Off Topic Gary Neville

[PleaseNotPoll]

The greatest managers were all able to get the best out of their players, both individually and collectively, although they may have used different methods to achieve this. As has been said above, people skills is the biggest asset for any manager in any walk of life. Playing under a great manager doesn't necessarily give you the ability to work with people. In fact, there is clear evidence to the contrary so far as modern players are concerned. Few have any life experience outside football from an early age. They have an easy life with few problems to address. Everything is handed to them on a plate. SAF grew up in a disciplined environment with a strong work ethic. He learnt to work hard for what he would achieve and that things would not come easily. He learnt how to deal with people who were equally tough and determined. He had to know when to be confrontational, when to be conciliatory etc. Roy Keane has never learned people skills. His role as a player was to be confrontational only. He knew only how to be aggressive, uncompromising, unrelenting.....These characteristics made him successful as a player, but would only be of limited use in limited situations in management - and he couldn't change his personality in order to adapt to what was needed, of course.

Martin O'Neill seems to have had the sense to see Keane's use in coaching.
He'll never make it as a manager, but he's useful as an assistant to keep people in line, so that you don't have to.
You can be a friendly face to the players, to some extent, while the big scary man shouts at everyone.

If you're going to be an arm-round-the-shoulder, you're-brilliant-lads coach, then this is a useful addition to your armoury.
Redknapp knows how to build people up and make them believe that they can win games.
Joe Jordan knows how to turn people to stone with a look if they piss him off.
Hard to do both at the same time.

One of Ferguson's most overlooked strengths was his ability to bring in coaches that complemented his weaknesses.
Modern managers can't do everything and he understood this.
That he repeatedly changed them, just as he did his players, yet maintained the results is remarkable.