GREAT
Brian Clough and Peter Taylor
The beginnings
With the greatest respect to Barbara, the relationship between these two was the central love affair of the movie 'The Damned United.'
Success
Clough and Taylor were wildly, almost preposterously, successful with two small provincial clubs, Nottingham Forest and Derby County. They succeeded in getting Derby promoted in the late 60s before leading them to the League title in 1972. When Clough went to Leeds without Taylor, who stayed at Brighton, and the thing ended in disaster after 44 days.
How it ended
Not well. When Taylor left to manage on his own, at Derby County, he struggled. Cough fared a bit better with Forest but never attained the success he enjoyed alongside Taylor. The pair fell out over a player transfer and were not reconciled by the time Taylor died in a car crash in 1990. Sill, the ultimate managerial double act.
GOOD
Martin O'Neill and John Robertson
Success?
The pair did exceptionally well with Leicester City, getting them promoted (though not for the first time that decade. Brian Little had earlier done it.) Unlike Brian Little, O'Neill and Robertson managed to keep Leicester in the Premiership, earning a series of mid-table finishes and winning whatever the League was called back then. Three Scottish League titles with Celtic and a UEFA Cup Final appearance are not to be sneered at. They did a reasonable job with Villa, gaining them three successive 6th place finishes, despite much grumbling from the Villa fans.
How it ended
Robertson is no longer involved in football due to ill-health in his family. He did not accompany O'Neill to Sunderland.
BAD
Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans
The beginnings
Technically co-managers for a few months as the Liverpool bosses couldn't seem to bring themselves to get rid of local Scouse lad, the under-performing Roy Evans so they kept him as co-manager with Gerard Houllier.
Success?
The whole experiment proved more humiliating for Evans than if they had just sacked him altogether. It was clear his role was being undermined. By November, Liverpool were languishing in mid-table.
How it ended
The whole episode was mercifully short as Evans felt it was a touch farcical that they were doing the same job and he walked away in November leaving Houllier to get on with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlvgIWLKvdo
WORST
Sam Allardyce and Steve Kean
The beginnings
Maybe one not to emulate. Allardyce appointed Kean as his assistant in summer 2009. He spoke glowingly about the Scot on his appointment.
Success?
The Blackburn Rovers hierarchy took the mystifying decision to sack Allardyce in late 2010, and then followed that with the even more mystifying decision to appoint Steve Kean as manager. And then took the even more mystifying decision to leave him in charge until he had relegated them. Even then he still had to resign at the start of the following season claiming his position was being made untenable (he'd still be there now otherwise).
How'd it end?
Meanwhile, a youtube video surfaced in which Kean spoke less than glowingly about Allardyce, leading to the latter taking legal action. Let's hope we don't get to this point by the end of next year.
