Premier League managers who took on lower league jobs, including Mark Hughes' move to Bradford

Cameron Loftus
1 March 2022

Players aren't the only ones who sometimes have to drop down divisions to revive their career. Following Mark Hughes' appointment at Bradford, here's seven other managers who took a step down.

It's been a whopping 21 years since Bradford City found themselves in the top flight, yet the Bantams still managed to attract a former Premier League manager.

Mark Hughes recently took control of the Yorkshire-based side, four years after his last stint in management at Southampton. So, should Bradford be boasting of their Premier League pulling power, or is it a sign that Hughes can no longer cut it in the top flight?

Only time will tell whether Hughes' appointment is a coup or a catastrophe, but the 58-year-old isn't the only former Premier League boss to have dropped down the leagues in recent years...

Paul Ince

Former Manchester United and England man Paul Ince has paved an interesting route regarding his coaching career to date.

It's fair to say that his managerial career peaked when he was in charge of Premier League side Blackburn Rovers for 21 matches in 2008. His time at the club started off well enough, winning five of his first eight games in all competitions.

However, from then until the end of his time at Ewood Park his Blackburn team did not register another league victory. His 177 days in charge still stands as one of the shortest stints in charge of a Premier League club.

He tried to get his career back on track by returning to former club MK Dons, where he lasted a year before heading to Notts County. That stint lasted just five months back in 2010/11.

Fast forward to 2022 and Ince has been given the Reading job on an interim basis, where son Tom also plays on loan from Stoke City.

Darren Moore

Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore is currently managing at the lowest level he has done in his short managerial career to date.

Moore was thrown in at the deep end, having been West Brom's assistant manager he was instated as the Baggies boss until the end of the season following the sacking of Alan Pardew.

The then-Premier League club saw an upturn in results with Moore in charge, and an unbeaten run in April, including an away win against Manchester United, saw him scoop him the Manager of the Month award.

He wasn't able to prevent relegation but a record of one defeat in six Premier League matches reads well for the man who has since managed Doncaster and current team Sheffield Wednesday in League One.

Alex Neil

He may only have been in League One a matter of weeks but Scotland's Alex Neil has previously managed in the top flight with Norwich City after helping them gain promotion within a year of taking over.

Unfortunately, the Canaries lasted only a season in the top flight and won only nine league matches. Neil was sacked the following March with the club sitting outside the play-off places.

Since then, Neil spent almost four years in the same division with Preston before leaving in 2021. After almost a year away, Neil has been tasked with getting Sunderland promoted from League One. Easier said than done.

Phil Brown

Famed for his half time teamtalk that took place on the Etihad pitch in 2008, Phil Brown's managerial career has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse since his days at the helm of the Tigers.

Brown has taken charge of Southend on two occasions, with the latter ending with the club in the National League. Between these spells, the South Shields-born manager took charge of Swindon Town for just 32 matches and then spent time at Pune City who became Hyderabad in 2019 before returning to Southend, who he led for an impressive total of 266 matches.

Ian Holloway

An English managerial legend, Ian Holloway has been leading teams for over 20 years. Often going by the name 'Ollie', Holloway is known for his witty answers and funny interviews as well as his incredible punditry.

One of Holloway's best one-liners came when he was discussing Adebayo Akinfenwa: "I heard he had a twin & he ate him".

Holloway gained promotion to the Premier League with Blackpool, causing a massive shock in doing so, but they couldn't avoid relegation in their sole season at the highest level.

He then returned to the top flight for a period of only eight matches with Crystal Palace, after once again getting a club promoted from the Championship. However, just one win in their first eight matches saw Holloway given the sack.

His most recent job saw him drop down to League Two to take charge of Grimsby Town. He was appointed on New Year's Eve in 2019, and lasted almost exactly a year with the Mariners.

Even after Holloway's departure, they were not able to survive the dreaded drop to the National League for the first time since 2016.

Nigel Adkins

A former physio-turned-manager, Nigel Adkins took Southampton from League One to the Premier League with promotions in successive seasons.

The Saints can be grateful to Adkins as the club have remained in the top flight ever since those two seasons at the start of the 2010's.

However, the Birkenhead-born manager was only in charge of a Premier League club for a mere four months, before Mauricio Pochettino took over and it's fair to say that the two have gone in opposite directions since.

While Poch has gone on to manage in the Champions League with PSG, Adkins has since taken charge of Reading, Sheffield United, Hull City in the Championship and most recently, Charlton in League One with that tenure coming to an end in October 2021.

Paul Lambert

A central midfielder in his day, featuring for clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Celtic, Paul Lambert has had a coaching career that has seen him manage in all four top leagues of English football.

His first job in England was with Wycombe Wanderers in League Two, who he helped reach the play-offs before resigning after their failure to get promoted back in 2008.

Lambert's time in League One was spent with his next club, Colchester United, the team he managed for the longest period. He also spent time in League One with Norwich City and with his most recent team, Ipswich Town. When he joined the Tractor Boys they played in the Championship but Lambert wasn't able to prevent relegation to the third tier.

While at Norwich, Lambert enjoyed managing the Canaries in three separate leagues as his side gained back-to-back promotions from League One and the Championship to the Premier League. This is where he would get his first taste of Premier League football.

Lambert also went on to manage Aston Villa and Stoke City at this level and took charge of a total of 154 Premier League matches between 2011 and 2018.