The Search For England’s Next Victim (Manager)

Apologies for my lack of posting recently, I have been sunning myself in a country far better at football than ours – España. Now I am back and much like Spain we are all qualified and signed up for Euro 2012. Considering we didn’t make Euro 2008 we should definitely be thankful for this, even if it came in unspectacular fashion.

We know Fabio Capello is leaving after next summer’s tournament. He’s said it and the FA have said it. I don’t think anyone is dying for him to stay either. In fact, if it wasn't going to cost the FA the earth then they may even have got rid of him before next year’s Euros.

Along with Sir Alex and perhaps one or two others, Fabio Capello came to England as one of Europe’s greatest managers. Foreign yes but no English manager could have come close to his managerial achievements. He leant a solid amount of English in a very short amount of time and promised to usher in a new period of English football. A period of discipline where players would be picked on form and not reputation. Players would have to fight for their places, everyone of them.

A stellar qualification campaign followed and all was good. Then there was the shambles that was the 2010 World Cup. Player selections, tactics on and off the pitch. It was an embarrassment and things haven’t exactly improved since then.

Too often were players picked because of their name. Frank Lampard has poorly performed for England for an age but was only recently dropped. Too often was Capello inconsistent in disciplining his players. To strip John Terry of the captaincy to give back to him a year later just sends out the completely wrong message. Too often has Capello been stubborn in team selection. Ignoring pleas of fans and pundits alike he has stuck with an ageing team often playing his better players out of position.

Also, has nobody actually noticed that Capello’s English has never really improved? He learnt a commendable amount to start with and then doesn’t really appear to have learnt anymore since. The man is being paid nearly £6 million a year to manage a team about 8 times a year. He should be completely fluent now surely? This may not seem like a huge issue but it affects his communication with his team and just smacks of a lack of commitment.

It is no surprise that the masses will not be sad to see Capello leave our shores after Euro 2012. Who though will replace him? Who is the next man to take up the seemingly mammoth task of turning our national team into something we can be proud of?

The consensus is that our next man should be English. He should understand the English way of life, the expectations on the national team. Step forward Harry Redknapp.

Harry never represented the national team as a player. His reputation as a manager though is second to no Englishman. Having built his reputation with long spells at Bournemouth and then West Ham, Harry then transformed Portsmouth from Championship dwellers into Premiership mainstays and FA Cup winners. This then lead him to current club Tottenham where he took them to the Champions League proper, something that hadn’t been managed by a team outside the traditional ‘Big Four’ for just under a decade. On top of this he has spoken in glowing terms about the England job itself, the man actually wants the job.

Redknapp likes to his teams to play attacking football and he has a good record of blooding in young, talented players. It appears he also doesn’t mind speaking his mind, something I think would be refreshing and beneficial for an England manager. The fact remains though that he hasn’t really ever challenged for the league title or faced the kind of pressure that the England job carries. Spurs’ showings in the Champions League last season suggests though that pressure is something Harry could enjoy.

Whether he could command the players respect, a point where Capello has somewhat failed, would remain to be seen. As far as home-grown managers go though, Harry is the best option.

What if the manager was not English but British? David Moyes would be an option but a Scotsman in charge of England probably isn’t going to happen. What then about Martin O’Neill? O’Neill interviewed for the post five years ago when the FA overlooked him for er...Steve McClaren. Is it possible for us to get a new FA as well?

O’Neill has done a quality job wherever he has gone and if he had of been better financially backed at Villa then perhaps they too would of reached the Champions League. He is known for his motivational skills and getting the best out of his players. I think we could all agree that a lack of motivation has too long been a problem for England’s big stars. O’Neill is no yes man either and would not be daunted by punishing players who do not obey his rules.

If O’Neill is appointed next year he will have been out of management for two years. He will be a gamble and the FA aren’t exactly the most daring of people. I think though it is a challenge that he would relish.

Something that the FA hasn't quite grasped is that managing a national team is starkly different to managing a club team. Tactics, team selection, man-management, it’s all different. So why not go for someone with international experience, someone who knows how it works.

Roy Hodgson would be the main English choice on this front. Whilst a fine manager I think the FA will look for a bigger name. His spell at Liverpool doesn’t help his cause. Guus Hiddink certainly fits this bill. Speaks good English and bags of international experience. It seems pretty apparent though that we will not see another foreigner managing the Three Lions for a while.

Match of the Day commentator Steve Wilson blogged a few weeks ago putting forth another candidate, see www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/stevewilson/2011/09/fa_headhunters_should_look_bey.html. Not an Englishman but someone who knows the English game throughout and has been very successful in the Premier League. A certain Arsene Wenger.

Wenger has always shown more of a liking for bringing in younger players than gambling in the transfer market. This is what managing the national team is all about. He also likes to play very attractive football, the likes of which we see from our Spanish friends.

The Frenchman though will not be taking up this role. He has shown he is not one who reacts well to criticism so why would he put himself in a position where criticism will be one of his only friends? Wenger will also be astutely aware that the current England crop will not have the talents and technique that is required to play his kind of football. The job would be a losing battle for Arsene and he will be all too aware of this.

Is the manager to blame? Should we not be finding a new squad? The amount of money and status that some players have at their clubs suggests that the international scene means little to them. It is just not as important. It has been argued that some players see a major tournament as a free holiday and that they care little about their country’s fortunes. But surely the likes of Spain and Germany have similar players who have massive statuses at their own clubs YET still love performing for their country. It will be up to the new manager to change this viewpoint of some of the players or actually change the players themselves.

