POL Chelsea Debate: England’s next manager, pre-season tour
By George Perry
What qualities does England need in their next manager? Do any of the managers under consideration (rumor or otherwise) fit the bill, or does the search still have a ways to go?
Ejoh: England’s problem is psychological, not physical. They almost always cruise through the qualification stage, and then they fail to achieve.
England has a lot of quality players and Roy Hodgson assembled a decent squad for Euro 2016. England needs a manager who can zone these players’ minds away from the pressure of the fans and just get them to focus on playing as well as they know they can.
Conte did it with the Italian side, as did Van Gaal with the Dutch side at the 2014 World Cup. England should pursue Van Gaal now that he is unemployed.
Daniel: It’s important the next manager be English, more than anything for the sake of English managers. Most Englishmen would take the job in a heartbeat, and it will give encouragement to younger managers.
Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew would be perfect appointments. They have experience and know how to get the best out of their players. It seems #passion is important in managers nowadays, and Allardyce in particular would have the respect of the dressing-room immediately.
The job at hand has bundles of pressure attached, but it can’t get much worse than the past two tournaments.
Andre: Being based in the U.S. and having an up-close and hyper-focused eye on the USMNT, I would like to recommend Jürgen Klinsmann for the job of England manager.
It will be hard to see him go *turns to hide a giggle with a cough* and he will be sorely missed, *feigns emotion to stare at ground and hide smiles* but I am sure he is the one to bring the English youth through the ranks and usher in a new and brilliant era of beautiful football *has stroke trying to stifle guttural laughter.*
Please?
Elkebir: I hardly see English fans being able to stomach a German managing their team, and Klinsmann has not done much to prove his quality with the USMNT.
In fact, none of the prospective managers seem good enough. Guus “I love to draw” Hiddink’s last stint as international manager saw the Netherlands fail to qualify for the Euros. Sam “lose games and leave it late to escape relegation” Allardyce is just not capable. The only English manager that could fit the bill for me is Alan Pardew. And let’s not forget he is Mourinho’s Kryptonite.
Ayushman: England’s problems go beyond the manager. I am not discounting the moronic, embarrassing decisions Hodgson made against Iceland. The English team is a good team nonetheless. They have the youthful talent but what they lack is the experience to win one-off knockout matches.
They need a coach who can make the right decisions in the right moment, someone who has the experience of winning and succeeding against quality opponents at big tournaments. Guus Hiddink is the only one who comes close to being a fit for the job.
Siva: England’s manager needs to be someone who will build a team out of the talented crop of players that are coming through right now. England’s problem was not a lack of quality but a lack of courage and cohesion.
Very few English players are actually playing at the very top level of football. For that to change, the FA may have to clamp down on home grown restrictions a bit more. Either way, I think Gareth Southgate is a good man for the job as I’ve been impressed with his work with the U21s.
Ajitesh: Frankly, England are so appalling and their talent so thin that I’m backing Sam Allardyce. We’ve tried to play eye-catching football for the last decade and failed miserably. With Big Sam, we’re guaranteed qualification for major tournaments and a brand of football that maximises our strengths.
Oh god. What have I just said? Man, England suck.
Barrett: England needs somebody who can turn all of the stars into just plain footballers again. The 1966 England team wasn’t full of prima donna stars who drove Bentley’s. That squad resembled Leicester City more than Manchester United.
Guus Hiddink is a good international manager with experience in England and the culture. His laid back attitude unifies players and he could continue his advisory role at Chelsea.
Knowing the English FA they’ll swing from one extreme to another. After the non-glamorous choice of Roy Hodgson they’ll sign some expensive foreign manager who doesn’t even speak English.
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