Jeremy Robson ponders the list of possible contenders for the England job, if Fabio Capello does not stay on. He finds one omission surprising, though there is just a slight suspicion that he may be taking the Mick (and a much stronger suspicion about an SFR dongle’s ability to work on a French TGV, which explains why Jeremy’s piece was cut almost in half for most of the day …
Harry Redknapp
Roy Hodgson
Martin O’Neill
Stuart Pearce
Steve McClaren
Tony Pulis
Sam Allardyce
David Beckham
A N Other
These are the candidates for the England manager’s job. Well, at least these are the
names that The Guardian feels worthy of inclusion in its list of potential replacements
for the beleaguered Italian.
Quite how Steve McLaren’s name appears on there, God only knows. Proof if needed that sports fans and journalists have short memories. My abiding memory of McLaren is of a man more concerned with keeping suit dry, than qualifying for Euro 2008.
Most significant in this list is the absence of any foreigners. The English media and probably the supporters have had enough of those.
Redknapp has legal issues to deal with. Hodgson may be on his way to Liverpool while O’Neill’s managerial career appears to be on the wane. Stuart Pearce might be a popular choice as he wouldn’t stand for the sort of milky, weak performances that we’ve endured over the past couple of weeks. Beckham’s candidacy can’t be taken seriously after his failure to instill the basic ability to cross the ball in Wright-Phillips, Milner or Lennon.
Pulis isn’t personable enough for the grey suits, and Allardyce doesn’t fit the mould either.
There is of course an Englishman with experience of international management and taking a team to a World Cup Finals, and that is Mick McCarthy. We’ve just seen proof that six million quid a year brings you very little.
What we need right now is someone with the right sort of experience and some integrity. Mick’s the man who could build an honest team with the sort of talent that’s available.
The Italian has won nine league titles in two different countries, but his witlessness has left most of us speechless.
We need someone who understands what it means to put on the shirt. No master tactician Mick, but he has a lot of qualities that would make him a candidate for my money. Maybe it’s time for some down to earth Yorkshire grit. The man we need is someone to instill some pride without these so called Continental ways that just don’t work. Give the job to Mick!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RHqxrszXYM
Sorry lads. Here it is. Better late than never.
According to David Bond’s blog on the BBC website today ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2010/06/capello_set_to_stay_in_charge.html ), it could cost at least £12 million to dump Capello and his staff!
The BBC, of course, still doesn’t get it. Phil McNulty
( http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2010/06/what_next_for_england.html ) blogs about what England needs to do to remake the team. Darren Bent gets 13 mentions — but they’re all in comments from fans demanding his presence on the team. McNulty never mentions him. I wonder if he’s ever even been to Sunderland.
What is it? There’s nothing here.
I was just sent this. If you didn’t like Capello previously, then this is unlikely to endear you further.
One thing that worries me is that prior to the World Cup, Stuart Pearce was quoted as saying that compared to Capello “he felt incompetent.” See what you make of this.
Tom has always talked a lot of sense Bill, a lot like your goodself. I wouldn’t have wanted to send 23 to South Africa without some input from the Sixer though.
I’d never seen Pete in the “Tord Grip” role until now.
That’s better. But I still think the job should go to Tom.
No worries Colin!
And, absolutely Vamos Paraguay!
I’m heading back to the World Cup black out zone. I want to watch these games “as live” tonight.
Abject apologies to Jeremy.
The WordPress system implied the piece had been saved in full, but lied.
But the fault probably lies with TGV which cannot seem to handle mobile communications. Now, wined up and sitting with coffee outside an old Parisian haunt, it was a doddle to add the missing bit.
Vamos Paraguay!
A great post Tom. It was partly the point of my article to suggest that paying ridiculous sums to a coach (as in Capello’s case) achieves nothing. Some of his tactical and players sections were the work of an idiot and not indicative of a man who has been successful in club management.
In fact I would go as far as to say the following. If the FA has formed a committee from the people who have posted to this thread back in May and asked them to collectively pick a 23 man squad and take them to South Africa, would they, in fact could they have done worse? I suggest not. A single win from four games played against minnows Slovenia; which most fans wouldn’t be able to locate on a map, and the most humiliating and telling defeat in the history of the World Cup.
Players at this level need to be able to play their natural game as you say. If they need to be taught defensive formations and how to defend against corners then they shouldn’t be there in any case. This job doesn’t require a rocket scientist. We tried the football equivalent of astrophysics with Capello and we ended up with half wit incapable of the fundamentals.
Common sense — what a concept. Hey, Tom, you’re hired!
Whatever happends with the England manager’s job, my plea would be to keep it simple: play players in their regular positions, select men in form and not on long gone reputation and install a genuine will to win which should be a basic
pre-requisite anyway. Gerrard is not a left sided player, he is one of the world’s best central midfielders. Cappello took no out and out left sided wide player a la Downing, Young or Johnson [who can play on both flanks]. Ashley Cole, a controversial individual but nonetheless a great left back often had no one in front of him down the left. The likes of Parker and Bent should have gone instead of the overrated Carrick and Heskey, for example. Stevie Wonder could see that Glenn Johnson cannot defend to save his life at the top level [On reflection Gary Neville wasn’t that bad was he?]and the fact that Terry and Upson are so similar-and slow-in style was ignored and how we paid the price for their laborious displays. Rooney needs bringing down a peg or two and made to realise the great players are also team players who do not display obvious petualance towards both team mates and their own fans when things don’t go right. England have enough decent players to choose from right now to have done far better at this World Cup but for reasons only the £6m a year man can explain, they were not utilised in unison to full effect. When he brought Heskey on against an average but fit and well organised Germany, Cappello basically gave the nation a two fingered ‘I know best’ salute. Seven Serie A titles and two La Liga victories maybe, but you have to wonder what was going on his mind, surely?
I don’t know what’s happened here Colin but the bottom of the article has been chopped off!
Raymond Domenech’s looking for a job, isn’t he? And he has all the attributes the FA seems to value in a manager.
I checked the bookies yesterday; I saw Steve Coppell’s name and cried a little.
Kevin Keegan would do just as nicely, Pete.
Does Beckham have any kind of meaningful role in football now that his playing days are effectively over?
I have a sneaking feeling that Capello will try to hang on and may actually succeed. But, failing that, my choice for his replacement would be A.N. Other — A. ANY Other.
Whatever happens, I expect the FA will certainly take its time. After all, what’s the hurry?
The FA needs to take its time over this appointment. The perfect candidate is sat on The Match Of The Day sofa – it has to be Big Alan Shearer. That would give us all another reason for not following England!!