During a career which spanned 19 years and took in more than 750 games for club and country, Clinton Morrison worked with 24 different managers.
The Republic of Ireland international striker therefore had experience of playing under pretty much every type of coach during his time on the pitch, including some of his era’s biggest personalities in the dugout.
Morrison hung up his boots in 2017 after spells with non-league sides Rediditch United and Mickleover Sports and is now more familiar to fans as a pundit on Sky Sports, but who were the best managers he worked under?
Clinton Morrison on Warnock’s ‘interesting’ sessions
“Mick McCarthy was great,” Morrison tells FourFourTwo. “But if I’m being honest, Brian Kerr was the best manager during my Ireland career.
“He put his absolute trust in me and said, “As long as you’re fit, you’re my preferred centre-forward.” It got the best out of me, as I knew that the boss had complete confidence in my ability.”
Morrison played more games under Steve Bruce than any other manager during the pair’s time at both Birmingham City and Crystal Palace and it is clear that Morrison still respects the former Manchester United defender.
“Steve Bruce at Birmingham was also amazing,” he continues. “I wasn’t the easiest guy to deal with when I was young because I had a lot of opinions and personality, but Bruce knew how to deal with me on a personal level.”
Morrison’s career also saw him turn out for the likes of Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday, Brentford and Colchester, while Neil Warnock was in charge of Palace during Morrison’s second stint at the club.
“Also, I’d mention Chris Coleman, Steve Coppell, Terry Venables, of course, and even Neil Warnock after a sticky period at the start.
“At training, Warnock made everybody put on their shin pads, then launched balls high into the sky and told players to be physical and go in for challenges.
“Some of those early sessions were quite interesting, to say the least.”
