First, I'd like to congratulate Fabio Capello on his appointment as England manager this week.
My fears of Jose Mourinho were, delightfully, dissolved—although I find it hard to digest the lack of an Englishman anywhere in the new setup, and that is the next problem the FA faces. More on that later.
I have no doubt that Capello will be a better manager than McClaren or Sven—he has more passion for the game and more power within it than either of them. While we may not always see entertaining football under him, tactically he is not only astute, but decisive. His stints at AC Milan, Roma and Juventus are testament to his skill and dedication to football.
However, this crisis has highlighted some problems and issues within English football that I feel we all need to take into account, and examine logically. So...
1. The England Manager must have managed a "big four" club or similar.
This surely has to be the biggest headache for me. With Arsenal and Manchester United keeping the same manager for over 30 years combined, it simply has not been possible for any young English manager to take over the reins at either club.
Liverpool and Chelsea have both seen foreign managers come and go over the last ten years. Roy Evans was joint manager at Liverpool with Houllier until 1998, when Houllier took over as the stand-alone boss. Chelsea have not had an English manager since Glen Hoddle in 1993 (ignoring caretaker-boss Rix, who managed for only two games, winning one and losing one).
The fact of the matter is: Wenger and Ferguson are good—therefore, no change there—whereas Liverpool and Chelsea are "quick fix" teams who'll take the best in Europe. I have no problem with this, as long as people don't then go on to say that English managers aren't good enough.
We should look at the limited opportunites of top jobs for English managers, and judge them how they've coped with what's been available, not on the fashionability of the clubs they've managed.
You'd never see the equivalent attitude in another country: "Sacres bleu! You never managed Paris-St Germain, you cannot be our national manager! Pardon, Monsieur!"
2. The England Manager must have international experience.
This one kept on for about a week until Mourinho popped up, claiming he wanted—then didn't want—the job. Very few good managers have actually played football at the highest levels, and it is very rare that exceptional players become good managers. Roy Keane has done very well in the short time he's managed Sunderland—but remember, he's learnt from the best.
The moral here? A good manager doesn't need to be experienced on the pitch, nor does success as a player actually make them better. There may be some notable exceptions, but let's look at the best two examples—Wenger and Ferguson. End of story!
6 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Sheikh Zakaria about 1 year ago
Brilliantly analysed..but I think Capello can take England a long way than any one can ever expect..He can size up the players who r teeming with arrogance, and can make the team more disciplined. I must reiterate as i have said before that Nationality is not a factor if a team is craving for an immediate success, given that the country has lack of home grown quality managers.
But fro the long term, England will have to suffer, coz the so called 'root and branch examination of the English National Football by the FA hasn't been under scrutiny yet and has been shadowed by the appointment of the new England Boss. Certainly Capello will only mess with his current team, and the promoted players from the U-21 squad.
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Max Marley-Muray about 1 year ago
I think it's desirable to have an English manager in charge of the national team, for no other reason than it's embarrassing to have to go abroad to solve our problems.
However, not one of the names put forward for contention comes close to having the necessary skills or experience - don't forget we've just had a manager that matches all the above criteria and even has first hand experience of how to manage a big club (as Fergie's assistant) and 5 years shadowing the previous England manager.
Yet we were forced to watch the most soul destroying and baffling England performances and I'm pleased that we've gone for a candidate with a consistent record of winning at the highest levels.
While Capello's appointment isn't perfect, can you really put together a case for any English alternative?
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Simon Martin about 1 year ago
Not at this point in time - which is THE point of the article! Why is is everyone seems to have missed the point? Fix it at grassroots level!!! Fix it at grassroots level!!! Fix it at grassroots lovel...
FIX IT AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL!!!
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Max Marley-Muray about 1 year ago
Oh I agree entirely, there are huge failings with the structure of football in this country - as much as I have problems with Mourinho I think he would have at least addressed this.
We need to have a system that puts Joey Barton in prison and not the national team..
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Simon Martin about 1 year ago
Max, that's a beautiful thought!!!
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Andrew Vorce about 1 year ago
Very nice article! I laughed about the Italand, or Engaly, that was classic. But 99% sure that Quieroz will be the next United manager, and Grant just signed a 4 year contract. With Chelsea, you never know what will happen! Good on you for pointing out all of the facts.
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