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In football players are born and not made. However managers are made and not born with Brendan Rodgers proving that point following his appointment to Liverpool this week. In what has been wrongly perceived in many ways as a meteoric rise from Swansea to Anfield, onlookers are forgetting that in keeping good company the Carnlough man was learning at twice the speed of sound. What's more, he clearly had the potential to analyse, interpret and utilise those accumulated facts. which must have been clear even to Jose Mourinho when he hired him at Chelsea as Youth Coach in 2005.
His short term at Watford earned him the admiration of former England manager, and Hornets Legend, Graham Taylor, who saw at close quarters the talents that had been spotted by Mourinho and had seen the Northern Ireland man leave Stamford Bridge as reserve coach. Very determined, with string views on the game, Rodgers was a talent that was going places and it was Reading – the club he had played for when his career ended – that took him around the M25 from Vicarage Road. In Taylor’ view, the bad experience that Reading was to prove to be, has been more than erased by the job done at Liberty Stadium in Swansea,
As club that had not seen the giddy heights of the top Division since John Toshack’s time, securing promotion from the old Fourth to First in four consecutive seasons in 1983. Something that only an ex Liverpool player would have undertaken given that the legacy of Bill Shankly had taught many players of that era, that the impossible was really possible once you ser your mind to a task. A vision of the game that was handed down – with much success it ahs to be said - to those that succeed Shankly at Anfield - Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and ultimately Kenny Dalglish.
But management is like that and largely depends on mentors – good and bad - as with any business and the background of Jose Mourinho a case in point. All starting out when he became the interpreter for Sir Bobby Robson in 1992 when the Englishman joined Sporting Lisbon.
In one swift move Mourinho moved from being a school sports teacher, manager of a lower level Portuguese football, to having insights and instant access to the life experiences of Robson’s many years at the top. That apprenticeship continued when Mourinho the joined Robson at Barcelona in 1996, where he remained until 2000, after Sir bobby left, working for another managerial legend, Louis van Gaal.
But the time with Robson should not be underestimated, as perhaps he was less lauded a manager in some eyes in the domestic game, than the late Robson deserved - given a CV filled with success domestically and internationally. Also, winning a championship in two countries, in Holland and Portugal, the UEFA Cup with Ipswich Town in 1981, Cup Winners Cup with Barcelona in 1997 - as well as getting England to the 1990 World Cup semi-final.
Reared in the generation when football was truly a working man’s game in England, Robson brought a common touch to everyone he met in the game, that these days is too often complicated by egos, excess money, Doing so playing an attacking style that was entertaining to all, as far back as the days of Kevin O’Callaghan, Alan Brazil and Eric Gates at Ipswich to the Barcelona side of 1997 that attacked with the likes of Luis Enrique, Ronaldo and Luis Figo.
Ably supported in the middle with one, Josep Guardiola.
In that same way Brian Clough’s era at Nottingham Forest may have been a production line for former players such as Martin O’Neill, it has to be the success on the field that plays the pivotal role. In that sense the achievements of Clough, and his side kick Peter Taylor, should not be trivialise in the modern era given Forest won two consecutive European Cups. The first in Munich in 1979 when the most costly transfer of the day, Trevor Francis headed the winning goal against Malmo at the Olympia Park, and the nest year at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid against the much fancied Hamburg SV – with the two time Ballon d’Or winner in their numbers, Kevin Keegan.
In that kind of company those with managerial potential have ample opportunity to learn the trade and O’Neill is a valid case in point.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s early days as gaffer at Aberdeen seem to have had a similar effect following the 1983 Cup Winners Cup victory in Malmo against Real Madrid, with a number of his players that wet night going into management – which included Alex McLeish, Mark McGhee, Gordon Strachan and Willie Miller. It could be argued with differing degrees of success thus far, which consistent with the ex Manchester United players that have sought management roles. None more so than Roy Keane perhaps, Mark Hughes or Steve Bruce, with Ole Gunnar-Solsjkaer the brightest star at this moment in time. Arguably the missing element in any Ferguson apprenticeship is some time on the continent where the power of the hairdryer method alone offers limited response – or success long term.
No greater example of that opposing ethos than John Cruyff who across Dutch football and Spanish football has cats a long shadow. In addition proving a weakness in the oft proffered view, that great players don’t make successful managers. Indeed in Cruyff’s case, not only was there success, but the founding of a playing style at Barcelona that many still want to emulate. And none more so than Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool.
On returning to the club in 1988 where he brought success in the seventies, Cruyff as manger won La Liga four times between 1991 and 1994, and ended the dominance of arch rivals Real Madrid. At European level he took the Catalan club to winning finals twice – the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989 and then to Wembley in 1992 for the European Cup. Achieving all this by developing players in-house, or buying talent abroad signing names like José Mari Bakero, Txiki Begiristain, Andoni Goikoetxea, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário, Gheorghe Hagi, and Hristo Stoichkov.
Not forgetting to mention once again, Pep Guardiola who has since shattered the legendary Dutchman’s 11 trophy record.
Not surprisingly all of those players entered the managerial ranks with Guardiola the most revered given his unprecedented success during his time at Barcelona – which ended this month
For Brendan Rogers his days start now and his much anticipated arrival at Anfield reflects a unique series of experiences, mentors and teachers that few in the game could match at 39 years of age.
Clearly good managers are made - and not born.
©OSMnews
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