Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
The appointment of Fabio Capello as the new England boss is good news for the long suffering fans, but a sad indictment of the present standard of English football managers. At least when Sven Goran Eriksson was appointed, Roy Hodgson was in contention. This time round there wasn't a single indigenous coach who stood a chance.
Only Harry Redknapp was ever seriously touted and that was more because of his popularity among the press pack than any real achievements. He is, of course, a fine manager in his own right, but he's actually won less silverware than Steve McClaren which doesn't place him well against the likes of Capello and Lippi.
Sam Allardyce is too busy trying to ride out the storm at Newcastle to consider doing anything else and his struggles so far this season have, if anything, dropped him further down the pecking order. Steve Coppell has performed miracles with Reading, but given that he had to quit Manchester City after 33 days in 1996 because of stress, you wouldn't back him to last three in this hotseat. Alan Curbishley has complained that he isn't getting the credit he deserves at Upton Park and, to a certain extent, he's got a point. He did save them from relegation. It's just that this season there is a suspicion that, like a bored office drone, West Ham are content only to do enough to get by.
There is an argument that English bosses are hamstrung by never being given a chance with a big team. After all, Manchester United haven't had to advertise a vacancy since 1986 and Arsene Wenger has been in the home dug-out for 11 years now. If any one of the big four bosses quit tomorrow, would an Englishman get their job? Not likely.
And so the likes of Gareth Southgate and Coppell predictably throw their toys out of the pram at the FA's decision to choose an overseas superstar. Would it not be better for them to seek another solution? The answer could be that if you can't beat them, join them?
If English managers can't break through the glass ceiling because of foreigners, why don't they become the foreigners themselves? The door swings both ways. The Paris St Germain job will almost certainly be vacant soon. Would it have been so hard for Steve Bruce or Paul Jewell to learn a bit of French and have a crack at that instead of sticking around for another relegation battle? With their lengthy experience in the EPL, they'd be head and shoulders above any of La Ligue's domestic contenders.
The Ajax Amsterdam job is still open to offers, and though it seems likely that Marco van Basten will grab it after his finishes with the Dutch national team, have any Englishmen made enquiries? Did anyone try for Valencia when Flores left? Or Parma when Ranieri moved on? No, of course they didn't.
Only Chris Coleman has made the jump, bravely heading out to Spain to manage Real Sociedad, and he's Welsh. Sociedad are mid-table in the Segunda at present, though that's arguably more to do with the ownership chaos behind the scenes than any shortfallings on his part.
It's all very well for English bosses to sit there and complain that they're not getting a chance, but when they make unimaginative career moves, it's hardly surprising. If foreign managers can come to England and get jobs, then why can't English managers go abroad? Football is a global game and if Coppell, Southgate, Paul Ince and anyone else who is upset at the appointment of Capello want to play a bigger part in it, it's about time they stretched themselves.
Only Harry Redknapp was ever seriously touted and that was more because of his popularity among the press pack than any real achievements. He is, of course, a fine manager in his own right, but he's actually won less silverware than Steve McClaren which doesn't place him well against the likes of Capello and Lippi.
Sam Allardyce is too busy trying to ride out the storm at Newcastle to consider doing anything else and his struggles so far this season have, if anything, dropped him further down the pecking order. Steve Coppell has performed miracles with Reading, but given that he had to quit Manchester City after 33 days in 1996 because of stress, you wouldn't back him to last three in this hotseat. Alan Curbishley has complained that he isn't getting the credit he deserves at Upton Park and, to a certain extent, he's got a point. He did save them from relegation. It's just that this season there is a suspicion that, like a bored office drone, West Ham are content only to do enough to get by.
There is an argument that English bosses are hamstrung by never being given a chance with a big team. After all, Manchester United haven't had to advertise a vacancy since 1986 and Arsene Wenger has been in the home dug-out for 11 years now. If any one of the big four bosses quit tomorrow, would an Englishman get their job? Not likely.
And so the likes of Gareth Southgate and Coppell predictably throw their toys out of the pram at the FA's decision to choose an overseas superstar. Would it not be better for them to seek another solution? The answer could be that if you can't beat them, join them?
If English managers can't break through the glass ceiling because of foreigners, why don't they become the foreigners themselves? The door swings both ways. The Paris St Germain job will almost certainly be vacant soon. Would it have been so hard for Steve Bruce or Paul Jewell to learn a bit of French and have a crack at that instead of sticking around for another relegation battle? With their lengthy experience in the EPL, they'd be head and shoulders above any of La Ligue's domestic contenders.
The Ajax Amsterdam job is still open to offers, and though it seems likely that Marco van Basten will grab it after his finishes with the Dutch national team, have any Englishmen made enquiries? Did anyone try for Valencia when Flores left? Or Parma when Ranieri moved on? No, of course they didn't.
Only Chris Coleman has made the jump, bravely heading out to Spain to manage Real Sociedad, and he's Welsh. Sociedad are mid-table in the Segunda at present, though that's arguably more to do with the ownership chaos behind the scenes than any shortfallings on his part.
It's all very well for English bosses to sit there and complain that they're not getting a chance, but when they make unimaginative career moves, it's hardly surprising. If foreign managers can come to England and get jobs, then why can't English managers go abroad? Football is a global game and if Coppell, Southgate, Paul Ince and anyone else who is upset at the appointment of Capello want to play a bigger part in it, it's about time they stretched themselves.
