Old boys: England line up for their semi-final with
Germany in 1996
Ah, the heady days of Euro 96. The sun shone, football
came home and then Germany turned up and spoiled the
party.
But at least Gareth Southgate was able to cash in on his
semi-final penalty miss with a tongue-in-cheek Pizza Hut
advert.
Now, 13 years after his tame spot-kick was saved by Andreas
Kopke, Southgate is under fire again after taking Middlesbrough
down to the Champsionship.
And he is not the only one. Alan Shearer also suffered
relegation as Newcastle boss.
Sportsmail looks at how a golden generation have failed in the
world of management.
Tony Adams, Paul Ince, David Platt and Paul Gascoigne have
hardly been success stories, although Stuart Pearce has gone some
way to redressing the balance.
Steve McManaman has been wise to stick to the safety of the TV
studio.
Shearer's managerial record stretches to just eight games but
during that time Newcastle suffered a harrowing relegation from the
Barclays Premier League.
Arguably, the damage was already done thanks to the inept
administration at St James' Park over recent years.
But Shearer has done himself few favours when it comes to
establishing himself as a top-flight boss.
Honours: None
Hero: Shearer in 1996 Agony: Shearer now
The former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough player had the
debatable honour of being Steve McClaren's first signing at the
Riverside.
Southgate was a natural leader on the pitch and Terry Venables
had no hesitation in recommending him to Boro chairman Steve Gibson
when McClaren left to lead England to ignominy in the summer of
2006.
And so Southgate became a Premier League manager aged just 35.
Boro finished 12th in his first season and 13th the year after, but
are now staring relegation in the face.
Gibson is not a chairman familiar with wielding the managerial
axe, but a quick look up the A19 would have shown him the benefits
of acting decisively - Roy Keane's resignation in December seems to
have saved Sunderland from the drop.
Honours: None
Woe: Southgate in 1996 Trouble: Southgate now
A highly successful leader of men at Arsenal, Tony Adams cannot
be accused of moving into management blindly.
He served under the likes of George Graham and Arsene Wenger,
completed the League Manager Association's Certificate of Applied
Management and studied sports science at Brunel University.
But the Adams who bolted off the pitch at Wembley after that
Euro '96 semi-final defeat to throw as much beer down his neck as
possible was a very different proposition to the manager he
became.
Wycombe were relegated from League Two in 2004 under Adams'
watch, signalling a two-year absence from the English game as Adams
spent time coaching at Feyenoord. He returned to management as
assistant boss to Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth in 2006 and took
over as Pompey manager when Redknapp joined Spurs last October.
Following 'Arry was always going to be a difficult task and
Adams lasted little more than three months before being
unceremoniously sacked.
Honours: None
Leader: Adams in 1996 Gone: Adams at Pompey
It all started so well for Ince as he rolled his sleeves up and
saved Macclesfield Town from relegation in 2007. The club were
bottom of League Two when Ince joined in the previous October and
he kept Macclesfield up by an impressive 12-point margin.
An appointment at MK Dons followed in the summer of 2007 and
Ince enjoyed more success, guiding the club to the League Two title
and victory over Grimsby Town in the final of the Football League
Trophy in March last year.
But then the Guvnor moved up to the Barclays Premier League and
experienced a woeful six months as Blackburn boss. Tackling his
players in training did not work out and Ince was sacked in
December as Rovers took drastic action to try and maintain their
place in the top flight.
Honours: 2008 League Two
champions and 2008 Football League Trophy winners (MK Dons)
Rock: Ince in 1996 Out: Ince at Blackburn
It was assumed Platt's transition from player to manager would
be a smooth one when he retired in 1998 to concentrate on coaching.
The former England midfielder got involved with the national youth
sides and returned to one former club Sampdoria as 'Overall
Supervisor' for a brief, ill-fated period.
In 1999 he replaced Ron Atkinson at Nottingham Forest and spent
two years at the City Ground, trying to build a team capable of
challenging for promotion to the Premier League. But he could
hardly be called a fans' favourite after he failed to reach the
play-offs in either of his two seasons in charge, despite spending
?12million.
Platt resigned in 2001 to become England Under-21s coach,
guiding the side to the 2002 European Championships. But, when they
failed to reach the same tournament two years later, Platt was
replaced by Peter Taylor.
Honours: None
Silky: Platt in 1996 Tough: Platt at Forest
Quite what Imraan Ladak, the chairman of non-league Kettering
Town, thought he was doing when he appointed Gascoigne as manager
in October 2005, we'll never know. Presumably it was a publicity
stunt but Gazza lasted just 39 days before being sacked.
Kettering's results weren't even that bad (two wins, two draws
and three losses), but Ladak was apparently unimpressed with
Gascoigne's drinking. Surely that was part of the territory?
Gazza, who says he has now gone four months without a drink, is
talking about a return to coaching, but the range of 'offers' he
discusses have yet to be verified by any clubs.
The jury is out as to whether the most naturally gifted player
of his generation could ever become a manager, but the odds are
stacked against him. Gazza needs to learn to manage his own life
first.
Honours: None
Hero: Gazza in 1996 Disaster: Gazza at
Kettering
Pearce's management career got off to a poor start as he stepped
into the void left by Frank Clark's departure at Nottingham Forest
in 1996.
The Forest legend could not save the club from relegation during
his 23-game stint as caretaker boss, but it did not put him off
returning to management when he retired from playing in 2001.
'Psycho' stayed at Manchester City, learning the ropes as a
defensive coach, and took over as caretaker boss when Kevin Keegan
left the club in March 2005. Pearce guided City to safety and
became the manager on a permanent basis, combining the role with
the England Under 21 job from February 2007.
But, despite Pearce's histrionics on the sideline, his tenure in
Manchester achieved little success. He was sacked in 2007 after
City had managed just 10 goals at home all season - a record in
English top flight football.
Pearce still had the Under-21s job and has resurrected his
reputation by taking the youth side to the semi-finals of the 2007
European Championships. He was given the role on a full-time basis
later that summer and was last year named as part of Fabio
Capello's coaching set up for the senior squad.
Honours: None
Veteran: Pearce in 1996 Steady: Pearce today
David Seaman (reality TV star), Stuart Pearce (England Under-21
boss), Paul Ince (unemployed), Tony Adams (unemployed), Gareth
Southgate (Middlesbrough boss), David Platt (pundit), Paul
Gascoigne (battling addictions), Darren Anderton (recently
retired), Steve McManaman (pundit), Alan Shearer (Newcastle boss),
Teddy Sheringham (pundit)