Gianfranco Zola Set To Join English Premier League's Golden Generation

Gianfranco Zola is the favorite to replace Alan Curbishley as manager of West Ham United and when you look at many of the names managing in the English Premier League it hardly comes as a surprise.

The former Chelsea hero is currently assistant coach for the Italian Under 21's and has been in negotiations with West Ham officials for a few days now.

West Ham themselves have told the world they'll announce their decision on Thursday the 11th of September.

So why isn't this a big surprise?

Well for a few seasons now the old guard of EPL managers have been slowly replaced by modern footballing legends.

Think Mark Hughes at Blackburn and now Manchester City, Gareth Southgate of Middlesbrough, Paul Ince at Blackburn Rovers, Steve Bruce of Wigan Athletic and of course Roy Keane at Sunderland.

All five men have starred in the EPL and four of them passed through the Alex Ferguson school of future managers as they starred for Manchester United at various stages in their careers.

Gareth Southgate just chose to be thrown into the lions' den!

Are these men more in touch with the modern game than old pro's like Alan Curbishley and Kevin Keegan?

I'm not so sure, after all Gary Megson and especially David Moyes are doing fantastic jobs at Bolton Wanderers and Everton respectively.

Maybe Zola offers something different. In some peoples opinion, foreign managers are better at working with Directors of football, interfering chairmen and owners.

To be honest I'm not sure about that either.

The one thing the five managers have in common is that they've so far in their careers run their clubs with an iron fist. Their way or the highway so to speak. Very much Alex Ferguson's style.

Even Mark Hughes has handled himself brilliantly at Manchester City so far.

Therefore it must be that recent pro's get more respect than the players of years gone by.

There were plenty of reports of discontent within the Alan Curbishley's change room at his tactics and decisions that much is for sure.

It's hard to put your finger why a chairman would go for a young inexperienced manager over the likes of Keegan or Curbishley?

The "name" that man carries with him must be one reason for sure. Roy Keane for example. The name Keegan carried at Newcastle United though was second only to one and Alan Shearer won't touch the Newcastle hot seatwith a six foot poker!

Whatever the answer, it appears the EPL's golden generation of managers will number six come Thursday.

It won't be seven however, well not yet as Gustavo Poyet has ruled himself out of the Toon job.

So what have the likes of Zola and the golden generation got over the likes of Keegan and Curbishley?