How England's 'Golden Generation' have fared as managers after John Terry vents frustration over Chelsea snub

Former Chelsea defender John Terry has been left feeling frustrated after not being considered for the Chelsea caretaker role. 

The ex-Chelsea legend was not among the staff who were temporarily in charge of the Blues after the club and Enzo Maresca parted company on New Year's Day, as Under 21s coach Calum McFarlane took charge of the team for two games.

Terry, who works as a part-time mentor for Chelsea's academy, currently hasn't had a head coaching role, but has been part of Dean Smith's coaching staff at Leicester City and Aston Villa.

DAZN News takes a deeper dive into some of England's 'golden generation' and how they've fared up to now in managerial positions.

Frank Lampard

Lampard's managerial career started in 2018, when he took on the Derby County role with a very young but talented squad and led them to the Play-off Final, where they would lose to Aston Villa, a team which included John Terry as part of the coaching staff. 

He would return to his boyhood club, Chelsea, the following season with again a very young squad, and off the back of a transfer embargo, he would guide the Blues to a fourth-place finish before being let go in January the following season. 

Lampard then steered Everton away from the relegation zone in 2022, but he only won 12 of his 43 matches in charge. 

Chelsea would call upon him again as caretaker manager, but wouldn't prove to be successful, winning just one of his 11 matches before being let go in June 2023.

Currently, Lampard is managing Coventry City in the Championship, where they sit top of the league, and hoping to put last year's disappointment behind them and make a return to the Premier League. 

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Steven Gerrard

When Rangers brought in Gerrard in 2018, their goal was to get the SPL title back from Celtic, and they did so triumphantly in 2020-21, storming the league, winning by 25 points.

But it would end the following year abruptly, with Gerrard taking his backroom staff with him when he was sacked mid-season.

His success at Rangers would be overshadowed by his stint in charge of Aston Villa, in which he won 13 of his 40 games in charge, but a lack of an attacking style and poor form meant he was sacked immediately after a 3-0 loss to Fulham. 

Gerrard is currently out of a job after leaving by mutual consent at Al-Ettifaq in January 2025, leaving them just five points above the relegation zone.

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Wayne Rooney

Like Lampard, Rooney's first managerial role would be at Derby County, where he lasted 17 months, amid difficult financial circumstances, finishing 21st and 23rd in his two years at the club.

It didn't get any easier for the former England forward as he took charge of DC United, as he was unable to get his side to the playoffs, whilst the players felt uninspired and believed his tactics to be pragmatic.

When Rooney got the job at Birmingham, the owners claimed they wanted a glamorous name, but they misunderstood the style of the league and got rid of him midway through the 23-24 season.

If you thought his previous managerial stints weren't successful, then Plymouth wasn't any different.

Rooney would only last 221 days in charge, leaving Argyle bottom of the Championship after a run of just two wins in 15 games.

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Gary Neville

The former United full-back's time at Valencia was short and sweet.

He would be in charge of just 28 games, between August 2015 and March 2016, and took the side from contending for European spots to battling relegation.

It was seen that his downfall in Spain was due to a language barrier, a lack of tactical identity, and a lack of experience.

With many people believing his way into the job was through having a good relationship with owner Peter Lim, rather than any managerial expertise.

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Sol Campbell

Campbell joined League Two side Macclesfield in 2018 and was able to keep them in the league on the final day of the season, amid financial difficulties, but would leave after eight months, by mutual consent.

He would try his hand in management again at Southend United in 2019, but chose to leave the club following relegation from League One, after just eight months in charge.

The former defender has since been quite vocal about the lack of opportunities he's been given to continue his managerial career. 

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