DWIGHT PLIGHT
I won iconic Treble at Man Utd… but I fear I’ll have to BUY a football club to ever land another managerial job
An ex team-mate told him it's a waste of time trying to get a role in England
Sponsored by
DWIGHT YORKE says he might have to buy a club in order to land himself a managerial job.
The 52-year-old former striker achieved legendary status at Manchester United after joining them from Aston Villa in 1998.
2
He played a huge role in their 1999 Treble-winning side under Sir Alex Ferguson and added another two league titles to his collection.
Yorke moved to Blackburn in 2002 then went to Birmingham City and Sydney FC in Australia before returning to England and finishing his playing days at Sunderland.
There have been 14 of his former United team-mates who have gone on to land managerial jobs on these shores.
However, Yorke remains out of work and is struggling to land a job despite his rich CV.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
Back in 2020, Raheem Sterling questioned why the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard had landed high-profile manager roles while black pros such as Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole had not.
Now Yorke has admitted that he could have to get together with fellow ex-black footballers and buy a club in order to get a job himself.
He told the : “It’s been talked about heavily in previous years. The people that I come across in football, we’ve spoken about it.
“Forming a consortium, trying to get a football team to get the right backing from maybe black ownership, black millionaires or billionaires, so to speak, to embrace it. It’s something that’s probably worth having a conversation about again in terms of going forward.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
“Because, as you know, we keep reverting back to the facts about the struggles of black managers to get into these high positions. So the only way forward, maybe, is to buy a football team.”
Yorke continued: “Obviously it takes a lot of planning and a lot of due diligence in terms of your research, into what it takes and the requirements in terms of passing the Premier League, financial play and getting into that position.
Man Utd Treble winner Jesper Blomqvist looks back on his career
“But yes, [buying a club] is something that I think that we all should look into in terms of trying to advocate for something to elevate ourselves into the football world. It's obviously a tough ask. But it's something that I’d embrace fully, if it was to happen.”
Yorke headed back Down Under in July 2022 as he took charge of Macarthur FC.
He managed to lead them to the Australian Cup Final but left the club in January 2023.
But even that achievement in the dug-out appears to have had zero impact on club owners on these shores.
Yorke added: “I recall having the conversation with my close friend Andy Cole.
“He said to me: ‘It’s a waste of time. You’ll never get a job in English football.’
“He knows what he was talking about. But I embrace the challenge. I like to defy the odds.
“I did it as a player and I’ll do it again as a manager. I showed in Australia that I’m a proven winner, that I can win and manage at any level. But you need that opportunity.
“Unfortunately, as a player you have control over your ability and when you play.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“But when you become a manager, you rely on that opportunity to be given to you. So I still have to play the waiting game and it is disheartening at times.
“Management is the way forward, and I’m fully committed to the cause.”
MAN UTD NEWS LIVE: All the latest news from Old Trafford
2
Topics