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Henry joins Neville & Shearer to become the latest TV pundit to fail as manager

  /  autty

Thierry Henry was finally put out of his misery on Thursday night after finally being sacked by Monaco following a dismal spell in the south of France.

The Arsenal legend, who signed a three-year deal in October, presided over a dreadful run of results that saw the club win only two of their last 12 league fixtures and dumped out of the French Cup this week.

After leaving the comfortable surroundings of the punditry studio for the dugout, Henry became the latest TV analyst to struggle to adapt. Here, Sportsmail looks at some of the other pundits who have struggled to make the transition.

Thierry Henry at Monaco (October 2018 to January 2019)

There was a lot of promise surrounding Henry's return to his former club when he was appointed in October but that quickly subsided for misery after a terrible run of results.

Arsenal's all-time leading scorer had previously served as assistant to Belgium manager Roberto Martinez and was on the shortlist for the vacant Aston Villa manager's job in October before taking the job at the club where he started his playing career.

Just three months later, the 2017 French champions and Champions League semi-finalists now find themselves in the relegation zone after only five wins under Henry in all competitions.

His relationship with several players in the dressing room is understood to have also deteriorated and some first-team players were even sent to train with the reserve team as the coach doubted their commitment.

After a 5-1 defeat by Strasbourg last weekend, Monaco also lost to Ligue 2 side Metz in the French Cup on Tuesday night.

Henry's humiliation during the Strasbourg game was exacerbated when he was forced to apologise for calling a player's grandmother a 'whore' at the Stade Louis II.

In a bizarre turn of events Henry's predecessor, Leonardo Jardim, is now expected to replace Henry just three months after being sacked himself.

Gary Neville at Valencia (December 2015 to March 2016)

Neville had made a name for himself as one of the most interesting and tactically astute pundits working in television but was a shock appointment when he stepped into to help his friend and business partner Peter Lim in Spain.

When he took over at Valencia in 2015, Neville inherited a side that were short of confidence but still mid-table following Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo's resignation and immediately found it tough.

Neville had to wait 10 games to see his team win their first game in the league and never saw them keep a clean sheet in La Liga. The terrible run left Valencia just six points from the bottom three and at risk of dropping into the second division for the first time since 1986.

One of the lowest points of his spell came under the lights at the Nou Camp when Valencia were humiliated in the Copa del Rey, losing 7-0 in the semi-final first leg. Neville refused to resign, but admited he felt 'helpless' watching the rout from the touchline.

Neville largely enjoyed the support of Valencia fans and even as results failed to pick up they tended to blame players and directors rather than the rookie coach. But the 'Gary go now' chants could be heard towards the end of his spell as the pressure began to mount.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday in 2017, Neville admitted he will probably never coach again. He said: ‘It’ll never happen. I’m a million miles away. I suppose never is a strong word because in 10 years you might wake up and say: “I want to coach.” I love football and the camaraderie but I don’t want to be in that environment any more.’

Alan Shearer at Newcastle (April 2009 to May 2009)

The stars seemed to align on April 1, 2009 when Alan Shearer was appointed caretaker manager at Newcastle in a bid to save them from relegation as permanent boss Joe Kinnear recovered from heart surgery.

The Premier League's record goalscorer retired from playing in 2006 before becoming a Match of the Day pundit, a role he still has now. He scored 206 goals in 404 games for his boyhood club after joining for a then-world record £15m fee in 1996.

Shearer's managerial experience was non-existent but it was hoped that the club icon and boyhood fan could turn their fortunes around and end the threat of relegation.

Things did not go to plan in the dugout initially though as Newcastle took just two points form Shearer’s first five games. They did briefly climb out of the drop zone with a 3-1 win over local rivals Middlesbrough but it proved to be a false dawn.

Newcastle went on to lose their last two games of the season 1-0 to Fulham first and then Aston Villa as the Magpies were relegated.

Shearer did not get the manager's job on permanent basis as Chris Hughton emerged from the backroom staff to lead Newcastle back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.