INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL
I listened with dismay this week as English managers and former players criticised the Football Association for appointing Fabio Capello as the next England manager.
The likes of Steve Coppell, Gareth Southgate and even ex Wales boss Mark Hughes say they should have gone for an English man for the International hot seat.
Southgate who certainly didn't shower himself in glory when wearing the white shirt said " I don't think an England team should be coached by anyone other than an English man."
This coming from a player who says he loved playing under Swede Sven Goran Eriksson.
Coppell, currently boss of Reading said "I am sad. I am a proud English manager and would have loved an Englishman to have been in charge."
If Coppell was so worried then many will wonder why he didn't apply for the job himself then.
Mark Hughes who suprised journalists by wading into the dated discussion said " The longer it goes on that the top jobs go to foreign coaches, the more difficult it will become for English and British coaches to get the big jobs in the future."
Are these guys for real?
Firstly Capello has in his managerial career been in charge of AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus. With different clubs he's won the Scudetto (Seria 1 championship in Italy) five times and led Real Madrid to success in La Liga last season for the first time in 4 years. He also coached AC Milan when they won the Champions League in 1994. He is perhaps the most succesful manager on the European mainland and if any other country secured his services they would be jumping for joy in the streets.
Secondly the reason the 'big jobs' arent going to British coaches is because (with the marked exception of Sir Alex Ferguson) they aren't succesful enough and it isn't for the want of trying.
If Coppell, Southgate and the likes had their way the FA would be looking to appoint either Harry Redknapp or Martin O' Neill to the position.
Redknapp was arrested in relation to alleged corruption in football two weeks ago and someone should tell the moaning brigade that Martin O' Neill is not English!
