Topic: That England 'golden generation' of the 2000's (post-playing days)

[Fromola]

I think this was the team that saw loads lose interest in England. Bunch of arrogant mercenaries and twats, for the most part, and the first to be super wealthy. Yet they're all still raking it in post-playing days without doing anything to earn it.

Wayne Rooney - awful manager, sacked today by Birmingham after taking them from the play offs to relegation battle. At least yet he hasn't talk the Saudi coin or the sofa option of Sky/TNT.

Frank Lampard. Joke of a manager but still earned multi-millions from Chelsea and Everton.

Gary Neville. An extremely shit manager at Valencia and as Hodgson's assistant with England. Earns millions to talk absolute shite.

John Terry - relegated with Leicester last season, was hailed as a future Chelsea manager.

Ashley Cole - coach at Everton with Lampard and then on Rooney's staff at Birmingham

Steven Gerrard. Had that one good season with Rangers but his career has nosedived since with a disastrous spell at Villa. Took the option of moneygrabbing in Saudi rather than try and salvage respectability as a manager.

Rio Ferdinand - Total wanker, no ability to be a coach so just chats shit as a pundit raking the money in.

Jamie Carragher. Knobhead, didn't fancy being a coach, took the easy money as a pundit to spew agendas with Red Nev.

Michael Owen. Harmless version of the above, but why is he even a pundit?

Owen Hargreaves - another one of TNT's ex-United crowd.

Joe Cole. Always seems to pop up on various Chelsea games or West Ham games, often against us. Useless bellend.

Paul Scholes. Another failed manager

Sol Campbell - Another failed manager

David Beckham - never bothered coaching, good grace to keep away from punditry. Still a wanker.

A right set of knobheads but could be worse they could by Joey Barton or Matt Le Tissier.

[Sheer Magnetism]

I hate to disagree with this volley of invective but Jack Charlton (arguably) aside, the '66 World Cup winners didn't exactly pull up trees once they hung up their boots either. Big name players get chances based on their name. Always have done, always will do.

[Hedley Lamarr]

I agree with most of the list, but, and this pains me, Beckham actually seems okay to me, self aware enough to know he couldn't manage, which is what most of that list lack, self awareness.

[Clint Eastwood]

I actually think David Beckham is quite likeable. Agree with the rest though. Interesting how terrible that generation of players were at management.

[thaddeus]

I agree with most of the list, but, and this pains me, Beckham actually seems okay to me, self aware enough to know he couldn't manage, which is what most of that list lack, self awareness.

I think with Beckham it was more than he was very aware he could make a lot more from Brand Beckham in the US than he ever would as a coach/manager or pundit.  He seems to be revered as a football and business expert in the US in a way which he never would be here.

Emile Heskey was a considerable part of that generation although never hyped like some of the others.  He seems to be trying to earn himself a coaching career since he retired.

That so many are pundits for me just reflects that they're retired millionaires with not much else to do or offer.  Of course they won't turn down the money but I expect it's more about hanging out with their old mates and having a bit of purpose to their lives post-retirement.  A few of them run academies and head up charities in their local areas and I'd like to think they're doing that to help the next generations along.

[bradders1011]

It also suggests there are too many pundits.

It's like the House of Lords - old hasbeens jumping on the gravy train.

Limit them to 100, proportionally-elected, move them all to a country house in Yorkshire. Could do something similar for the Lords as well.

[Fromola]

I actually think David Beckham is quite likeable. Agree with the rest though. Interesting how terrible that generation of players were at management.

The desperation for a knighthood is a bit irksome but he's not that bad.

[Chakan]

I don't mind Beckham to be honest, absolutely cashed in on his image and made a killing with it. Good for him. Stayed away from punditry and management. Also a good choice.

The rest of the list can all get to fuck.

[rafathegaffa83]

Big name players get chances based on their name. Always have done, always will do.

True. I'd also argue that in Britain there is still a sense that someone who played at top level should easily translate into being a top coach which is rarely the case. If you look at Spain's WC winning squad the only players who have managed are Xavi and Xabi Alonso. Xavi had to go to Qatar to get an opportunity and Alonso started with Real Sociedad's B team. If you look at the rest of that squad most who of those have gone into coaching or management have either been assistants (Marchena, Fabregas) or been assigned roles in youth systems (Torres).

Similarly most of Portugal's Golden Generation have not gone into management and those that have pretty much stuck to smaller clubs (Costinha) or jobs as coaches (Ferreira, Valente, Carvalho, Tiago Mendes) or in executive roles (Simao, Viana, Deco). Most haven't lasted long in their respective positions. I'd argue this is because the game is better suited now to having experts in certain fields (i.e.  at the executive level) or having individuals with specialties and degrees in tactics physical education or analytics regardless of what level they played at during their career. It also helps that a lot of these ex-players made so much money during their career that they arguably did not need to consider pursuing a career in coaching  or management unless they had an explicit interest in doing so.

[faisfais]

David Beckham - never bothered coaching, good grace to keep away from punditry. Still a wanker.

He is "almost" single-handedly making MLS unaffordable to the average person like me.

[afc tukrish]

He is "almost" single-handedly making MLS unaffordable to the average person like me.

That's Dickhead Don as much or more than Beckham...

[DiggerJohn]

Always thought that generation of England players weren't the brightest. Gerrard needed Alonso Lampard had Makelele etc. Now the Italians Maldini Nesta or Pirlo etc they had that intelligence cuteness about them. I'm talking about as players not managers

[cheesemason]

This is also David Beckham though

https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/12976710/david-beckham-proud-of-qatar-ambassador-role-at-world-cup-despite-lgbtq-rights-criticism

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/david-beckham-qatar-world-cup-28525203.amp