Former Premier League stars managing in non-league in 2026-27
Non-league is a weird and wonderful world, full of an eclectic mix of players and managers.
Beyond the country’s professional leagues, you’ll find plenty of up-and-coming talent either on the pitch or in the dugout – but also some familiar faces from yesteryear.
We’ve taken a look at the former Premier League players now serving as managers in the National League or below.
Kieron Dyer (Southend United)
Dyer recently went viral for sneaking in as many references to Michael Jackson songs as he could at a pre-match press conference to raise money for charity.
He got his first job in management with Southend United over the summer and currently has them second in the National League. You could say that’s not, ahem, Bad, if they looked at last season’s sixth-placed finish and told him to Beat It.
The former Newcastle and West Ham midfielder cut his teeth coaching in the youth ranks at another of his former clubs, Ipswich Town.
His players might be best off not getting in his bad books.
🤣👏 Kieron Dyer was challenged to sneak as many Michael Jackson song titles as possible into his Southend press conference…
And somehow, NOT A SINGLE journalist noticed what he was doing. 😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/Vbx8cDFh7F
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) September 4, 2026
Lee Cattermole (Gateshead)
Things haven’t been going quite as smoothly for Cattermole, another newbie to management in the National League this season.
The former Middlesbrough, Wigan and Sunderland midfielder spent time on the coaching staff back at Boro and then with Bristol Rovers before getting his Gateshead chance this summer.
He has just one win from his first 12 games in charge, though.
Robbie Savage (Forest Green Rovers)
Might not be for too much longer, after the National League’s Forest Green accepted an approach from an EFL club, understood to be Peterborough United, to speak to Savage.
The Manchester United academy graduate played for four different clubs in his Premier League career and has dabbled in punditry and coaching since retirement.
Savage didn’t hide his ambitions to reach the Premier League or Championship as a manager when speaking to our sister site Football365 in 2024.
Back then he was in charge of Macclesfield at step three of the non-league pyramid, and it was on the back of winning promotion with them that he got the Forest Green job.
Rob Elliot (Carlisle United)
Elliot played more than 50 times in goal in the Premier League for Newcastle at the tail end of his career. After a spell with Watford, he finished it by dropping into non-league with Gateshead.
That’s where he began his managerial career too, having two spells in charge either side of a stint in League One with Crawley Town.
After his second departure from Gateshead, Elliot took charge of Carlisle United this summer. He’s only won two of his first 20 National League games in charge of them.
Kelvin Davis (Hednesford Town)
Sticking with goalkeepers, Davis took charge of Hednesford Town in February.
It’s the third job of his managerial career after a spell with Eastleigh and a one-game caretaker stint with Southampton – the club he ended his playing career with, the last four years of which were in the Premier League – back in 2018.
Tim Flowers (Bromsgrove Sporting)
Another former goalkeeper for you – and a former full England international at that.
Flowers, a Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, has had a well-travelled managerial career since 2010.
The highest level he’s managed at is the National League, but these days he’s at step three with Southern League Premier Division Central side Bromsgrove Sporting.
It’s his second spell there after an initial reign towards the end of the 2023-24 season.
Gary Taylor-Fletcher (Widnes Town)
One of the faces of Blackpool’s only season as a Premier League club, Taylor-Fletcher retired at Bangor City in 2019 after being their player-manager over two spells.
Spells as Nantwich Town’s joint-manager and the boss of AFC Crewe have followed, leading up to his appointment by Widnes Town in August.
Only founded in September 2025 as a phoenix club for Widnes FC, they currently play in the North West Counties Football League First Division South, at step six of the non-league pyramid.
David Stockdale (FC Farsley)
FC Farsley are another phoenix club playing in non-league’s depths after Farsley Celtic folded for a second time in 2025.
Ex-Fulham goalkeeper Stockdale was managing the old club when they went under, before forming the new club and continuing as their manager.
The Leeds-based outfit had to make do with a place in the step seven Yorkshire Amateur Football League Supreme Division, which they currently find themselves in the mid-regions of.
Mike Williamson (South Shields)
Williamson spent five seasons in the Premier League with Newcastle United before dropping down the divisions and eventually ending his career in the National League North with Gateshead.
That led to the former defender becoming their full-time manager and winning promotion to the National League as champions.
He’s had a couple of chances in League Two with Milton Keynes Dons and Carlisle United since, as well as a role on Russell Martin’s short-lived Rangers staff, before linking up with South Shields in 2026.
He was initially just a coach and then a Director of Performance and Culture – not exactly a role straight from the non-league textbook – but became the National League North club’s manager in June and has inspired a bright start to their season.
Steve Watson (Darlington)
Former Newcastle and Everton midfielder Watson has been managing for almost a decade now, starting out in 2017 with Gateshead.
York City and Chester have also turned to him, before he returned to the north east with Darlington in December 2023.
They finished ninth in the National League North last season under his guidance.
Jonathan Greening (Scarborough Athletic)
After breaking into the Manchester United team during their treble-winning season of 1998-99, Greening eventually settled with clubs like Middlesbrough and West Brom.
He wound down his career in non-league with Tadcaster Albion before taking charge of his hometown team Scarborough Athletic in 2021.
Promotion into the National League North followed at the end of his first season in charge and they have since stabilised there.
Kevin Lisbie (Cray Valley Paper Mills)
Most famous for scoring a hat trick against Liverpool in 2003, all 113 of Lisbie’s Premier League appearances were for Charlton Athletic.
He took on his first managerial role earlier this year with Cray Valley Paper Mills, a club he used to play for between 2017 and 2021.
They play in the Isthmian League South East Division at step four.
Jamie Clapham (Loughborough Students)
Clapham made more than 150 Premier League appearances between spells with Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town and Birmingham City, even getting to play in the UEFA Cup with Ipswich.
The left-back had spells on the coaching staff of Middlesbrough, Coventry City, Barnsley and Leeds United after his retirement.
His first role as a head coach came in 2021 when he got the Loughborough Students job. He reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase in his first season and got them promoted to step four (in the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands) in 2024.
Best of the rest
Adam Murray (32 Premier League appearances for Derby County, now in charge of Barrow in the National League)
John McGrath (2 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa, now in charge of FC Halifax Town in the National League)
Andy Preece (20 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace, now in charge of Chorley in the National League North)
Craig Fagan (69 Premier League appearances for Birmingham City, Derby County and Hull City, now in charge of Maidstone United in the National League South)
Jamie Milligan (4 Premier League appearances for Everton, now in charge of Bamber Bridge in the Northern Premier League Premier Division)
Ian Selley (41 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, now in charge of Leatherhead in the Isthmian League Premier Division)
Craig Lynch (2 Premier League appearances for Sunderland, now in charge of Morpeth Town in the Northern Premier League Division One East)
Scott Kerr (1 Premier League appearance for Bradford City, now in charge of Bridlington Town in the Northern Premier League Division One East)
Jon Macken (46 Premier League appearances for Manchester City and Derby County, now in charge of Stalybridge Celtic in the Northern Premier League Division One West)
Richard Duffy (1 Premier League appearance for Portsmouth, now in charge of Congleton Town in the Northern Premier League Division One West)
Kevin Horlock (82 Premier League appearances for Swindon Town and Manchester City, now in charge of Canvey Island in the Isthmian League North Division)
Lee Martin (1 Premier League appearance for Manchester United, now in charge of Whitstable Town in the Isthmian League South East Division)
READ NEXT: 11 former pros we can’t believe are still playing in non-league in 2026-27
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