England Football: Who Will Take Over?

Needing only a draw to qualify for the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland in June, England manager Steve McClaren’s side found themselves on the outside looking in after falling to an upstart Croatia side.

A change at the managerial position seemed to be inevitable for the Three Lions. Considering the amount of money funding football in England, the national team's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 was unacceptable. Following the loss, the English FA relieved Steve McClaren and his assistant Terry Venables of their duties.

The pursuit of a new man to lead the Three Lions into the future has led the English media to speculate over potential candidates to fill the vacant void. Led by FA chief executive Brian Barwick, the England FA will need to be prompt in choosing their new man.

Here's a list of the top candidates for the new job opening: 

Fabio Capello

    *Italian

    *Teams Managed:

        *91-96 AC Milan

        *96-97 Real Madrid

        *97-98 AC Milan

        *99-04 AS Roma

        *04-06 Juventus

        *06-07 Real Madrid

When looking at Capello's resume, one would be hard-pressed to find a more impressive list of accomplishing. Having won titles with Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Roma, Capello is regarded as one of the best coaches in professional football.

While many pundits are quick to criticize Capello’s overly defensive and "boring" style of play, his tactics have undoubtedly produced fantastic results over his illustrious career. Whether or not his approach would fit the English national team remains to be seen.

Quick to point out McClaren’s mistakes, Capello believes that England’s failure to qualify was not due to the lack of technological skill but the psychological mentality of the team.

"In these situations, the coach's role is fundamental and [McClaren] needs to be more psychologist than tactician or technician. The obvious explanation is that there is a mental block. Otherwise, how else can you explain their elimination?"

Unlike the other candidates, Capello has openly expressed strong interest about the possibility of taking over for the English national team.

"The challenge of coaching a national side like England would be something different. The job is not about coaching every day," said Capello.

"It would be a very difficult challenge but a very exciting one."

Yu's Take: It will be very interesting to see how Capello would handle the post as England manager if given the opportunity. Whether or not Barwick would give into Capello's "arrogant" and defensive tactics is interesting to see. 

Of course, his credentials and C.V. can't be disputed. If results are what England desires, there aren't many candidates better than Fabio Capello.

Jose Mourinho

    *Portuguese

    *Teams Managed:

        *00 Benfica

        *01-02 UD Leiria

        *02-04 FC Porto

        *04-07 Chelsea

Everybody in the football world knows what Jose Mourinho is capable of.

Known for his controversial persona, few can argue against the tactical brilliance of Mourinho. Having led his sides (Porto and Chelsea) to four consecutive league titles, not to mention appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup championships, he has an impressive reputation—to say the least.

After unexpectedly leaving Chelsea by "mutual consent" in September, Mourinho has been patiently waiting for a job opportunity to come his way. While he yet to confirm his interest in the job, Mourinho would undoubtedly be the top choice of English fans.

The FA will need to be quick if they are to appoint Mourinho as manager. A manager of his caliber is unlikely to wait long before receiving an offer. With mangerial positions possibly opening soon in Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus, there's no telling where the "Special One" could end up.

When asked by the media, Mourinho seemed to be playing coy:

"You will have to speak to the FA to see if they are interested in offering me the job. I cannot say what I think until they say they are interested." 

Whether Barwick and his crew will bite is another story.

The challenge of bringing a championship back to the motherland of football should be enough to entice Mourinho in taking the position. If Mourinho is chosen, the FA will be counting on him to bring the best out of his players, and to restore the luster lost after England’s recent qualification failures. 

Yu's Take: Mourinho is no stranger to the English media and public. Perhaps the most controversial of all the candidates, it will be interesting to see how Mourinho's persona would fit with the English FA. Nonetheless, it would best on the FA's part to contact Mourinho's party about a possible contract before it is too late.

Martin O'Neill

    *Northern Irish

    *Teams Managed:

        *87-89 Grantham Town

        *89-90 Shepshed Charterhouse

        *90-95 Wycombe Wanderers

        *95      Norwich City

        *95-00 Leicester City

        *00-05 Celtic

        *06-PR Aston Villa

The Aston Villa manager has consistently turned away any interest from the FA overt the past few years. Refusing to leave behind his commitments at Villa Park, O’Neill will have to be given absolute control to even think about taking over as manager of the Three Lions.

Despite this, O’Neill still remains high on Barwick’s list of candidates to replace Steve McClaren. While most managers would be tempted by the offer, O’Neill has stuck to his guns, and looks to be staying at Aston Villa until his objectives have been reached.

