Glenn Hoddle

Richly gifted with an abundance of creativity and intelligence, Hoddle is still regarded as one of football's nearly men. But even though he never managed to successfully transfer his talents from the provincial theatre to the international stage, he should still be regarded as one of the most talented English footballers to emerge in the last four decades.

He joined Tottenham as a schoolboy in 1974, and broke into the first team in 1976, marking his first start against Stoke with a spectacular long-range shot that flew past Peter Shilton. Hoddle was an integral member of the Spurs team that won promotion back to the top-flight in 1978, but it was in the 1979-80 season that he really started to blossom, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

He hit his peak in the early '80s, linking up with Ossie Ardiles and Tony Galvin in midfield to win two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup. In 1987, he decided to move abroad, believing his skills would be more suited to the European game. He joined Monaco, inspiring them to the French league title. He returned to England in 1991, winding down his playing career while moving into management.

Michel Platini once said that if Hoddle had been French, he would have won 150 caps. In reality, he still managed an impressive 53 appearances for his country, but he never managed to nail down the regular place in the England team that his talent deserved. He appeared twice at the 1982 World Cup, and started every game of the 1986 tournament, but his international career ended after England's disastrous performance at Euro 88.

Hoddle made an impressive start to management, guiding Swindon to promotion in 1993. He was immediately snapped up by Chelsea, re-establishing them as a force that could attract players of the calibre of Ruud Gullit.

In 1996 he succeeded Terry Venables as England coach, leading them to qualification for the 1998 World Cup. But England could only reach the last 16, crashing out on penalties to Argentina. Doubts about his man-management skills, and a poor start to the qualifiers for Euro 2000, began to put pressure on Hoddle, and an interview in which he suggested the disabled were paying for their sins in a past life saw him get the sack.

He returned to club management with Southampton, turning his back on them for an emotional return to White Hart Lane. But he was fired after a string of bad results, and a stint at Wolves remains his most recent involvement in management.