It’s been hard to follow any kind of sporting news in the media over the past few days, and not come across a story about the vacant England Head Coach role. There are various different angles that have been explored; should Fabio Capello have resigned? Did he jump, or was he pushed? Who will be the next manager to take charge? Will they be English? Should they be English? Etc, etc, etc.
Of course, the whole scenario has been made a whole lot more interesting by the fact that Harry Redknapp was cleared of all charges relating to his tax evasion trial, only a few hours before The FA and Capello decided to part ways. Redknapp, the "darling of the British media", is seen as the over riding favourite for the post, and already has been given odds of 1/4 with Sky Bet to be named as Capello’s successor.
A lot of things have annoyed me about the immediate backlash to Capello’s departure. I’m going to start with the assumption that Redknapp is the only real choice as a replacement. Which is total bollocks.
OK, he’s the favourite. But it’s not because of his success. Because let’s face it, he’s had very, very little success for the majority of his career. Only the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008, and Champions League qualification with Sp*rs a couple of years ago. I’m not slamming him. As Capello showed, being a successful club manager doesn’t automatically make you a successful International manager, and that can work in the opposite way too.
I think Redknapp’s edge comes from his regard within the English game. Let’s forget he’s bankrupted/relegated every club he’s worked at prior to Sp*rs. That’s not important right now, or ever again (Ollie Holt is trying to destroy all living memories that this ever happened as we speak). He has shown at Sp*rs that he’s able to get the best out of a set of very ordinary players (when he took over, admittedly they are a slightly better bunch now). He commands respect. He instructs discipline.
The problem with England on the International level, is that they are all a set of egos who think they are all better than each other. Time and time again, people say ‘we just aren’t good enough’. Bollocks. We have the best League in the world, and the best clubs in the world. So we’re more than capable of producing the best players in the world too.
You can probably argue against the last part, but they are certainly good enough to reach the semi final at the World Cups and European Championships we appear in. So why don’t we? It’s because of the attitude of the players. It has to be. Like him or not (and I don’t particularly, being the Sp*rs manager and all), but Redknapp would come in, stamp his authority, make bold decisions (like axing John Terry and Rio Ferdinand for good possibly), and get our best set of lads playing for the badge on their shirt. That’s what England are missing. Passion. Heart. Desire. Redknapp would be the best man to get that out of them, in my opinion.
But does that mean we write off everyone else? Absolutely not. Which is why it has annoyed me to no end that players like Wayne Rooney, and stable boy Michael Owen have both expressed their extreme desire for Redknapp to take over. Like there’s no other option?
What about Roy Hodgson? Much travelled. Vast experience, especially internationally. Also respected. Only won one major trophy less than Redknapp. And also has a fantastic ability to bring out the best in players, as he most famously showed two years ago, by taking Fulham to the Europa League final.
And why does the manager have to be English? What about Guus Hiddink? More successful than most English managers put together, and also has exceptional experience on the International scene, having managed South Korea, Australia, Russia and Turkey in the past decade.
I think it’s hugely disrespectful for players to comment on who they’d like to take over as manager. This was a hot topic of debate on twitter last night amongst some journalists. Henry Winter believed that they had every right to. Ollie Holt agreed, but mainly because his head was lodged halfway up Winter’s behind. They both said it was acceptable because it had an impact on said player’s careers. Matt Dickinson was leading the sensible revolt saying otherwise, and it was genuinely an interesting discussion to follow, to see who was talking sense, and who…. wasn’t.
If I talked at work about who I wanted my manager to be, as it had an impact on my career, what would happen? I’d get sacked. Why’s it acceptable for footballers to do it, at an International level? It isn’t. It’s disrespectful, disruptive, and arrogant. And unfortunately, the epitome of our International side.
That covers Redknapp, Hodgson, Hiddink, and players. What next? Ah yes, Capello himself.
I think David Bernstein was pretty accurate when he described Capello as ‘expensive, but not a mistake’. It’s arguable though, for sure. On paper, Capello had a better win ratio than any of his predecessors, at 66.7%. But it’s hard to ignore that most of these wins came during meaningless friendlies, or during qualifying campaigns in which the top teams are never really tested.
When it really mattered, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in no uncertain terms Capello and England failed. Really, he should have been sacked after that. He underperformed, and it seemed he lost the confidence and support of the dressing room as well. But The FA were unwilling to take the hit on compensation, and Capello eventually announced he’d see out his contract and then leave after the Euros this summer, with his £6m a year contract intact.
As for the incident itself that led to Capello’s resignation, I can see the logic in the stance of both The FA, and the Italian.
On one hand, you could argue very convincingly that John Terry should not be the Captain of the England national side, whilst he is subject to a trial over racial abuse of a fellow professional. Captaining your country is the greatest honour available in modern day sport, and an honour that puts you at the forefront of the Nation, and become a role model to a very high percentage of young aspiring sportsmen. It is not something to be taken lightly, in my opinion, and as a result is not a memento worthy of someone being investigated in a court of law.
The other side of the coin, and Capello’s view, state that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And Terry seriously denies the charge he is up against. I’m not going to wade into whether or not I think he’s guilty. But I can understand Capello’s point of view, that why should Terry be stripped of the captaincy while he is still lawfully innocent?
Ultimately, it’s a disagreement that cost Capello his job. And England their manager heading into Euro 2012 this summer in Poland and Ukraine.
Where does this leave our National side now? In truth, with a fantastic opportunity, but really for the wrong reasons.
We are now manager less heading into the final few months before a major International tournament, which on paper puts us at a huge disadvantage. But with an aging side and recent history of failure during such tournaments, it offers a great chance for something fresh. Something new. Even something risky, should the new man in charge dare to do so.
Because whoever takes charge of England at Euro 2012, be it Stuart Pearce on an interim basis, or Redknapp having the job permanently, could argue that this isn’t their side. It hasn’t had their full tuition, and as such they aren’t fully accountable for the performance of the side at Euro 2012.
So if we went out at the group stages, the man in charge would probably get some slack seeing as though they’ve only come in at the last minute, to pick up on two years of Capello preparation for this tournament. They’d be spared the annihilation that Capello would have inevitably received, and be able to plan towards the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, almost as if they are starting afresh.
Whatever happens, I’d love to see the old guard changed for the new, some risks taken, and some new young blood given a chance to shine. Much like we’ve seen recently in the English Rugby side (and no, I’m not talking about Stoke City). Maybe it’s just because I’m use to an Arsenal side apparently permanent in a transition period. Or maybe it’s because I’m not as passionate about my country as I am my club, so the consequences don’t matter as much to me.
But despite the disappointing circumstances surrounding Capello’s resignation, there is a big opportunity for someone to come in and give English International football the shake up it needs. Who knows where it could lead us.
The important thing now is for The FA to take their time in appointing Capello’s successor. Pick the best man based on his credentials, not his passport. And give them the freedom and backing to change the face of English football for the better.
And maybe, just maybe, the Jules Rimet won’t be the only thing gleaming for much longer…
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