Does top flight experience in football create the best managers? Apparently not!

With football players now looking to other paths in life after football, instead of the regular step into coaching and then management. Is football in a good position without them?

Now that the likes of Thierry Henry, Gary Lineker and Robbie Savage have decided to take a punt at punditry instead of getting their coaching roles, can the football industry survive without their expertise on the training field? Of course it can.

The resurgence of managers with a lack of top football experience has seen clubs benefit from a fresh outlook in football and the game looks better off with these managers taking on leading roles with big clubs and bringing glory to their wanting fans.

It’s now common for managers with little experience on the pitch to be a success as a coach or manager, with stories like Andre Villas Boas who was originally a neighbour of Bobby Robson and became as assistant to Joe Mourinho before taking up his own career in management, with no prior experience on the field.

Three of the Premierships top managers posses very little experience in the professional game. These three managers are Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers.

Sure, all of these managers may have spent time with clubs, but has their ability come from a top flight career? No, it’s come from studying and gaining their coaching badges.

It’s not easy to become a coach these days, you’ve got so many levels to go through and tests and exercises to learn. You have to start really low and build your stock up, which most players would now see as a chore instead of a blessing.