5 worst managerial downgrades of the past decade

#3 Nuno Espírito Santo to Gary Neville (Valencia)

Neville as Valencia boss

Valencia's bizarre decision to appoint Gary Neville as their head coach, with no prior experience as manager, was met with widespread disbelief. This speculation proved to be spot-on after the novice Englishman was sacked just 28 games into his job.

Having been a member of Roy Hodgson's backroom staff during the latter's reign as England boss, Neville was involved in the analytical aspect of the game, rather than a managerial role. Despite his lack of qualifications, the former United right-back accepted Valencia's offer to lead the team as their manager as a courtesy to his associate Peter Lim, a major shareholder at the Mestalla.

• Phil Neville’s Inter Miami currently bottom of the MLS with one of the most expensive squads• Gary won only 3 of 16 games at Valencia• Scholes won 1 of 7 games at Oldham & resigned• Ferdinand? No words💀4 of the most vocal voices against Mourinho & Van Gaal at Untd.

— dadinho 🇳🇬 (@yusufdadinho) July 22, 2021

During his 28 games in charge across all competitions, Neville suffered 11 defeats including a 7-0 drubbing by Barcelona. Los Murciélagos were holding their heads in ninth place when the 46-year-old former defender was hired. In the three months under Neville's tutelage, Valencia managed to slump to 14th, just six points clear of the relegation zone and crash out of every other major tournament the team was involved in, comprising the Copa Del Rey, the Champions League, and subsequently the Europa League.

The Valencia job was the first and last managerial stint taken up by Neville, who can now be seen as an analyst and pundit for Sky Sports.

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#2 Sir Alex Ferguson to David Moyes (Manchester United)

Moyes was awful at Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as the best manager of all time, winning a mind-boggling 38 trophies, including an elusive treble, during his 27-year-long stay with Manchester United. However, when Ferguson himself appointed David Moyes as his successor after closely monitoring his inspiring stint with Everton, the Red Devils quickly tied the Scotland international to a six-year contract.

However, owing to some delirious performances, Moyes was sacked just one year after his nomination. His lack of initiative was as clear as day, with the Scottish manager soon proving that he was way out of his depth. Moyes' failure to employ a particular style of play meant that United's main plan of attack was reduced to just flooding crosses into the box, hoping for something to happen.

David Moyes Says Tenure At Manchester United Was An ‘Impossible Job’ https://t.co/WZrbmeRkjM

— Independent Nigeria (@IndependentNGR) July 23, 2021

After winning the league under Ferguson in his last season, United tumbled to seventh under the 58-year-old manager. Moyes managed to gather a paltry five points from a possible 24 against the top four sides at the time of his sacking. United's seventh-place finish ensured that the English giants would miss European football for the first time since 1995. The former Toffees boss was fired just 10 months into his six-year contract, enabling him to a €5.8m compensation.

Moyes has taken a sweet time to recover from his nightmares in Manchester, fumbling through failures at Sunderland, Real Sociedad and West Ham United. However, he finally seems to have found his footing with a second spell at the London Stadium, helping them qualify for the 2021-22 Europa League season.

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#1 Leonardo to Gian Piero Gasperini (Inter)

Gasperini at a UCL game for Inter

Finishing just above Moyes, Gian Piero Gasperini's arduous stint as Inter's manager was highly unexpected as the Italian veteran had an impressive spell with minnows Genoa, taking them from the depths of the second tier to their highest finish at fifth since 1990.

Under Jose Mourinho, Inter had managed to acquire the fabled continental treble in the Portuguese's last season in 2010. After a tumultuous four months under Rafa Benitez and a somewhat decent second-half under Brazilian legend Leonardo, Gasperini was given the nod by the Inter hierarchy.

However, the 63-year-old manager could only muster five games at the San Siro, losing four of them, including a loss to the newly-promoted Novara. His high-risk formation consisting of a three-man defence was easily exploited by the Nerazzurri's opposition thereby resulting in such appalling form.

Gasperini has more than redeemed himself as a high-profile manager by working wonders with Atalanta, putting his failure with Inter comfortably in the rearview mirror.