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Frank Lampard to Chelsea: As former Blues legend closes in a return, we look at former players' records as managers
Legendary players returning to the scene of their greatest triumphs as managers is one of football’s greatest curiosities.
As Frank Lampard appears to be closing in on a return to Chelsea, after just one year as a manager, we could not help but have a look at some other players who gambled on a return.
It doesn’t exactly shine as a beacon of hope for Chelsea fans, but records are there to be broken, we guess.
Alan Shearer
Probably the most directly comparable example to Frank Lampard, Shearer’s ill-fated spell at Newcastle in 2009 saw them relegated from the Premier League.
Not that it was entirely his fault, mind you. Joe Kinnear - famed for his butchering of Charles N’Zogbia’s surname - had undergone heart surgery which ruled him out of managing for the remainder of the season.
Kinnear and Chris Hughton had both struggled at the helm after Kevin Keegan walked out in September.
Things weren’t looking great for the Tyneside club by the time their record scorer took up the role as temporary manager.
A win against rivals Middlesbrough in early May seemed to lift the Toon out of the relegation zone.
But Damien Duff’s own goal against Aston Villa on the final day of the season consigned Newcastle to the drop.
Shearer did not take up another managerial role afterwards, preferring a punditry on with Match of the Day.
Kenny Dalglish
Back before Liverpool could really even remember what a title challenge felt like, Dalglish was reappointed as manager during the 2011-12 season.
Indeed, it was actually the Scot who had last led Liverpool to domestic glory in 1990.
But he was drafted back to take on the Premier League after Roy Hodgson tried and failed to bring the glory days back to Anfield, following his success at Fulham.
It didn’t go according to plan. Well, not by the exceptional standards of that 1985-91 spell.
With an FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea and a League Cup triumph, Dalglish was dismissed when Liverpool finished eighth.
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Bobby Charlton
He won the English top flight three times as a player, as well as the FA Cup.
He lifted the Champions League, or European Cup as it was known, as he helped solidify his status as a Manchester United icon.
To add to this, he won the World Cup, the Ballon d’Or, Footballer of the Year award, and Golden Ball in 1966.
So yeah, Charlton’s status as a player is legendary.
But after departing the Red Devils, he spent a season with Preston North End in the third division - where he scored eight league goals.
After returning as a manager?
He relegated them.
Ryan Giggs
We’re all fairly familiar with this one - given the mess United are still in following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
When David Moyes took over at Old Trafford in 2013, optimism was high for a continued era of dominance. How wrong they were.
Moyes was sacked the following April, and Giggs - their record appearance maker - was appointed as interim manager.
Ryan Giggs' final team meeting as United caretaker. Reminiscent of a hungover student who forgot he was doing a presentation and is panic-rambling on the spot.pic.twitter.com/NcHf4EFPc4
— Ball Street (@BallStreet) January 16, 2018
He won two of their four matches under him, with one draw and one defeat seeing them through the season.
It wasn’t the least promising of signs - after all, Giggs is now Wales manager - but he admitted breaking down after the season ended due to the pressure.
Alan Pardew
Pardew has endured a really rather mixed managerial career, particularly in the Premier League.
As a player, he led Crystal Palace to the First Division before scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup semi-final the following season.
So surely he was destined for managerial success at Selhurst Park?
After being appointed in January 2015, he led Palace from the relegation zone to top half.
He claimed some early scalps the following season - with wins over Liverpool and Chelsea - and then it all went wrong.
Just six victories in 36 games through 2016 meant Pardew was sacked in December that year.
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