Whoever gets the nod from the FA has an arduous task to say the least. They will need to be thick-skinned but also flexible and willing to listen to others around them. They need to motivate and turn our national team into a hard-working one, a side we can actually be proud of from time to time. It’s an extremely tough prospect there is just no denying it. At least the new man though won’t be intimidated by the triumphs (or lack of) made by their successors. Unless Fabio surprises us all next summer. I won't hold my breath though.

Arsene Wenger - Time to change policy or time to change job?

Played 5, won 1, drawn 1 and lost 3. Scored 6 and conceded 14. Sitting 17^th in the table. Yes, we are only in September but these stats make quite awful reading for Arsenal followers.

Arsene Wenger arrived at Highbury in 1996 as rather an unknown. He came from Nagoya Grampus Eight looking much like ‘The Demon Headmaster’.  Those who do not remember the school principle that terrorised young audiences in the late 90’s can inspect the image below. In fact, ‘The Demon Headmaster’ first hit our screens 1996 as well. Coincidence? I think not.

All jokes aside, not many would have predicted the successes that Wenger would bring to North London. The Gunners have won the Premier League thrice since 1996 and the first two of these successes included an FA Cup double. Arsene’s finest moment though came in 2004 when his ‘Invincibles’ went the entire season without losing a league match. Something Sir Alex amongst others cannot match.

In terms of trophies won Arsene Wenger is Arsenal’s most successful manager. So why now are some pundits and fans asking (perhaps demanding) for the Frenchman to move on? The reasons I am afraid are plentiful.

Since the Gunners amazing triumph in 2004 things have somewhat gone downhill. Apart from an FA Cup the following year Arsenal have won exactly ZERO trophies. Is this really the product of a team that went an entire league season unbeaten? Yes they have come close, there has been a Champions League final as well as two League Cup finals. Arsenal fans though have become used to getting more than just “close” to trophies.

For the years since their last trophy Mr. Wenger has invested heavily in youngsters that have come and gone. Seasons have come and gone as well without adding to the trophy cabinet. By having a young team the manager and fans alike have been able to comfort themselves in their failure. The philosophy that it will all come good “next season”. It’s been six barren years now and it hasn’t come good on the trophy front. Patience has well and truly wore thin.

This blog has attacked Mr. Wenger’s transfer policy on numerous occasions. Whether it is his or the board’s fear of spending money that dictates this policy I do not know. Whoever it is to blame though may regret their decisions come the end of the season.

Arsenal lost arguably their best two players in Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri this summer. They did rather well out of it as well financially, garnering over £50 million from the pair. Why though did they leave it so late in the transfer window to let them go? Especially as it would appear they didn’t exactly have concrete replacements lined up. Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun were brought in on deadline day and I am afraid they don’t quite fill the shoes of the players that have departed from the Emirates. Why not give yourself the whole summer to find replacements for players that you know are going to leave?

Why also, do they refuse to spend big amounts of money? A want for bringing through youth talent rather than spending tens of millions of pounds is an admirable stance by Wenger. Unfortunately it is also an outdated one. After Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal’s 2^nd most expensive signing is....(drum roll) Sylvain Wiltord. Wasn’t worth the drum roll was it? The Frenchman signed for £13 million over 11 years ago.  Unfortunately the world of football that we now live in means that money has to be spent to be successful. Manchester United have long had a formula of spending whilst blooding in young starlets and this has obviously been successful. After 6 years without a trophy perhaps Alan Hansen was right after all, just not about the right manager  -“you’ll never win anything with kids.”

Opposition teams do not fear Arsenal anymore. Since Patrick Vieira left in 2005 Arsenal have had no player of any steel. No midfield general to command his troops. Arsenal have always played fantastic football but at the same time it has always been felt that they can be physically dominated. Or at least it has been felt that since 2005. It is somewhat baffling to see how much good a tough midfielder could do for Arsenal and yet they let the likes of Scott Parker go to White Hart Lane for £5 million. Mr. Wenger needs to accept the best teams have both silk and steel at their disposal.

The disarray in which Arsenal stood after such a chaotic transfer window has obviously affected their start to the season. The Gunners have had a high turnover of first team players with much of it going on once the season had started. Players will obviously settle in and performances will improve. Will it be enough to make the top 4? I am not so sure. I think too many times this season their defence will be opened up. Tottenham and Liverpool are both going for that 4^th spot and neither have the distraction of the Champions League.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has come out today and reassured all concerned that Mr. Wenger will not be sacked.  “He didn't suddenly become a bad manager” says Gazidis. Of course not. Perhaps a bit stuck in his ways though, a tad misguided? I think so.

Is it not more of a worry that Wenger will leave on his own accord? If it comes to December/ January time and Arsenal are sitting in 8^th having criticism thrown from all quarters? The Gunners have never finished outside the top 4 in the 15 years since Wenger joined. If they are failing to achieve that this season is Wenger going to go down with his ship? Perhaps his pride is too strong.

Wenger's team building policies in recent years have been flawed that is a fact. He has 3 options available really: stick, twist or leave the table. I am not sure whether he knows which one to take right now. 

In reality there can be no denying Arsene Wenger’s previous triumphs. This season however I think is his biggest test. He needs to secure his defence and he needs to secure his team’s self-belief. A big 8 months is ahead for the Frenchman and things needs to improve drastically for him and his team. I think he will definitely need to strengthen further in the transfer window in January as well. Whether or not he does this though will be up to him. The time to spend money is now and if he does not do not be surprised to see Arsenal outside the top 4 come next May.

And who knows, Mr. Wenger may not be there come next May either.