I don't get this notion that an English England manager is inherently better than a foreign England manager. As far as I'm concerned, the FA should go for the best person for the job regardless of where he comes from. I don't care where our manager's from, it doesn't make much difference. We had McLaren, we didn't qualify for Euro 2008. We had Keagen and didn't get past the group stage of Euro 2000. Conversely we had Sven and got to quarter finals in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Under Capello we lost a single qualifying game for the 2010 world cup (okay, so the actual world cup was awful, but still.....)
don't forget that BBC documentary on "bungs". With that and this recent case, I can't see the FA ever giving him the job. They don't like even a whiff of scandal... look at Venables; had to step down. Clough - too outspoken. They'll go with a safe "yes" man.
Big Sam would get my vote, he looks the part and might just give West Ham a little wobble if the papers where all bigging him up.
I've long since forgiven Harry for the way he dumped on us....twice. But still, not sure he would be the best man for the job. If he likes you, great, he will blow smoke up your arse and convince you your the best player on the planet. If you doesn't....your basically buggered and put out to pasture. We've seen him do it time and again. Boateng is a great example. Look at how he is doing in Italy now. Good manager....but just too dodgy for me. Get the best man for the job, regardless of nationality....but do make sure he speaks English first.
PompeyMeowth hit the nail on the head. With Redknapp it would be like a pub team on tour, as would Pardew. Foreign coaches do not seem to be able to work with the sort of booze riddled, other peoples wife bonking, over rated has beens that capello has saddled himself with. If I was the FA I would crawl along to the Emirates and beg Wenger to come along and manage England. he is not afraid to pick young players and work with them. He would weed all of the hasbeens out, pick the younger up and coming players, and develop a team with the right attitudes to training, diet, drinking and the game itself. Under no circumstances should they ever, ever ever consider Sir Nigel Adkins Lord of all Southampton.
The thing the really sticks in my throat about 'arry is the way he treated some of the 'established' players at Southampton. For me, him deciding that Jason Dodd was useless and was never going to play for Southampton again on the back of one rubbish performance by the whole team was criminal in itself, and epitomised the tearing apart of Saints' former premier league establishment. This is not good man management.
Clough didn't get it, because he was a paid up Labour party man. Imagine how great England really could have been, if he'd been given a chance.
In 10 days time they can see just what they missed out on Might be worth another couple of digs............ I see PJ thinks he might come and get them in the loan market
Clough didn't get it because he was a strong willed control freak who would have taken over the whole organisation and the FA were scared stiff of him.
In the articles written by David James for The Observer he has before now talked about lots of the issues he has encountered at the clubs he has been at and the managers he has worked for - invariably mentioning no names, but he has written before about the manager who instructed all the players to speak English, sparking a huge guessing game. Today he has written an article on John Terry and the captaincy - and in there is this little nugget. So my question is - how many of you were aware of this?