England’s golden generation – ranked by their managerial ability

The England sides of the 2000s were among the most underwhelming national teams in living memory.

How such a star-studded side only got as far as the quarter-final stage at major tournaments – and then just straight up did not qualify for one – remains a mystery.

Some of the leaders of those Three Lions teams have admitted there was a lack of cohesion in the national setup because of their intense rivalries at club level. This led to a few frosty and cold relationships in the England camp.

Judging by their managerial careers so far, most of them never really outgrew that anti-social and angsty period of their lives.

Who’s the best of a pretty rubbish bunch though? Here’s 90min’s rankings.

Teams managed: Valencia
Career win percentage: 35.7%
Highlight: Being the literal manager of Valencia Club de Futbol
Lowlight: The look on his face when losing 7-0 to Barcelona

A quick look at Gary Neville’s stats suggest he wasn’t an utterly terrible manager – 28 games, 10 losses, seven draws, 11 losses. 39 goals scored, 38 conceded. See, not horrendous, right?

But then you factor in he was in charge of Valencia, who finished the previous season in La Liga’s top four. Ah.

Oh, and don’t ask how he got the job. Or what his exploits have done for the job prospects of pundits worldwide.

Teams managed: Salford City (caretaker/interim), Oldham Athletic
Career win percentage: 30.8%
Highlight: Won four games in his career
Lowlight: Won only one as a permanent manager

Right, so Neville won several more matches as a manager than Paul Scholes. He also had a slightly better win percentage. So why does Scholes rank higher?

Because he, mercifully, packed in that managerial lark quite quickly, taking charge of just seven games as a permanent boss before packing it in.

Teams managed: Macclesfield Town, Southend United
Career win percentage: 22.6%
Highlight: Only one of the two teams he managed are now defunct
Lowlight: One of the two teams he managed is now defunct

Sol Campbell’s management tale is actually quite a sad one. He took charge of two struggling sides in Macclesfield and Southend, and despite his win percentage he wasn’t completely rubbish. He has since insisted he is quitting coaching as he is happier away from that world.