Uncle Buck
Ghost Writer
- Jul 7, 2003
- 28,075
Is anyone at home when Eriksson goes?
Tabloid sting serves only to remind powers that be about lack of first-class candidates for England job
Daniel Taylor
Monday January 16, 2006
The Guardian
It hardly needed an undercover News of the World reporter, posing as a sheikh, to inform the football world that Sven-Goran Eriksson will probably be off after the World Cup and is already eyeing up future vacancies. In a season that has seen English fans rushing to those virtual-reality pubs, the internet messageboards, to sign Sack the Swede petitions, the most logical conclusion was always that he would leave this year, with or without the help of a man in a flowing white robe.
Yet, football being such a knee-jerk business, nobody seems to have given much consideration to what will happen when the England manager goes and, specifically, to the lack of outstanding candidates to take his place.
The Football Association has let it be known it wants an English manager but the best firm of headhunters might struggle to find someone who fits all the necessary criteria. Alan Curbishley has problems at Charlton Athletic. Stuart Pearce is as patriotic as they come but inexperienced. Arsène Wenger, whose grasp of the language and length of service in this country gives him an English feel, is as good as any but does not seem interested. "You have to be a masochist to be an international manager," he once said.
Only in the botched world of English football could the first name on the betting-shop boards be that of a manager who has just seen his side leak seven goals and then described it as "a great experience". Steve McClaren, the bookmakers' early favourite, thought Saturday's 7-0 thrashing at Arsenal would be character-building for his players, a summary that is unlikely to prevent the next ironic chants of "McClaren for England" floating across the Riverside Stadium.
So what of the other candidates? Bryan Robson was on football's equivalent of the rubbish-tip before West Bromwich Albion turned to him just over a year ago. Sam Allardyce, rightly or wrongly, is considered too brash for a position that reputedly requires a diplomat and, besides, the new England manager will be required to speak to BBC Radio 5 Live.
Peter Taylor's name always gets a mention, which is strange given the fact he once paid £5.5m for Ade Akinbiyi and is held responsible by many Leicester City fans for the club's demise since Martin O'Neill. Terry Venables has enough mates in Fleet Street to push his claims and conveniently overlook his non-achievements at his last club, Leeds United. Paul Jewell and Alan Pardew have many admirers but will be realistic about their chances.
O'Neill's potential availability would certainly see him come under scrutiny although, of course, he is not an Englishman and for the time being is not available. From Grantham Town to Celtic, the 53-year-old has little but success on his CV and a name that commands respect throughout the game.
The players would rather have someone they know in charge than a mysterious foreigner, and O'Neill's appointment would go down well.
Beyond that the options are so limited that the FA's chief executive Brian Barwick might have to look abroad. Guus Hiddink, who will take Australia to their second World Cup and did such a commendable job with South Korea at the last tournament, should feature prominently on any short list. Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has enough medals to fill an aircraft hangar, merits strong consideration.
One complication is that England will not be the only job being advertised in late summer. Should any of the major football nations experience a poor World Cup, history dictates there will be a flurry of dismissals. In addition, of course, there is still no official word from Manchester United that Sir Alex Ferguson will definitely stay at the club beyond the end of the season.
While Ferguson has made it clear he wants to remain in office for at least one more season, nothing can be taken for granted when supporters' criticisms of him have reached unprecedented levels and, as yet, the Glazers have not discussed it beyond the walls of their Florida mansion.
About the only certainty is that the FA will have to show a courage that has not always been apparent.
Twenty-nine years ago the FA's selection committee, chaired by Sir Harold Thompson, interviewed Brian Clough, the people's choice, for the job before giving it to Ron Greenwood, the establishment man, so passing up a glorious opportunity to alter the course of English football - and for no other reason than its reticence to involve a man who specialised in cutting down to size the pompous, the pretentious, the far too high and the overly mighty.
The question is whether Barwick's modern-day FA is braver. Only then will we know whether a call will go in to Stamford Bridge and the man they know as the "special one".
