Francis the nearly man

Francis threatened to take his players off the pitch

BBC Sport Online's Stuart Roach profiles the ups and downs of Trevor Francis' managerial career.

As a player, Trevor Francis appeared to have the Midas touch.

As a manager, he has never enjoyed the same magical influence.

Francis the player was legendary. Francis the manager is the nearly man.

He was sacked by Birmingham in October after failing to secure their passage to the Premiership during his five seasons as manager.

Before that, Francis was shown the door by Sheffield Wednesday and Queens Park Rangers after failing to bring success to either club.

  Francis factfile

1954: Born Plymouth

1970: League debut for Birmingham, aged 16

1979: Joins Nottingham Forest for £975,000

1988: Becomes player-manager of QPR. Sacked a year later

1991: Becomes Sheffield Wednesday boss.

1995: Sacked by Wednesday because of poor league form

1996: Takes over at Birmingham.

2001: Oct - shown door by the Blues; Nov - named Crystal Palace manager

Nevertheless, Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has chosen Francis as the man to replace Steve Bruce in the manager's hot-seat at Selhurst Park.

The truth is that Francis the manager has had nowhere near the impact of Francis the player.

Birmingham finished 10th in Division One in Francis's first season in 1997 and climbed to seventh the following year, missing out on the play-offs on goal difference.

Since then, finishes of fourth, fourth and fifth have all been followed by play-off failure and Birmingham appear to be treading water, rather than spanning the gulf between Division One and the Premiership.

Francis did admittedly lead the Blues to the Worthington Cup final last season, where they were beaten on penalties by Liverpool.

But it was Premiership football that the club craved, and Francis failed to deliver it.

His five-year tenure at Sheffield Wednesday was more painful.

Francis points out that the club finished third in his first season and were relegated the year after he left.

Francis was fuming after the Worthington Cup

That observation fails to recognise the gradual decline of the Owls under his charge.

Wednesday finished third in Francis's first season in charge, but only 15th in his last, five years later.

Much of the credit for that first season was handed to Ron Atkinson, who had been ousted to make way for Francis 12 months earlier despite building an impressive squad.

Francis did reach both domestic cup finals in 1993, losing to Arsenal on both occasions, but generally he has failed to have the same influence he enjoyed as a player.

It is 30 years since the 16-year-old Francis arrived at St Andrews, a rough diamond polished by Birmingham to become the shining jewel in the Midland side's slipping crown.

Brian Clough made him Britain's first £1m man, doubling the previous British transfer record as Nottingham Forest made struggling Blues an offer they could not refuse.

Forest were chasing the European Cup, but Francis was ineligible to play in the final.

It didn't matter. When he finally made his debut, Francis made an immediate impact by heading the only goal in the glorious triumph over Malmo.

A year later, another European Cup winner's medal was on the mantlepiece and Francis went on to enjoy successful stays with Manchester City, Sampdoria and Rangers.

Finally, he swapped Glasgow Rangers for QPR, making the transition from player to manager with a combined role at Loftus Road.

By then, his was such a household name that it was even included in the Only Fools and Horses theme tune; Trevor Francis track suits from a mush in Shepherd's Bush.

But, like a dodgy Del Boy deal, it all went horribly wrong when Francis began chasing a new career.