City stars in football management, as Emile Heskey emerges as Port Vale’s next man in charge

Not many players goes all the way to be a manager in professional manner, a few goes all the way, and has to do it with a few moves abroad. A very difficult trade and one of the biggest challenges you can approach.

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You have a few that must be said to have done brilliant, but few lasts very long and some just have a sniff and decides it’s not what they thought, moves into punditry or just into some other trade and other vanish totally from the game, takes an education and ends up in a totally different environment.

Don Revie must be the most successful of the lot of players with a past at Leicester City, others of that era Willie Cunningham also had a long and good spell in management, having a big influence of Sir Alex Ferguson and in a way his grandmaster in football.

Colin Appleton and Willie Bell were also involved in management over a long period of time and took charge of teams in the football league. Of course not to forget Matt Gillies who had a glorious time at Leicester and also took charge of Nottingham Forest, signing Martin O’Neill for the club before stepping down.

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Frank McLintock did get his chance in full management with Leicester City, but the move never turned out well for him or the club, seeing a great generation of players and a fantastic team build, being destroyed in one single season, the worst ever manager at the club.

Dennis Rofe has been in football for most of his life, but just a brief spell as manager at Bournemouth and Bristol Rovers, but of course many roles as assistant and different roles in coaching, spending a long period of time with Southampton. David Webb had a short spell at Leicester City as a player, he had managerial roles at Bournemouth, Torquay, Southend and Brentford but never lived a life at the highest level in football management.

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Frank Worthington might not be seen as the ideal manager, but he was actually doing that job well at Tranmere Rovers, spending two years in charge while playing and scoring goals at the same time, but as we all know, to play was his real passion as he did late into his 40’s.

Arthur Rowley, Leicester City’s record goalscorer of the 50’s, did as Frank Worthington, combined playing and management with Shrewsbury Town, later in charge of Sheffield United, finishing his work in football at Southend in 1976, staying in football management for 18 years.

Simon Grayson and Roberto Mancini are former Leicester City players still in football management. Gary McAllister has also been greatly involved in management and today assistant to Steven Gerrard at Glasgow Rangers. Mancini might be alongside Don Revie one that really cemented the manager role at the top in football, being in charge of Fiorentina, Man City, Inter and Italy.

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Ian Baraclough started his career at Leicester, but never player league football at the club, today he is the man leading Northern Ireland and has also been in charge at Scunthorpe and Motherwell. Another former fox, Tony Knapp, took charge of Iceland and has also been heavily involved in Norwegian football for a long period of time with major clubs such as Brann, Fredrikstad and Viking.

Joe Waters started his professional footballing life at Leicester City, but will in all be remembered as a great legend at both Grimsby Town and Tacome Stars, where he also were in charge in a couple of rounds and must be said to have had a good life in football management.

Not to forget Neil Lennon who today is the manager of Celtic and in his 2nd spell at the Scottish giant. Lennon had a key role in the Leicester team during the days of Martin O’Neill, and has stayed in the trade of management for a great number of years.

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Allan Clarke was once touted as one of the great young talents of football management, doing a grand job at Barnsley, but failed to bring the greatness back to Leeds United, left and again returned to a 2nd spell in charge of The Tykes.

Cult hero Steve Claridge is another that combined his playing skills with manager roles, doing so at Millwall and Porstmouth in league football. Stuart Campbell did also try out the job as manager being in charge of Tampa Bay Rowdies for a while.

Rob Kelly is the only player since Matt Gillies to actually come back and be a full time appointed manager at the club, with people such as Gerry Parker, Gerry Taggart and Allan Evans all being in charge in caretaker roles.

To see Emile Heskey among the candidates to take charge of Port Vale and if they pick him as their man, it would be lovely news, we wish our former great all the best if that chance is given.