CHRIS WADDLE'S THEORY ON THE GREAT PUB DEBATE; ENGLAND SPECIAL TWO LEGENDS ON THE STRUGGLE TO BE BOSS.

Byline: BY NEIL McLEMAN

Q: WHY DON'T GREAT PLAYERS OFTEN MAKE GREAT MANAGERS?

A: THEY CAN'T RELATE TO 'LESSER PLAYERS'

CHRIS WADDLE reckons "lesser players" make better managers because they can relate more easily to technically poor footballers.

And the former England winger believes ex-internationals would be better coaching abroad away from the pressure of expectation in the domestic game.

Waddle won 62 caps between 1985-1991 and starred in the England team which reached the semifinals of Italia 90.

But since a season as Burnley player-manager in 1997-98, the 48-year-old has not coached again and he works as a co-commentator for Setanta Sports.

And after watching Kevin Keegan, Tony Adams and Paul Ince drop out of the Premier League this season, Waddle believes a clear pattern has emerged.

"I do feel for players who have had good careers because they are under more pressure as a manager than a normal player," said the former Newcastle, Spurs and Marseille star.

"The media and everybody sees them as great footballers and expects their teams to be like they played football. Top players get frustrated very easily because what they did naturally, not many players can do.

"The frustration comes in with a simple 15-yard ball from A to B which to them was so easy to do.

And you are training some players that can't do it and they think: 'Why?' "And the lesser players who go into management can relate to less talented players better."

Waddle (below) added: "I always felt sorry for Glenn Hoddle when he was a manager who wanted to play football the right way but he was always under such scrutiny.

"He was such a wonderful player but when things went wrong, people seemed to get pleasure out of i t. Roy Keane, after playing at such a high level at Manchester United, must have found it very frustrating to watch his Sunderland team in the bottom half of the league. That is why it is so hard, why Bryan Robson found it hard.

"That is the hardest part - adjusting and the scrutiny they come under is unbelievable.

"I do feel in England we do get a kick when the socalled bigger players fail.

"I have always said you are better off working abroad. I think the style of play is more thoughtful and the players abroad are better technically than English players."

Waddle, who started his UEFA B licence, said he did not approve of the need for coaching qualifications to work in the game.

"It is a shame because there is a lot of knowledge that could be passed on," he said. "I was very antibadges, you either know football or you don't. It is not going to make you a great coach or manager."

Chris Waddle is a co-commentator for the England v Slovakia game on Saturday on Setanta Sports 1.

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CAPTION(S):

CASUALTIES Portsmouth's Tony Adams, Blackburn's Paul Ince and Roy Keane of Sunderland