Jose Mourinho might be the 'Special One' to Chelsea fans, but he will be the first to admit that his backroom staff have always been a key factor in his many successes as a manager.
And indeed, Mourinho, who learnt his trade under the guidance of the legendary Bobby Robson when he was at Barcelona, seems to have been a factor in bringing his backroom staff to the forefront as they make the step up to management.
Aitor Karanka, who assisted Mourinho during his tenure as Real Madrid boss, is the latest to make that step, having taken over at Championship side Middlesbrough today.
All great managers inevitably influence those around them, be it coaches or players. Alex Ferguson probably lost count of how many times he looked in the opposition dugout and found a former player or staff member. The likes of Steve McClaren, Rene Meulensteen, and Steve Bruce to name but a few will probably have Ferguson to thank in some way for their managerial careers.
Here we look at the protégés of Jose Mourinho in England since stepping out from the shadow of the 'Special One'.
Andre Villas Boas (Tottenham Manager)- Arguably the most successful of Mourinho's disciples, the parallels between the two are often discussed, even more so now they are at odds with each other in the Premier League. The pair first linked up at Porto, where Mourinho won his first Champions League. The partnership continued as Mourinho moved to Chelsea and later Inter.
Boas left Inter in 2010, and after a stint at Academia, he returned to Porto, who had been in a relative lull since Mourinho's departure. Boas brought the glory days back, winning the league without losing a game, as well as winning the domestic cup and Europa League, to complete an emphatic treble.
After such success, it seemed destined that he would again follow in his old bosses' footsteps, and indeed in 2011 he joined Chelsea, who had themselves been rather disjointed since the 'Special One' moved on. Boas could not replicate his success at Porto, and Roman Abramovich's notoriously twitchy trigger finger was pulled again, getting sacked in 2012 after less than a year in charge.
Boas is currently at his second season at Chelsea's London rivals Tottenham, hoping to clinch Champions League football, and get one over on his old mentor.
Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool Manager)- Another old boy who is currently in charge in the Premier League. Notably, like Boas and Mourinho himself, his playing career was virtually non existant, having retired as a player at 20 due to a knee condition. He was brought in by Mourinho in 2004 to work at a youth coach.
He left four years later, and after brief spells at Watford and Reading, came into prominence when he became manager of Swansea. He joined in 2010, and guided the side to promotion the Premier League via the play offs. He guided them to an 11th place finish in their first season in the top flight. His side's entertaining style caught the eye of Premier League giants Liverpool, who he joined in 2012.
Currently in his second season at the club, Rodgers' appointment has been with a view to the future, looking to bring young talent through whilst being technically proficient.
Steve Clarke (West Brom Manager)- Like Rodgers and Villas Boas, Clarke was with Mourinho during his first stint at Chelsea. Unlike those two however, Clarke stayed at the club after his departure, for one more season under new manager Avram Grant.
He joined former Chelses player Gianfranco Zola as his assistant at West Ham after that, before a spell at Liverpool under Kenny Dalgliesh.
His first foray into management came at West Brom, where he is still in charge today. His first season saw him finish in 8th place, just below his old mate Rodgers. Clarke came incredibly close to beating his mentor at the weekend, with a dubious penalty in stoppage time denying him a victory at Stamford Bridge over Mourinho.
The concurrent theme with all these managers is that they started out relatively young in management, as Mourinho did, but whether they can emulate his undoubted success is something that only time will tell.
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