This season we have witnessed the bizarre sight of two former top players becoming managers of clubs at the very basement of the Football League. The latest example is ex-Arsenal, Spurs and England star Sol Campbell taking over the reins of League Two's bottom club, Macclesfield Town.
Earlier this season, former Leeds, Liverpool and Australia star Harry Kewell was appointed boss of Notts County, who at that time were the bottom club. However, Kewell failed to deliver and he was sacked after just 10 weeks. A big name means nothing if you are not winning.
You certainly cannot question Campbell's enthusiasm. "I cannot wait to get going," he said after signing up for the Silkmen. "Football is in my blood. I want to be part of football again and this is my first step into a managerial post."
Despite earning a full Uefa licence, meaning he is eligible to manage a Premier League club, Campbell has found it hard even getting a club at lower levels to take him on. In recent times he has applied for jobs at Oxford United, Oldham and Grimsby Town but without success.
The 44-year-old has now become one of only eight black/ethnic managers in English Football and has expressed his frustration on the lack of opportunities. Four years ago he described the lack of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) managers in English football as a "sad indictment".
Here is the current line-up of BAME managers: Premier League: Chris Hughton (Brighton), Nuno Esperito Santo (Wolves); Championship: Jos Luhukay (Sheff Wed), Darren Moore (West Brom); League One: Chris Powell (Southend); League Two: Keith Curle (Northampton), Dino Maamria (Stevenage), and Sol Campbell (Macclesfield).
Before this appointment Campbell commented, "I just need to get a situation and a nice gig somewhere." Well, he's got his gig, but it wouldn't be everybody's choice.
He is taking over at a club which is three points adrift at the bottom of the league. However they are in a much better situation than a week ago, having won their last two games, including a surprise 1-0 victory away to seventh-placed Exeter City on Tuesday night. Campbell watched that game and was encouraged by what he had seen.
"I see potential, I see growth, I see people fighting to do the right things," he said. "I want the magic coming out. That's what it's all about."
Former Macclesfield manager Paul Ince feels Campbell deserves better. "When you look at what he's done in his football career, he is a legend," said Ince. "It is sad that someone like Sol has had to go to the bottom team in the league to get a job. But he's got his foot in the door now."
Campbell's former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has given Campbell a strong endorsement, commenting: "I am confident Sol will do a good job. He is a natural leader. When he speaks, people listen."
Campbell had an impressive playing career, representing England 73 times. At club level he was also very successful. With Tottenham he won the 1999 League Cup, but his best moments came after he made a controversial move to Arsenal. At the Gunners he won two league titles and two FA Cups. He won another Cup winners medal with Portsmouth in 2008.
The big defender had to put up with a lot of abuse when he made the move to arch-rivals Arsenal which Spurs fans regarded as a betrayal. Wenger had always been impressed by Campbell when he was playing for Spurs. He commented, "It was as if he was indestructible."
Campbell enjoyed great success at Arsenal and was a key member of the "invincibles" of the 2003-04 season when they won the league without losing a single game.
It wasn't all plain sailing however. In the 2005-06 season he had a dreadful game when Arsenal suffered an embarrassing 3-2 loss at home to West Ham. Campbell was directly responsible for two of the Hammers' goals and asked to be taken off at half-time. He then "went missing" for a few days apparently suffering personal problems.
Campbell moved to Portsmouth in August 2006 and was captain when they won the FA Cup in 2008.
After a bizarre one-match stint with Notts County, he returned to Arsenal for a season before ending up at Newcastle in 2011. He played in the first 19 seasons of the Premier League, second only to Ryan Giggs who played 22 seasons. Hampered by illness he played just 11 games and after being let go by the Magpies he announced his retirement.
After the heights of the Premier League, Campbell faces a new experience in the depths of League Two at Macclesfield, a small market town in Cheshire. The club's Silkmen nickname comes from the weaving industry which was the town's main industry.
The club's most successful period is closely linked with former Manchester United star Sammy Mcllroy who was manager from 1993 to 2000. It began with disappointment, however. In the 1994-95 season they won the Conference title but were denied promotion because their Moss Rose stadium did not meet league requirements.
Two seasons later they won the Conference again and with the upgraded stadium were promoted to the Football League for the first time. They enjoyed a remarkable season, finishing runners-up and winning their second successive promotion.
In 2012 they were relegated to the Conference, but last season they won what is now the National League, earning promotion to League Two.
The current season has been a real struggle and now Campbell is being given an opportunity to turn things around. He will definitely need that bit of magic he referred to.