Football-Ownage

Alex Ferguson succeeded Ron Atkinson as Manchester United manager on 6th November 1986 and in his first full season guided United to a League runners-up position. This was nothing compared to the success he was to later enjoy at Old Trafford as he built a team capable of matching the best in Europe.

Swede Sven Goran Eriksson has won a reputation as one of the most progressive coaches in world football.

And despite being forced to stand down as boss of Italian champions Lazio because of a run of poor results, he is highly regarded for his tactical acumen and attention to detail.

He has long been linked with posts in Britain after making his name as coach of IFK Gothenburg, Benfica and Sampdoria before moving to Rome.

He signed a contract to take over at Blackburn in 1997 before reneging; has expressed an interest in the Manchester United job when Sir Alex Ferguson retires; and was also linked with the Celtic manager's job.

A Serie A title with Lazio changed his mind, adding to a list of honours including the Super Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup (with Lazio), Uefa Cup (IFK Gothenburg), three Portuguese titles (Benfica) and the Swedish title (Gothenburg).

Sir Bobby Robson

Biography:

Many people remember Bobby Robson as the man who very nearly led England to their first World Cup final since 1966, but in a long and varied career he has enjoyed considerably more success than disappointment.

Bobby's managerial career began in Canada in 1967, as player-coach of Vancouver Royals. As a player he earned 20 full England caps and represented his country in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden having played for Fulham and West Bromich Albion.

He returned to Fulham as manager in 1968 but was sacked in November that year and within two months was appointed to manage Ipswich Town.

He struggled to lift Ipswich from the lower reaches of the First Division in his first three seasons in charge but from 1972-73 to 1981-82 the team only finished outside the top six once, competing in Europe eight years out of nine. Players such as George Burley, Mick Mills, John Wark, Paul Mariner, Terry Butcher, Rusell Osman, Eric Gates and the Dutchman Arnold Muhren played the kind of football that the fans at Portman Road had rarely seen.

Bobby's team won two trophies during that period - the FA Cup in 1978, with a famous victory over Arsenal, and the UEFA Cup in 1981, probably Ipswich's greatest achievement in their history. He was also very unlucky not to take his team to the League title two years running as they were edged out by Aston Villa in 1980-81 and by Liverpool the following season.

Bobby was not to get another chance to win the League with Ipswich as the FA selected him to manage the national team. He took England to two World Cups, where his team was beaten by the eventual champions on both occasions. England lost at 'the hands' of Argentina in the quarter-finals in 1986, and to West Germany on penalties in the semi-final in 1990.

With his England career over after the World Cup in Italy, Bobby surprised many people by accepting a job in Holland as manager of PSV Eindhoven. In his first season he won the Dutch League and successfully defended the title in 1992.

He moved to Portugal to take charge of Sporting Lisbon but was controversially sacked after a year following defeat in the UEFA Cup, despite the team being top of the league. Staying in Portugal however, Bobby took the helm at FC Porto just weeks later and guided his new team to victory in the Portuguese Cup that season, beating Lisbon in the final. Successive League titles followed in the next two seasons, before Bobby moved to Spain to manage Catalan giants Barcelona.

Persuading the club's president to 'gamble' £20million on a young Brazilian called Ronaldo - who Bobby had worked with briefly at PSV - the Englishman admits he effectively staked his managerial reputation on one player, and that certainly paid off; in 1997 Barca won the European Cup Winners Cup, the Spanish Cup and finished as runners-up in the league, but Bobby was replaced as team manager by Johann Cruyff and took up a position as General Manager, searching Europe for new talent.

Bobby returned to PSV in 1998 before being offered the chance to return to England, and his hometown, with Newcastle United. He accepted the challenge of taking over from Ruud Gullit and resurrecting the Magpies fortunes, receiving a hero's welcome at St. James's Park.

He never achieved his aim of winning a trophy at Newcastle but having ensured the club's Premiership survival in his first season in charge, then consolidated their position in the top flight, Bobby began to mould a team capable of challenging for honours.

He was offered a second chance to manage England by the FA following the resignation of former Magpies hero Kevin Keegan, but despite his eagerness to accept the job, the Newcastle board would not allow Bobby to take on the dual role.

Having signed some of Britain's brightest young stars, such as Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Jenas, Bobby saw his side - led by former England hero Alan Shearer - take the Barclaycard Premiership by storm in the 2001/2002 season.

The Magpies exceeded many people's expectations to top the table at Christmas. Although they could not maintain their challenge for the title, they held off the challenge of Leeds and Chelsea to claim fourth place and qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

Bobby did not finish the season empty-handed however, as he was rewarded for his efforts with a Barclaycard Merit award at the LMA's annual awards dinner in May 2002.

