Personally I find it utterly bizzarre that clubs think ex-players will make good managers
I don't, it seems very natural to me - ex-players will have an excellent first hand knowledge of the game, have attended numerous training sessions, have contacts within the game etc etc. Most successful managers are ex-players, the likes of Mourinho are very much the exception.
I admit years ago I found it a bit strange the way the players I'd grown up watching as players like Robson step over into management at top division clubs so quickly but that was just because I didn't have a frame of reference having never seen the managers of my childhood play and there was no internet to look stuff up.
If anything I'd say it should be even MORE likely for players to become "first team coaches" these days because clubs have such a big backroom staff these days. Before the Champions League era, you typically had "Managers" in the traditional sense, who had quite a broad involvement ranging from coaching to transfers to contracts to organising pre-season etc. A lot of that is all taken care of nowadays, some clubs will just appoint a coach to do tactics, training, pick the team that's about it.
What I would say is perhaps I am surprised to see players get top jobs so quickly, by which I mean people managing top clubs within 5 years of retiring as a player. Thought they would earn their stripes in lower divisions first.