Revealed: How England's Golden Generation managers including Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard compare after Wayne Rooney was sacked by Plymouth following dire eight-month spell

England’s ‘Golden Generation’ struggled to live up to the pressure of such an exalted moniker, falling short in a string of major tournaments despite boasting some of the world’s most coveted players.

And it seems their managerial skills are similarly unworthy of the considerable hype, with Wayne Rooney’s dismissal from Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday further tarnishing the group’s reputation.

The ex-Manchester United star was appointed in May – his third stint in the English second-tier after failures at Derby County and Birmingham City – and oversaw just 25 matches in all competitions, recording only five wins. Plymouth lost five of his last six games, including two 4-0 shellackings over the Christmas period.

And off the pitch there were concerns about his lifestyle – including from his wife Coleen, who was said to be worried about how he spent many evenings alone eating fast food, drinking and playing video games. 

He reportedly struggled to adapt to life away from his wife and sons. He had been spotted drinking regularly in Plymouth’s pubs and bars, making new friends while enjoying quiz nights and also belting out hits at karaoke events.

It is the latest dismal failure for a Golden Generation which is losing its shine even quicker than during its players’ days on the pitch and now shocking statistics have revealed just how bad the former Three Lions stars have been in the dugout. 

He is the latest of the ‘Golden Generation’ to receive a blow to their managerial ambitions

Rooney, 39, yesterday hit back at speculation suggesting that he took a mystery woman back to his upmarket flat, saying a couple gave him a lift home and his son was there

Rooney is United’s record goalscorer with 253 goals in all competitions and held the same honour for his country until Harry Kane usurped his tally of 53 strikes. 

His managerial career has been less successful although a stint at Derby started promisingly as he hauled the Rams out of the Championship relegation zone in 2021.

The following season, they were docked 21 points for entering administration and Rooney left the club with a record of 1.14 points per match and the side having been relegated to the third tier. 

The former striker then had an unsuccessful spell at US outfit DC United, where he won just 1.04 points per game across 53 matches.

The 39-year-old then had a disastrous 15-game spell as Birmingham manager last season, where he was ultimately sacked on January 2.

His sacking on New Year’s Eve means he has taken charge of 178 matches in his managerial career and overseen just 45 victories, while suffering defeat 87 times and drawing 46. He has a win percentage of 25.3 per cent.

It will surprise you to hear that Rooney is not even the worst manager across England’s Golden Generation – that dubious honour goes to Sol Campbell.

The former Three Lions star crossed the north London divide from Tottenham to Arsenal and won two league titles and three FA Cup trophies at Highbury and was a crucial part of the 2003-04 Invincibles side, while winning 73 caps for England.

It was a contrast to his playing days, in which he won the Premier League with the Invincibles

Paul Scholes has not managed many games and walked out of Oldham after seven matches

He won the lot at Manchester United, playing 714 times and lifting the Champions League twice

The 50-year-old has held just two managerial roles, taking the helm at Macclesfield for 30 games and ending with a respectable record of 1.23 points per match.

Things turned pear-shaped for the former centre-back at League One club Southend United, where he was in charge from October 2019 until June 2020. He left the club when the side was relegated to League Two after the suspension of the 2019-20 season thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Overall, Campbell has won just 22.6 per cent of his maches as a manager. 

Paul Scholes has a slightly better record than his two former England team-mates albeit with a small sample size of just 11 matches.

He won 0.86 points per game in a seven-match spell at Oldham, which saw him resign after just one month following owner Abdallah Lemsagam interference in first-team matters.

The former midifelder also managed Salford City as interim manager for four matches, finishing with two wins and a draw for the club he purchased in 2014 along with fellow Class of 92 stars Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville. 

It means that Scholes currently boasts a win rate of 30.77 per cent.

None of it quite compares with his prolific United playing career which ended with 153 goals in 714 appearances, as well as 11 league titles and two Champions League trophies.

As a player, he was a one-club man having broken through in the famous Class of 92 side

Frank Lampard made a surprise comeback to management in November as Coventry boss

His 648-game career at Chelsea went a lot better than his two spells there as manager

His team-mate Gary Neville’s record as a boss is surprisingly slightly better despite a widely-mocked spell at Valencia from December 2015 to January 2016.

This was the Sky Sports pundit’s only foray into management and saw him win 35.71 per cent of games at the helm before being fired with the side in 14th and having failed to keep a single clean sheet.

Frank Lampard recently returned to management at Coventry City and has made a solid start, racking up three wins including a 4-0 drubbing of Plymouth which spelt the end of Rooney.

After a stint at Derby which saw him earn 1.63 points per match and promote a string of young players, he got his dream job at his old side Chelsea.

It all came a bit too soon for the former midfielder, however, and he was sacked in January 2021 after 84 matches, leaving the Blues in ninth.

After leaving Chelsea he saved Everton from relegation in the 2021-22 season before taking them to the brink of the drop the following campaign and being fired in January. 

A return to Stamford Bridge saw him win just once in 11 games and take Chelsea down into the bottom half of the Premier League. 

The former England star, who bagged 211 goals and 146 assists in 648 games for the Blues, can now be proud of a 41.3 per cent win record as a manager.

Steven Gerrard has the best managerial win rate of the lot, despite his woes at Al-Ettifaq

The midfielder captained both Liverpool and England and lifted the Champions League in 2005

Topping the pile by far is former Three Lions captain Steven Gerrard who impressed as Rangers coach between 2018 and 2021, earning 2.15 points per match.

This earned him a move to Aston Villa but in a year spell in the West Midlands he took the side from 11th to 14th and was dismissed after winning just two of the opening 12 games of the 2022-23 campaign.

He has won 1.35 points per game at Saudi side Al-Ettifaq since he joined in July 2023 but has recently been booed by fans calling on him to leave the club after a poor run of form.

Thanks to his solid spell in Scotland, however, Gerrard can be seen as the cream of the Golden Generation crop having won 54.9 per cent of his matches as boss.