A number of England's 'golden generation' have stepped into management in recent times, suffering largely mixed results. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are the two most high profile examples, taking jobs at Rangers and Derby County respectively.
That pair are doing relatively well in their debut seasons, but there have certainly been bumps along the road. They are nothing compared to what Paul Scholes apparently had to deal with at Oldham Athletic, however.
Scholes took the job at his local club at a time when they were struggling at the bottom of League Two, hoping to turn around their fortunes after what had been a turbulent few years.
It was certainly a tough assignment in his first job in management, and the club sounded like a bit of a nightmare. He had to deal with the lack of basic necessities at times such as hot water or training equipment, but it was interference from the club's owner that was the main problem.
He started to tell Scholes who to select in the team, which ultimately led to his resignation. Speaking on BT Sport this evening, he said he could not work under those conditions:
"You always think you might be the one person to change it."
"Once I get told "Don't play him"... Then it's time to go."
No hot water and a LOT of other frustrations...
But still no regrets.
Paul Scholes gives an honest view of his time as Oldham boss 🙌#PLTonight pic.twitter.com/GUlj8BHAhF— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 13, 2019
I had heard loads of stories about interference and stuff. The first three weeks there was little bits. Not so much 'leave him out, he can't play, don't play him, play the player I said', there was nothing like that in the first three weeks.
There were subtle hints, yeah of course, but I'm not stupid enough to not realise what they are trying to do. In the last week there was a couple of issues with a couple of players. Experienced pros that I felt didn't deserve to be treated the way the club wanted to treat them.
I didn't need the hassle of that. I really like the players, really respected them and would have done anything for them. But once I get told 'don't play him', that's when it is time for me to go...
That only happened once, but that was the end of it. There were subtle hints along the way, but that was the end of it.
To be fair to Scholes, he does not absolve himself from all blame. You get the feeling that he thinks he could have performed better in the role, but the circumstances he was forced to work under would be difficult for any aspiring manager.
Despite all of those difficulties he still enjoyed his brief foray into management. It would not be surprising to see him join another club in the not too distant future, but this time he should probably be more careful in picking his destination.