He was further rewarded the following month, with a knighthood, which he received in the Queen's birthday honours list, to the delight of the Newcastle fans and, undoubtedly, the majority of football fans in the country.

With his Newcastle team struggling amidst rumours of ill-discipline within the changing room, Sir Bobby left St.James Park in September 2004. 

Previous Clubs

Newcastle United, PSV Eindhoven (HO), Barcelona (SP), Porto (PO), Sporting Lisbon (PO), PSV Eindhoven (HO), England, Ipswich, Fulham

Although Pearce had previously had a stint in charge of Nottingham Forest in the late 90s, it was with City that he cut his teeth on the training pitch. He joined the club in the summer of 2001 and spent a season combining his playing role with that of defensive coach before hanging up his boots.

Kevin Keegan had taken on the former England international in order to solve his defensive problems. And in 2003/04 the club had one of the best defensive records in the Premiership.

That following season Keegan's time began to run out, and perhaps the only surprise was that he stayed at the helm until March. When Keegan quit, it was the cue for Pearce to take up the reins on a temporary basis.

After working with the players over the previous three years, Pearce immediately commanded their respect and that transformed into points on the pitch.

Although Pearce lost his first game in charge of City, away to Tottenham Hotspur, they then remained unbeaten in the final eight matches of the season. City only missed out on a place in the UEFA Cup when Robbie Fowler missed an injury time penalty against Middlesbrough in the last game.

The clamour for Pearce to be given the job on a permanent basis came from players, pundits and fans alike. There was never a chance that the City board would look elsewhere after he had proved himself in the temporary role.

City's unbeaten run stretched five games into the 2005/06 season, including a fine point in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. He picked up the final Manager of the Month Award of 2004/05 and the first of the following campaign.

But Pearce came down with a bump when suffering three defeats in a which - the worst of which was a loss to League One strugglers Doncaster Rovers in the Carling Cup.

The press had already been touting Pearce as a possible contender to take over from Sven Goran Eriksson after England lost a World Cup qualifier to Northern Ireland. But surely even the man himself would be only too happy to concede that such a lofty position would come far too early in his development as a manager.

Even so, Pearce has made his mark in a very short space of time.

It's not only the results that endear him to fans across the county, but his demonstrative style both on the pitch and on the touchline. Although he has promised to tone down his antics in the technical area few would want him to change.

Pearce is a manager who kicks every ball, wins every header and covers every inch of the pitch with his players. Perhaps it is the very contrast with the approach of a 'thinker' like Eriksson which makes him such a popular figure.

Pearce has taken every bit of his playing style into his managerial career. He was a no-nonsense left-back with a rifle of a shot, full of grit and determination - earning the nickname of 'Psycho' due to his aggressive approach.

His career began with Coventry City after being signed from non-league Wealdstone for a fee of £25,000 in October 1983. After an impressive 18 months at Highfield Road he moved to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 1985 and went on to become a legend at the City Ground. Pearce spent 12 years with the club, making more than 500 appearances.

The defender made his England debut against Brazil in 1987, the same year he was handed the captain's armband at Forest, and enjoyed an international career which spanned 13 years. Time after time he would be brought back into the fold, finally by Keegan.

One of the most enduring images of Pearce in an England shirt came during Euro 96 when he banished the ghosts of his penalty miss at the 1990 World Cup. The semi-final against Germany at the Stadio Delle Alpi went right to the wire, but both Pearce and Chris Waddle missed their spot kicks as England crashed out.

Pearce was haunted by that moment for years and vowed never take a penalty again. But when the Euro 96 quarter-final clash with Spain at Wembley went to penalties, the defender stepped forward to take one of the vital kicks.

And when he sent Andoni Zubizarreta the wrong way, Pearce launched into a fist-clenching roar to the supporters, showing his sheer determination and pride.

It's one of the images which sums up England's campaign at Euro 96 and the spirit of the man himself.

Pearce won a total of 78 caps for his country, his final appearance coming against Poland in 2000.

The player took his first steps into management in December 1996 when he managed Forest until the end of the season, winning the Manager of the Month Award for January. Though there was much talk of him taking the job permanently he chose to continue playing and learn the coaching game first.

He failed to save Forest from the drop into the Football League, winning seven of his 23 games at the helm, and left the club at the end of the season.

After leaving Forest, Pearce headed to the north east with Newcastle, where he spent two years before moving to West Ham United. Following two seasons with the Hammers he joined Manchester City, helping the side to win the First Division title before hanging up his boots and concentrating on his coaching career.

Always a crowd favourite, Pearce continues to wow the fans as a manager.