid proposed investment in the club, who had been relegated from the Football League the previous season. However, Hamann walked away, in November, later citing the collapse of the takeover.
Not that results had been the best before then. County were languishing in 17th, and weren't able to recover that season, only making their eventual return to the football league pyramid in 2022.
Edgar Davids - Barnet
Edgar Davids failed to save Barnet from relegation (Surrey & Hants Sport)The arrival of Dutch international and former Tottenham midfielder Davids at Barnet was a bizarre one. Not only was the veteran brought in to co-manage with the beleaguered Mark Robson, but he was part of the Bees' first-team squad.
When the Dutchman arrived at Underhill in October 2012, Barnet had just three points from 11 games. Things picked up with the Champions League winner involved, and when he took sole charge in December survival looked possible, only for a final day defeat to send the north London side down.
Davids bizarrely wore the number one shirt while playing in midfield, and perhaps even more bizarrely was prepared to stick around and attempt to drag Barnet back into the league. Things quickly went south, though, with a succession of red cards and a refusal to travel to certain away games - coupled with declining results - seeing his tenure come to an end in January 2014.
Alan Shearer - Newcastle
Alan Shearer's Newcastle suffered final day heartbreak (PA)When Newcastle announced the appointment of Shearer on April 1, 2009, the date prompted some to question whether it was a joke. The Magpies had been struggling, though, and it was hoped that the hometown hero could help stave off relegation.
Shearer was Newcastle's fourth different manager of the season, after Kevin Keegan, Chris Hughton (twice) and Joe Kinnear. A 3-1 defeat to Arsenal had sent them into the bottom three with eight games remaining, and the battle against the drop looked like going down to the wire.
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Newcastle picked up just two points from Shearer's first five games in charge, but a comeback victory over Middlesbrough gave them hope. Ultimately, though, both they and Boro would suffer relegation on the final day of the season.
Paul Gascoigne - Kettering
Paul Gascoigne hasn't taken a managerial job since leaving Kettering (Getty Images)Former England playmaker Gascoigne was just 38 when he took over at Kettering in October 2005, but lasted barely a month at the helm. The Conference North side were under the ownership of local tycoon Imraan Ladak, who bigged up the new appointment.
"Paul has not proven himself as a boss but he has worked under some of the best managers in football, like Bobby Robson and Terry Venables," Ladak said. "I believe that he and [assistant] Paul Davis can do great things for the club."
Gazza was sacked in December, but at the time still harboured hopes of completing a takeover for the non-league side. This failed to materialise, though, and that remains his only managerial experience.
Paul Scholes - Oldham
Scholes' Oldham tenure lasted just seven games (PA Images Contributor/Press Association Images)In between stints as caretaker boss at Salford City, the club he co-owns, ex-England star Scholes had a stint in charge of boyhood club Oldham Athletic. He took over in February 2019, but had left before the end of March.
"Unfortunately it became clear that I would not be able to operate as intended and was led to believe prior to taking on the role," Scholes told the BBC after stepping down. It was reported at the time that owner Abdallah Lensagam's interference in first-team affairs had been a factor in the decision.
Scholes' tenure at Oldham brought one win, three draws and three defeats. The team were 14th in League Two when he joined, 14th when he left, and 14th at the end of the season.
Teddy Sheringham - Stevenage
Teddy Sheringham's spells with Stevenage and ATK were both short-lived (Getty Images)Sheringham took over at Stevenage for the 2015-16 season, hoping to build on the previous campaign's run to the play-offs. Ultimately, though, the League Two side didn't come close to repeating the feat.
Stevenage won just six of 29 league games under the former England striker, and were down in 19th when he was sacked. They also claimed victory in the first round of the FA Cup, only to fall at the following hurdle.
Sheringham has had one further managerial stint since, spending time in India with ATK. The Kolkata-based side had high hopes after signing European stars including Robbie Keane, but three wins in 10 league games saw Sheringham given his marching orders.
Nicolas Anelka - Mumbai City
Nicolas Anelka spent time as Mumbai City's player-manager (Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)Nicolas Anelka's late-career movements had a lot going on, both on and off the pitch. After stints with Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus and West Bromwich Albion - in that almost inexplicable order - he joined Mumbai City in 2014.
The former France international looked poised to leave for Algeria after just one season, but instead remained in India and took on a new role as player-manager. It didn't last long.
With Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri and former Premier League star Frederic Piquionne leading the line, Anelka was able to focus on his job from the sidelines. He started just four games, including a humbling 7-0 loss against Goa, and ended his tenure after Mumbai missed out on the end-of-season playoffs.
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