Glenn Hoddle (appointed Summer 1996) was the young (at 38 the youngest ever England manager) tactician who demanded high technical ability from his players and an intelligence to understand and carry out his sometimes overly analytical tactical instructions. Hoddle’s downfall was his relationship with key players who found their manager distant and cold often belittling their ability compared to his. After comments about his belief about reincarnation and disabled people came to light Hoddle was swiftly axed.
Hoddle was cold, distant and hard to understand so after a press clamouring his polar opposite character Kevin Keegan was installed. Despite large amounts of tub thumping, passion and arms around shoulders, England was abysmal in Euro 2000 and Keegan resigned, admitting he was out of his depth, following a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the final game at the old Wembley.
As Keegan was tactically naive it was decided that England needed someone with suitable experience of thoroughly preparing its players, who was calm and calculated and so for the first time the FA looked beyond the English Channel and Sven Goran Eriksson was installed as England’s first ever foreign manager.
Sven became the nation’s favourite Swedish export since Ikea when he led England to an incredible 5-1 victory over Germany in their own backyard in qualification for the 2002 World Cup. Sadly, England were unable to record any sustained success during the competition and quarter-final elimination became the norm for the next two major tournaments. The Swede’s time ran out and inevitably left after the 2006 World Cup. With many people annoyed that a foreigner was running our team it became a certainty that the next man would have to be English (well it was as soon as Felipe Scolari turned it down!) and so Steve McLaren was promoted from 1st deputy to Head Coach in 2006.
McLaren was English and for many years heralded as the big white hope of English coaching but unfortunately proved to be not very good and to not have a terribly tolerant attitude towards rain. So, if McLaren was inexperienced his successor had, of course, to have bundles of it so who better than a bloke who had managed, and been successful in Madrid and Milan seemed an astute choice, even if he was going to cost £6m per year.
I actually like Capello. What is not to like a bloke who isn’t scared to tell underperforming players how it is? Statistics mean something and nothing but which England manager has the highest win % of all time? It is Fabio Capello who has managed to win 67% of his games; even Sir Alf Ramsey (2nd) only won 61%; both Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables managed to win less than 50% whilst in charge.
Capello, unlike Eriksson also seemed to have learned his mistakes and rectified them. The rigid 4-4-2 that served England so badly in South Africa in 2010 quickly gave way to a more fluid 4-3-3 which has begun to contain exciting young players like Jack Wilshere, Kyle Walker, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Wellbeck. Capello was also the first manager brave enough to select Scott Parker over Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard and in doing so solve the central midfield conundrum which had flummoxed his most immediate predecessors.
That he has resigned on a point of principle also bodes well for his legacy. How many of you thought it was wrong for the FA to axe John Terry as captain? Whilst I didn’t i feel that this was a decision the manager ought at least to have been a part of and can totally understand his feelings of being undermined.
So, if history is to repeat itself the FA will go for the polar opposite of Capello. Cynically, the Italian has been painted as a cold, unforgiving strict disciplinarian so if you’re looking for a warm, larger than life, personable, kindly old uncle type, oh and don’t forget English then there is clearly only one name to consider: step forward ‘arry Redknapp.
I’ll put my cards on the table here; I’m a Spurs fan and would be distraught if our best manager in 30 years (look up Keith Burkinshaw kids) was to leave especially mid way through a season which sees us in a very promising position. Harry has been magnificent for Spurs; his management style is minimalist; Rafael Van Der Vaart has commented how surprising, yet refreshing it is to be given very little tactical instructions and just encouraged to go out and do what you’re good at.
Redknapp’s success is in no small part down to the people around him. Whilst Harry is the bloke to put an arm around a shoulder or a boot up a backside he seldom leads training sessions or analysis on opposition; these duties are performed by Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan respectively.
Bearing in mind how closely under the microscope an England manager will be I hate to think what will be written once England appear to have lost due to ‘tactical ineptitude’ especially as Jordan, a Scot, may not welcome to opportunity of employment with the English national team as warmly as an Englishman might.
Redknapp must also ask the question of whether International Football is for him. As someone who so enjoys being around the players he may struggle to cope with the distance involved with managing a team who get together for a total of 35 days in a non-tournament season. More intriguingly he must decide whether England offers him more chance of success than he is likely to achieve at club level at White Hart Lane?
Harry is the bookies favourite, the popular choice amongst fans and the press and the highest performing English manager currently in work but we need to think about other alternatives.
I would not be adverse to Glenn Hoddle who in my opinion was very unfairly removed from post for purely non football reasons. However, Hoddle, has not been in management for 6 years instead concentrating on the creation of his academy in Spain. Equally, I am impressed with Gareth Southgate, the FA’s current head of football development. He could form a great partnership with Stuart Pearce (as long as they don’t coach penalties!) and Sir Trevor Brooking.
Failing that and if the FA decide to cast their net abroad then Guus Hiidink, currently out of work, has a proven track record of taking unfancied teams to the latter stages of an international competition.
Traditionally, this is a decision that will not be made quickly and so you can expect to hear many rumours and counter rumours until the white smoke emerges from the top of Wembley Stadium.
Gareth Lewin presents Streetlife every Monday from 6pm – 7pm.
