Wednesday 9 December 2015 23:34, UK
New Valencia boss Gary Neville will become just the fifth Englishman to manage in the Champions League group phase when he takes charge of the Spanish side's crunch clash with Lyon on Wednesday evening.
It is a demanding start to life in the dugout for the former Manchester United defender - Valencia have to beat Lyon at the Mestalla and hope Gent fail to win at home to Zenit St Petersburg if they are to make the last 16.
It's also a challenge few English managers can relate to. In the 23 years since the European Cup became the Champions League, only four other Englishmen have managed a team in the group stages of the competition…
Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp gave Spurs fans a season to remember in 2010/11, leading the club to shock wins over some of Europe's biggest names in their maiden Champions League campaign. After seeing off Swiss side Young Boys in their play-off, Spurs remarkably topped their group. Gareth Bale showed his class at the San Siro against Inter Milan with a second-half hat-trick which just failed to overhaul Spurs' first-half four-goal deficit but Redknapp's men got their revenge at White Hart Lane, defeating the Italians 3-1.
The dream continued with a last-16 win over AC Milan - Spurs holding on to a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Italy - before Real Madrid brought Redknapp's run to an end with the help of former Arsenal striker and future Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor. That remains Tottenham's last Champions League tie - Chelsea's 2012 triumph in the competition meant Spurs' fourth-place Premier League finish that season was not enough to qualify for Europe's elite club competition.
Ray Harford
Ray Harford took charge of Premier League winners Blackburn Rovers in 1995, but the club's one and only Champions League campaign was a miserable experience. Rovers finished bottom of their group with their only win from six games coming in their final fixture at home to Norwegian side Rosenborg.
The club's ill-fated European adventure will be remembered for an on-field scrap between David Batty and Graeme Le Saux, which left the latter with a broken hand and Harford with issues to address in the Rovers dressing room.
Sir Bobby Robson
While Harford's Blackburn struggled in 1995/96, Bobby Robson's Porto fared little better and were knocked out of the group phase that same season. Robson was in the midst of back-to-back league wins with the Portuguese giants but his side could only manage one win from six games - a 2-0 home success against Danish outfit Aalborg.
Robson got another crack at Europe's top competition in 2002/03. This time the then-Newcastle boss steered his team past the first group phase, with the help of a memorable home win over Juventus, before finishing behind Barcelona and Inter Milan in the second group stage.
Phil Thompson (caretaker)
Phil Thompson stepped into the role of Liverpool caretaker boss in 2001 when Gerard Houllier suffered heart problems. The former defender - who won three European Cups with Liverpool as a player - put his experience of European football to good use, guiding the Reds to top spot in the first group phase, with two wins and a draw in their final three games.
In the second group phase, a 0-0 draw at Barcelona in his final match in charge before Houllier's return proved hugely important, with Liverpool eventually progressing to the quarter-finals, where they lost 4-3 over two legs to Bayer Leverkusen.
Others
There are other Englishmen who have managed teams at earlier phases of the tournament. Gordon Milne's Besiktas were knocked out of the first round in 1992/93, while Howard Wilkinson's Leeds exited the competition one stage later that same year. This was before the modern group phase was introduced and only eight teams made it to the 'League' stage.
Tony Mowbray (Celtic) and Steve McClaren (FC Twente) have also managed in the Champions League in recent seasons but their teams did not make it past the qualifying stages.
*English-born Stuart Baxter managed AIK Solna in 1999/2000 but is registered as Scottish.