Yu's Take: After Luiz Felipe Scolari turned down the offer to become the England manager position in 2006, O'Neill was rumored to be Barwick's top choice. Unfortunately for him, O'Neill isn't going anywhere.

Rafael Benitez

    *Spanish

    *Teams Managed:

        *95-96 Valladolid

        *96-97 Osasuna

        *97-99 Extremadura

        *00-01 Tenerife

        *01-04 Valencia

        *04-PR Liverpool

Like Mourinho and Capello, one could hardly argue against the impressive resume of Rafa Benitez. While managing Valencia and Liverpool, Benitez has managed to win the UEFA Champions League, European Super Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup, and the Spanish Championship on two occasions.

Despite a decent start to the Reds' season, Benitez has recently been locked in a feud with American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Claiming that the owners have failed to back him in the player transfer market, Benitez was less than impressed with his American bosses.

"It's not a draft system," Benitez said in frustration.

"We have free players available now. I'm not talking about players that cost money. We need to talk to the agents now—if not, we will lose targets."

Similar to the power struggle between Mourinho and Roman Abramovich, Benitez could be shown his way out of Liverpool if the relationship continues to strain.

Adding fuel to the fire, Benitez has been quoted as saying that he would be interested in taking over for England as manager. If he is serious, Benitez could be more than just another name on a star-studded list of managers interested in the job opening.

Yu's Take: It looks as if the feud between Hicks and Benitez appears to have died down for the time being. However, if things were to take a turn for the worst, who knows where Benitez could end up?

Jurgen Klinsmann

    *German

    *Teams Managed:

        *04-06 Germany

As manager of the German national football team, Klinsmann rebuilt and retooled his squad from scratch. Building his team through youthful players and offensive tactics, Klinsmann shocked the football world with a third-place showing in the 2006 World Cup. However, he was forced to resign from his post as German manager shortly afterward, citing that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

A little more than a year later, Klinsmann could be in the thick of things in England. Following McClaren's dismissal, German legend Franz Beckenbauer claimed that Klinsmann would be the "ideal" new coach for the England national football team. Klinsmann himself has stated that he would be interested in taking over at the helm for England.

Yu's Take: Out with the old, in with the new—that's the mentality the England squad could be facing if Klinsmann were to take over.

This could mean the end for Beckham, Neville, James and Campbell as far as their international careers are concerned. If Klinsmann is following his previous format, it wouldn't be suprising to see him build around the English youngsters and start from scratch.

Harry Redknapp

    *English

     *Teams Managed:

        *83-92 Bournemouth

        *94-01 West Ham United

        *02-04 Portsmouth

        *04-05 Southampton

        *05-PR Portsmouth

While Redknapp hasn’t had the success of his other competitors at the domestic and continental levels, he is still highly regarded by those involved in English football. Nicknamed "Harry Houdini" by the media, England could use some of Harry’s magic to pull a star-studded squad out of mediocrity.

Of course, Redknapp still has a responsibility to his current squad in Portsmouth. Boasting a talented squad with UEFA Cup ambitions, one would have to question his departure if he were to become the England manager. 

Yu's Take: Unfortunately for Harry, it looks as if he will not be taking any part in the process of replacing the England manager. After being suspected of corruption and allegations in English football, Redknapp was arrested by police in relation to the topic. 

Guus Hiddink

    *Dutch

    *Teams Managed:

        *82-84 De Graafschap

        *84-90 PSV Eindhoven

        *90-91 Fenerbache

        *91-94 Valencia CF

        *94-98 Netherlands

        *98-99 Real Madrid

        *99-00 Real Betis

        *00-02 South Korea

        *02-06 PSV Eindenhoven

        *05-06 Australlia

        *06-PR Russia

Following recent success with his Russian side in European qualifications, the highly regarded Dutchman looks to be on England's radar. Considering recent contract troubles with the Russian FA, one would have to think that England would be interested.

Previously in his international career as a manager, Hiddink led his native Netherlands and South Korean sides to the World Cup semi-finals. After his tenure in Russia, one has to wonder whether Hiddink would be interested in taking over at a more illustrious position as manager of England.

Yu's Take: It seems unlikely that Hiddink would leave his Russian side in the wake of the European Championships. While he may be interested in the job, one would have to question whether he would be best man for the position considering the other higher profile candidates.

Nonetheless, Hiddink looks to be ready to cement his position with the Russian national team with a new contract in the near future.