In the running for Eriksson's job
Steve McClaren 5-2
Alan Curbishley 11-2
Sam Allardyce 11-2
Stuart Pearce 8-1
Jose Mourinho 10-1
Martin O'Neill 10-1
Paul Jewell 14-1
Bryan Robson 16-1
Arsène Wenger 16-1
Steve Bruce 20-1
Marcelo Lippi 20-1
Ottmar Hitzfeld 20-1
Peter Taylor 33-1
Fabio Capello 33-1
Sir Bobby Robson 100-1
Sir Alex Ferguson 100-1
Sir Clive Woodward 100-1
Tabloid sting serves only to remind powers that be about lack of first-class candidates for England job
Daniel Taylor
Monday January 16, 2006
The Guardian
It hardly needed an undercover News of the World reporter, posing as a sheikh, to inform the football world that Sven-Goran Eriksson will probably be off after the World Cup and is already eyeing up future vacancies. In a season that has seen English fans rushing to those virtual-reality pubs, the internet messageboards, to sign Sack the Swede petitions, the most logical conclusion was always that he would leave this year, with or without the help of a man in a flowing white robe.
Yet, football being such a knee-jerk business, nobody seems to have given much consideration to what will happen when the England manager goes and, specifically, to the lack of outstanding candidates to take his place.
The Football Association has let it be known it wants an English manager but the best firm of headhunters might struggle to find someone who fits all the necessary criteria. Alan Curbishley has problems at Charlton Athletic. Stuart Pearce is as patriotic as they come but inexperienced. Arsène Wenger, whose grasp of the language and length of service in this country gives him an English feel, is as good as any but does not seem interested. "You have to be a masochist to be an international manager," he once said.
Only in the botched world of English football could the first name on the betting-shop boards be that of a manager who has just seen his side leak seven goals and then described it as "a great experience". Steve McClaren, the bookmakers' early favourite, thought Saturday's 7-0 thrashing at Arsenal would be character-building for his players, a summary that is unlikely to prevent the next ironic chants of "McClaren for England" floating across the Riverside Stadium.
So what of the other candidates? Bryan Robson was on football's equivalent of the rubbish-tip before West Bromwich Albion turned to him just over a year ago. Sam Allardyce, rightly or wrongly, is considered too brash for a position that reputedly requires a diplomat and, besides, the new England manager will be required to speak to BBC Radio 5 Live.
Peter Taylor's name always gets a mention, which is strange given the fact he once paid £5.5m for Ade Akinbiyi and is held responsible by many Leicester City fans for the club's demise since Martin O'Neill. Terry Venables has enough mates in Fleet Street to push his claims and conveniently overlook his non-achievements at his last club, Leeds United. Paul Jewell and Alan Pardew have many admirers but will be realistic about their chances.
O'Neill's potential availability would certainly see him come under scrutiny although, of course, he is not an Englishman and for the time being is not available. From Grantham Town to Celtic, the 53-year-old has little but success on his CV and a name that commands respect throughout the game.
The players would rather have someone they know in charge than a mysterious foreigner, and O'Neill's appointment would go down well.
Beyond that the options are so limited that the FA's chief executive Brian Barwick might have to look abroad. Guus Hiddink, who will take Australia to their second World Cup and did such a commendable job with South Korea at the last tournament, should feature prominently on any short list. Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has enough medals to fill an aircraft hangar, merits strong consideration.
One complication is that England will not be the only job being advertised in late summer. Should any of the major football nations experience a poor World Cup, history dictates there will be a flurry of dismissals. In addition, of course, there is still no official word from Manchester United that Sir Alex Ferguson will definitely stay at the club beyond the end of the season.
While Ferguson has made it clear he wants to remain in office for at least one more season, nothing can be taken for granted when supporters' criticisms of him have reached unprecedented levels and, as yet, the Glazers have not discussed it beyond the walls of their Florida mansion.
About the only certainty is that the FA will have to show a courage that has not always been apparent.
Twenty-nine years ago the FA's selection committee, chaired by Sir Harold Thompson, interviewed Brian Clough, the people's choice, for the job before giving it to Ron Greenwood, the establishment man, so passing up a glorious opportunity to alter the course of English football - and for no other reason than its reticence to involve a man who specialised in cutting down to size the pompous, the pretentious, the far too high and the overly mighty.
The question is whether Barwick's modern-day FA is braver. Only then will we know whether a call will go in to Stamford Bridge and the man they know as the "special one".
In the running for Eriksson's job
Steve McClaren 5-2
Alan Curbishley 11-2
Sam Allardyce 11-2
Stuart Pearce 8-1
Jose Mourinho 10-1
Martin O'Neill 10-1
Paul Jewell 14-1
Bryan Robson 16-1
Arsène Wenger 16-1
Steve Bruce 20-1
Marcelo Lippi 20-1
Ottmar Hitzfeld 20-1
Peter Taylor 33-1
Fabio Capello 33-1
Sir Bobby Robson 100-1
Sir Alex Ferguson 100-1
Sir Clive Woodward 100-1
