Nuno no-no… Five managers who should never have gone back to their old clubs

Reports suggest Nuno is being lined up to return to Wolves. These managers would urge him to heed the old adage: never go back…

Howard Kendall
Kendall, once part of Everton’s ‘Holy Trinity’ alongside Alan Ball and Colin Harvey, returned initially to Everton in 1981 as player-manager, though he made only four appearances in that capacity before hanging up his boots. The Toffees legend struggled at first to turn his former side around and appeared on the verge of the sack in January 1984 before a couple of cup runs saved him. Like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, it was the FA Cup that was the catalyst for Kendall to become Everton’s greatest and most successful boss.

The following season, 1984-85, Everton came tantalisingly close to a Treble. They won the First Division title in style and tasted continental success in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. They ran out of steam in the FA Cup final, where Norman Whiteside’s curler earned 10-man Man Utd a Wembley triumph.

Though Everton finished as runners-up to Liverpool in the league and FA Cup the following season, Kendall regrouped the Toffees and wrenched back the title in 1987. With little more to achieve at Goodison Park, Kendall headed off to Athletic Bilbao, before returning to England with Manchester City. Then Everton came calling again.

Kendall said City was just an affair, he was wedded to Everton. But despite the bond, the manager – working alongside Harvey who he replaced as the main man – could not bring the glory days back to Goodison. The best he could do was to keep them away from the drop zone.

Succeeding him, Mike Walker and Joe Royle struggled even to do that. Their failings tempted Kendall back for a third time in 1997 when not even his magic could touch the Toffees. They escaped relegation on the final day of the season before Kendall left for a third and final time.

Steve McClaren
The former England manager made a decent fist of his first spell at Derby. His first season ended in heartbreak after losing in the Championship Play-Off final to a last-minute Bobby Zamora goal against his former side QPR. McClaren, though, seemed to lift the Rams again the following season and took them to the top of the table in late February.

Then Derby did what Derby do. Their late-season form fell off a cliff and the Rams failed even to make the play-offs. Even on the final day, Derby only needed a draw at home to Reading to make the top six – they lost 3-0.

That collapse…