As Chris Hogg takes his first steps into management with Northampton, he will no doubt lean heavily on the expertise of an ex-Premier League manager who, conveniently, also happens to be a close family relative.
Back in 2010, the new Cobblers boss married Lisa, the daughter of distinguished former manager George Burley, after the pair met when he was a young player on the books at Ipswich Town.
George Burley as Scotland managerplaceholder image
George Burley as Scotland manager
Burley enjoyed an excellent career in football both as a player and manager. A right-back in his playing days, he spent more than a decade with Ipswich under Bobby Robson, winning the UEFA Cup in 1981, and earned 11 caps for Scotland.
As a manager, Burley guided Ipswich to promotion to the top flight in 2000 and was named Premier League Manager of the Year the following season as the Tractor Boys finished an impressive fifth. He also managed clubs including Derby County, Southampton and Crystal Palace, and later took charge of Scotland.
Now he is on hand to support and advise Northampton Town’s new boss.
“My father-in-law, George Burley, has been an unbelievable help and aid to me,” said Hogg on the Coaches Voice website. “Even when I don’t speak football with him, he will drop a little bit of gold into the conversation.
"A man of his experience will say something that you hadn’t thought of before, and I am very lucky to have people like him around me, influencing me daily, as I begin my managerial journey."
Burley brought Hogg to Ipswich from York City’s youth system in 2001 for a compensation fee of around £150,000.
“I met my wife when I was 17, six months after George left,” Hogg reflected in an interview a few years ago. “If it wasn’t for him bringing me down to Ipswich I would never have met my wife. Life has a funny way of working things out.
“He (Burley) is great, he is a very special person. He’s had a great football career as a player and as a manager. We have some honest chats, just general, nothing specific, we’ll sit down over dinner sometimes and football’s always on the telly and we’re always talking about the games.
“It’s very informal but what you do realise is his knowledge of the game and his passion for the game still. But he’s great, he doesn’t impose his will on me, he doesn’t necessarily tell me exactly what it is but he’s there if I need him and gives great support.”
Continue Reading