Before they were managers...

Gianfranco Zola, the pint-sized genius who lit up Stanford Bridge in the nineties, returned to Chelsea as manager of struggling West Ham.

He's yet another member of of the "great players who may well fail as managers" club. What better excuse could there be to revisit some of "the clever little so-and-so's" antics on the pitch?

And what about the rest of the club? Adams, Hughes, Ince et al?

Well, as you'll see below, they weren't half bad either.

1 - Gianfranco Zola

Moments like this ridiculous back-heel goal led to Sir Alex Ferguson calling the cheeky Italian a "clever little so-and-so". This particular flick is very clever indeed. Notable mention for the excellent celebration as well.

A Zola compilation. The man was simply sublime.

2 - Paul Ince

Paul Ince cuts a forlorn figure as the struggling manager of Blackburn. When he played for Manchester United, he was simply The Guv'nor.

3 - Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes has had success as a manager. He took Blackburn as far as he could and as Manchester City manager, he can now look forward to his oil baron sugar daddies dropping off over-priced Ballon d'Or winners at the training ground in January. He might also be able to send Darius Vassell somewhere far, far away. Back in the day, he was Sparky, and could hit the ball at (some say) the speed of sound. Chelsea and Manchester United had him at his best and he became a legend at both clubs.

4 - Tony Adams

Mild-mannered Tony Adams has a hard job in store at Portsmouth. Big 'Arry is gone and Tony has some work to do to keep his star men at the club past January.
Watching Tony cavorting around in an ill-fitting shirt, It's easy to forget that he was a monumentally brilliant defender during his Arsenal years. Inspiring, fearless and - above all - able to keep his back line as straight as an arrow, Adams was the king at Arsenal. Lest we forget...