AFC Bournemouth
Great managerial double acts in the English game have included Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, Arsene Wenger and Pat Rice.
Closer to home, Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall masterminded AFC Bournemouth’s rise through the leagues having been unexpectedly paired together in 2009.
In years to come, could Ryan Mason and Adam Smith join the elite group?
Just a few days ago, even the thought of the best mates forging a partnership would have been fanciful.
But football’s revolving door opened for Mason after Tottenham had parted company with Jose Mourinho, the man who worked wonders with Steve Clarke at Chelsea.
Mason and Cherries star Smith have been best buddies since joining the Tottenham academy as seven-year-olds.
They progressed through the ranks together and turned professional at the same time before Smith ended his 16-year association with his boyhood club to move to Vitality Stadium in January 2014.
Smith was one of the first visitors to Mason’s hospital bedside after he had sustained an horrific head injury which ended his playing career and changed his life.
Playing for Hull City against Chelsea in January 2017, a clash of heads with Gary Cahill resulted in Mason fracturing his skull and requiring surgery.
A year later, Mason (pictured above) announced his retirement due to the risks associated with the extent of his injury and was given a post on the Tottenham academy coaching staff in April 2018.
Earlier this week, Mason was appointed interim boss until the end of the season and started his tenure with a 2-1 win against Premier League rivals Southampton on Wednesday.
At the same time, Cherries were beating Millwall south of the River Thames and finding out the Tottenham score was the first thing on Smith’s mind following the final whistle.
On Sunday, Mason will lead out his boyhood club at Wembley when they meet Manchester City in the final of the Carabao Cup and Smith will be firmly rooting for his best pal.
“He’s been my best mate since we were seven,” Smith told afcb.co.uk. “He had to retire early due to an unfortunate incident and has shown great mental strength to get his life back together.
“Coming to terms with something like that at 26 was very difficult for him but he dealt with it and threw himself into coaching.
“He was fortunate that Spurs gave him an opportunity which was nice of them because they didn’t have to do that.
“After Jose Mourinho had left, the chairman asked Ryan to take over until the end of the season and now he’s the manager. It’s a great opportunity for him.
“I spoke briefly with him on Thursday and I don’t think he’s had too much time to think about it. He said he’d had a lot less sleep!
“He was delighted with their result against Southampton and now he’s looking forward to a cup final – what an occasion to go into!”
Asked whether he fancied forming a managerial double act with Mason in years to come, Smith replied: “That made me laugh!
“You never know. I would enjoy that. To manage a club with your best mate would be the best thing ever.
“Seeing my best mate become manager of Spurs until the end of the season makes me think maybe I should do my coaching badges in case I ever fall into something somewhere or he’s in charge somewhere else and I can help him out.
“At this moment in time, I probably wouldn’t see myself as a coach. But what’s happened with Ryan has triggered something in my head that it would be a wise thing to get my badges in case anything were to happen down the line.”
Smith, who served the Cherries on loan from Tottenham in 2010/11, is fast approaching 300 appearances for the club and hopes to help them win back a place in the Premier League at the first attempt.
He said: “We’re on a great run. It’s just disappointing we didn’t do it at the start of the season or in the middle. Before this run, we’d only won three games in a row which is a bit of an embarrassment to be honest.
“We’ve got to look at the positives. It’s a great time to be on form and on this run and we’ve got to look to cement a play-off place by beating Brentford.
“The way we have been playing recently, I can’t see us not scoring in games. Brentford will be a totally different game to Millwall.
“It was always our aim to get promoted so we’re still on course for our target and it doesn’t matter how we get there.
“We’ve just got to focus on each game and try to carry on this form and I don’t see why we can’t be promoted.”
