Avram Grant resigned as manager at Portsmouth Thursday night. Grant is likely off to West Ham. That's not surprising, but here's something that is: Grant might be followed at Portsmouth by …drumroll… Portsmouth goalkeeper David "Calamity" James. Pompey administrator Andrew Andronikou confirmed he'd be discussing the job with James.

It wouldn't be the first time a player stepped off the field and straight into the manager's role. There have been player-managers in the past. It's an idea, however, whose time has gone. So much of today's game is training, scouting, and game-plan: skills that need to be learned.

Soccer, and sports in general, have come a long way in recent generations. Much of that distance has been in how athletes and teams prepare for matches. Here's a blast from the past, in track: At the mile race in the Empire Games of 1954, the world watched the first matchup between Sir Roger Bannister and John Landy. They were the only men to have previously gone under four minutes, and that meeting would be the first to see two men go under in the same race. Bannister ran 3:58.8; Landy ran 3:59.6. Years later they were asked about their pre-race preparations. One ate quite a lot of ice-cream; the other found a meat-pie shop en route to the stadium. Great athletes, sure. Great track coaches? They'd have a lot to learn.

Just because a guy's a good athlete, it doesn't make him a good coach. Everything else equal, if I was picking somebody to manage my baseball team, I'd probably rather have the catcher who played 15 years, hit .245, and amassed 140 HR instead of the "Natural" outfielder who hit .290 with 300 HR and 200 steals. The catcher had to study the game to continue to earn a living, and should have a better grasp of more pieces of the puzzle.

Which brings us back to Calamity James. He's a goalkeeper—my position. He's had an up-and-down career, but how much he knows about what goes on in the middle and attacking thirds of the pitch remains to be seen.

Although it's been awhile since he's played, Diego Maradona was given the Argentina job as a novice manager. There have been a lot of twists and turns, including a 6-1 loss to Bolivia, on the way to the World Cup. Argentina, featuring Lionel Messi and Co., should be 4/1 to win it. With Maradona running the show, they're 8/1.

Of course there is a place for former players in the manager's role. In fact, it's tough for a manager to command pro players' respect if he never played senior-level soccer. James and Maradona might be excellent managers one day, but each should serve a couple years as an apprentice to an established mind.

It pains me to say it, but Barcelona got it exactly right with Pep Guardiola. Barcelona knew their former man had talent, but they gave him a first assignment of managing the B-team under close supervision with lots of support. After a year, Guardiola was ready for the big show, and in two seasons as Barcelona boss he's brought two championships and a European Cup.