"Not the obvious place for one of football's most iconic players to start his managerial career. But that is exactly what happened in 2012. This is the story of how Netherlands legend Edgar Davids arrived at Barnet as player-head coach, almost kept them in the Football League and then oversaw a bizarre few months in the Conference. He remains fondly remembered by Bees fans more than a decade later."
"So we thought there's an opportunity here that can help him and helps us. "We got along great. He didn't ask for anything [money] and the rest is history." Striker Jake Hyde called it "completely surreal". "There was a rumour of it on the morning and everyone was like 'no obviously not', I said 'no way he's coming to manage, he's just visiting'."
Edgar Davids joined Barnet in October 2012 as joint player-head coach at age 39, combining coaching ambitions with a desire to play. He had a decorated international and club career but was living near Barnet and completing UEFA coaching badges, coaching without taking any salary. Davids helped lift a team at the foot of the Football League, nearly preserving their league status, and later managed a turbulent spell in the Conference. He adopted unusual habits—wearing the number one shirt and missing some away fixtures—while striker Jake Hyde thrived, scoring 20 goals under his coaching. Fans still remember him fondly.
Read at www.bbc.com
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