From Legend to Barnet Manager: How Edgar Davids' Unconventional Chapter Unfolded

Dutch Football Icon's Managerial Debut at League Two's Bottom Club

In 2012, one of football's most decorated players made an unlikely managerial start: Edgar Davids, the Netherlands legend with 74 international caps and trophies from Ajax, Juventus and Inter Milan, joined struggling Barnet as player-head coach. The club sat at the bottom of the Football League without a win, making it an unconventional platform for a 39-year-old icon's first management role.

The Unlikely Move

Davids, who had played for elite clubs including Barcelona, AC Milan and Tottenham before a brief Crystal Palace comeback in 2010, was living in London near Barnet two years later and playing Sunday League football. Chairman Anthony Kleanthous explained the appointment: "He was trying to obtain his coaching badges to become a Uefa pro coach and part of that involves coaching with a mainstream club. We got along great. He didn't ask for anything [money] and the rest is history."

Striker Jake Hyde recalled the surreal announcement: "There was a rumour of it on the morning and everyone was like 'no obviously not'. But on 12 October, Davids was confirmed as Barnet joint head coach." However, Davids was equally keen to play. "I don't know how much he wanted to be a manager," Hyde noted. "I think he just loved playing."

Two Captains, One Ship

Davids arrived as joint head coach alongside Mark Robson, who had managed just 13 games without victory. Within weeks, their working relationship deteriorated. "There were two bosses. Two captains on one ship. That's difficult," assistant manager Ulrich Landvreugd told BBC Sport. "Around Christmas we had an away game and something happened on the trip. For Edgar, it was enough."

Davids demanded a choice between himself and Robson. Kleanthous selected Davids, who became sole head coach on 28 December 2012.

Demanding Authority

From day one, Davids insisted on strict protocol. "Call me 'Sir' or 'Mister'," he instructed, warning of fines for using his name or the term "gaffer". "A few of us laughed like we were at school. He was being deadly serious," Hyde recalled. "On the training ground that first day, calling for the ball was impossible. Nobody wants to be the first one to call him Mister or Sir."

Opposition players found it amusing when Barnet defenders requested the ball with formal titles during matches.

Winning Mentality

Davids' training sessions showcased his championship pedigree. "He celebrated every training goal as if it was a massive thing. He was still in the best shape in the whole team. You could see why he was at the top – he didn't want to get beaten in anything," Hyde explained. "He'd make games go on for longer [if he was losing]."

His intensity transformed the squad. "The whole changing room came together and unified," Hyde reflected. "As a player, I improved dramatically that season. I had a real fire in my belly." The striker, who scored 20 goals under Davids, was occasionally asked to perform like Dennis Bergkamp, Marco van Basten and Robin van Persie in single matches.

Against the Odds

When Davids took charge, Barnet had just three points from 12 games. Kleanthous told him: "No-one's ever gone down with 50 points." Davids promised: "Don't worry, we'll manage it. We will get those points."

They did. Davids' Barnet achieved 51 points—the only team in League Two history to accumulate that total and still be relegated. Their subsequent form suggested promotion-level capability, but the damage was already done.

Conference Chaos

The second season in the Conference National proved problematic. Davids agreed only to a part-time role, focusing partly on his clothing business in Amsterdam. "He flew over one day or two days mostly doing that and nothing else," explained Landvreugd.

Davids controversially claimed the number one shirt, making headlines. "He was captain of the club, manager of the club, wore squad number one and took every set-piece. If you didn't give him the ball he'd go mental," Hyde said.

Opposition players targeted the aging legend. "People tried to embarrass him and got him where they wanted him," Landvreugd noted. Davids was sent off three times in the Conference, bringing his total to five red cards in 39 games as a player.

The End

Davids began missing away games requiring lengthy travel. "He shut his laptop, picked it up and walked off the coach," Hyde recalled of one instance before a Chester fixture on 18 January 2014. Kleanthous requested full commitment to every match, but Davids had lost focus.

"He'd started to lose interest and at that point it was time to shake hands and call it a day," Kleanthous reflected.

Davids departed with 25 wins in 68 games as manager, having worked without payment for 15 months. "He came in, asked for nothing, worked his hardest, did his best and was a little bit unlucky in the end," Kleanthous concluded.

Davids managed Portuguese side Olhanense briefly in 2021 and served as Netherlands assistant coach at the 2022 World Cup. "He still wishes Barnet all the best, continues to follow them, and keeps in touch," his representative said.