THEY say never go back – but these managers defied that sentiment by returning to their former clubs.
The likes of Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Zinedine Zidane were all re-installed as gaffer, after formerly tasting success with their ex-teams.
Some enjoyed success, some didn’t.
As Chelsea consider bringing Frank Lampard back to Stamford Bridge in the interim, SunSport looks at managers who dramatically went back to their past teams.
And more importantly, we look at how well they did… starting off with the Special One.
Jose Mourinho
After tasting Champions League success with Porto in 2004, Mourinho was hired by Roman Abramovich’s Blues.
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He won the Premier League two years in a row – building a formidable Chelsea side, that also lifted the FA Cup once and the League Cup (twice).
He left the club in 2007, following a poor start to the league campaign and a rift with Abramovich.
However, both let bygones be bygones – and Jose returned in 2013 to lead the Blues to the Premier League title in his first season back in English football.
In his second, though, it would emphatically implode – with Chelsea losing nine of their first 16 games and Mourinho reportedly falling out with his players, he was sacked yet again in 2015.
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Louis van Gaal
Astonishingly, van Gaal has managed the Dutch national team three times, including most recently at the World Cup in Qatar.
And in club football, he’s equally as loyal.
The ex-Man Utd tactician managed Barcelona from 1997-2000 and 2002-2003.
In his first stint he won LaLiga twice, as well as the Copa del Rey once and a Uefa Super Cup.
However, his second stint saw him leave the club by mutual consent after just seven months – with the Catalans languishing in 12th place in the league.
Massimiliano Allegri
Serial winner Allegri won five Serie A titles with Juventus, and was a Champions League runner-up twice.
He left Juventus in 2019 with a win percentage of 70.48 per cent, the highest in the history of the club.
His replacement, Andrea Pirlo proved to be a disappointment so Allegri returned to the hot-seat just two two years later.
Currently, things aren’t going to plan.
Financial irregularities saw the Old Lady docked points in the league, and they currently sit seventh – outside the Champions League places.
Worse still, they crashed out the Champions League at the group stages and are now trying to win the Europa League.
Harry Redknapp
Harry went from Portsmouth to Southampton and then back to Fratton Park, in an exceptional turn of events.
During his first spell at Pompey, he helped the club get promoted to the Premier League before decamping to their bitter south coast rivals.
After less than a year at the Saints, Redknapp returned to Portsmouth – with some fans unsure he should be welcomed back so freely.
Redknapp won them all over by finishing eighth in the league, following that up with an FA Cup win a year later.
He then went on his way to manage Spurs.
Zinedine Zidane
Real Madrid are the king of reappointments – currently having Carlo Ancelotti at the club for his second spell.
But it’s Zidane who trumps the Italian maestro in the Champions League stakes.
The mercurial Frenchman won the heralded trophy three years in a row from 2016-2018 in his first spell.
His second, which began 10 months later in 2019, saw him lift the LaLiga title.
Kevin Keegan
Keegan was the messiah at Newcastle when he managed the club from 1992-1997.
When he arrived, the club was in disarray at the bottom of the old Second Division.
Keegan swiftly earned promotion to the top flight, before leading a title charge in the 1995-1996 season – cruelly being pipped by Man Utd in the end.
He resigned in 1997, with the pressures of the job taking their toll.
In 2008, Keegan was welcomed back by the St James’ Park faithful.
But a fallout with Mike Ashley, coupled with poor form, saw him sacked from his role.
Kenny Dalglish
In the 1980s, ‘King Kenny’ was the darling of Liverpool – winning three league titles and two FA Cups.
He resigned in 1991 – later admitting that pressure and the strain after Hillsborough proved to be contributing factors to him leaving.
Following stints at Blackburn Rovers, where he won the Premier League, then Newcastle and Celtic as a director of football, Kenny came back home.
In 2011, he was handed the reigns on a caretaker basis – eventually winning a three-year contract for his work.
The following season, Liverpool landed the League Cup (their first trophy in six years) and reached the FA Cup final – losing to Chelsea 2-1.
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However, an eighth-placed finish and failure to qualify for the Champions League cost Kenny his role, and he was sacked that summer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
