While Sir Alex Ferguson is considered the greatest manager in the history of football, and he earned a reputation for developing talent into some of the best players on the planet, his track record in terms of his former stars who turned to management is quite poor. Despite working under a legend like the Scot, very few of his ex-players, who tried their hands as managers after hanging up their boots, have actually found success in the new role.
The likes of Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes have all tried and failed as managers so far, whereas Mark Hughes carved out a solid career as a head coach, taking charge of the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Stoke City in the Premier League. There was one star who played for Ferguson at Manchester United who the Scot was convinced would become a top manager. Things didn't quite pan out that way from him, though, and his last role came in Thailand.
Sir Alex Ferguson looking angry with Man Utd theme Related
Ranking All Sir Alex Ferguson Man Utd Players Who Became Managers
38 former Sir Alex Ferguson players at Manchester United have become managers - but the less said about most of their managerial careers, the better.
Ferguson Expected Big Things From Bryan Robson
The former United man last managed Thailand
Former Manchester United midfielder Bryan Robson
While some of his former players struggled when they turned their attention to management and stepped into the hotseat, Ferguson expected Bryan Robson to thrive in the role and become a top manager. The Manchester United icon played under the Scot for seven years between the late 1980s and early 1990s.
He won a handful of trophies during his time at Old Trafford and the level of intelligence he displayed while operating in the middle of the park had Ferguson convinced he would be a fine head coach. As quoted by Sky Sports, Ferguson said:
"It can be difficult to pinpoint who would make it as a manager. For instance, nobody here thought Mark Hughes would become a manager, never in a million years, and we all thought Bryan Robson was a certainty to be a top manager."
Despite someone like Ferguson believing in him, Robson ultimately wasn't successful in his venture into management. It got off to a solid start, though, when he became Middlesbrough's player-manager in 1994. He spent three years in that role, before retiring from football and focusing on his job as head coach. He spent a further four years in charge of the side, but his time with 'Boro was as good as it got for him as a manager.
After leaving the club in 2001, he was out of action for two years, before returning as manager of Bradford City in 2003. He wasn't in the role for long, however, and left in 2004. He then spent time at West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United and the Thailand national team. He failed to find any real success with any of them. His final role as a manager was with Thailand and he was in charge of the nation for two years before resigning in 2011. He never managed again. It wasn't quite the career of the 'top' manager that Ferguson expected Robson to become.