FA Follies: Why England Needs an English Manager

How far can England's search for a new manager go?

More to the point, how far WILL it go?

Sven-Goran Eriksson was the first foreign experiment in the top spot—and that went well, didn't it?

Riddle me this: Once we embrace the idea of non-English England managers, how long will it be before we have foreigners among the backroom staff—and even on the roster?

How long before international duty becomes a club system on a larger stage?

You may think that logic silly, or even extreme—but I question what good can come of hiring anyone whose first allegiance won't be to England the country.

No international team has ever won a World Cup with a foreign manager.

That's a fact—and it's no coincidence.

Face it: We need an English manager for the England job—because only a true Englishman can bring the sort passion and determination that will win us a major trophy.

That's true of every country in the world.

I say the FA should speak to Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley, and Stuart Pearce—even though all three have reportedly ruled themselves out of consideration.

And if we can't find a candidate with experience, why not train someone to be an international manager?

The idea that that we can't develop domestic talent is a distinctly club mentality. A young player can't improve; therefore you buy a new player.

The same fallacious thinking is being applied to the England job—and so the FA is hoping wads of cash make for a quick fix.

Again.

Being English, it seems, is no longer a prerequisite for the England managerial job—but rather simply a bonus.

For shame.