British v Foreign Manager- Which one should Reds fans prefer?

Looking at the odds for who is to be Liverpool’s next manager, the predominant theme is the lack of foreign managers high on the list. Out of the top five heading the list, Sven-Goran Eriksson is the only foreign manager included and this is mainly due to the fact he has thrown his hat into the ring at an early stage declaring he is a “lifelong” fan of Liverpool Football Club. Other names such as Guus Hiddink, Frank Rijkaard and Marcello Lippi are further down the list mainly due to the fact they have either ruled themselves out of the running or are committed to other jobs.

One of the main reasons I believe this is the case is because of Kenny Dalglish being in charge of drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates. His good relationships with Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson have upped their likelihood of being appointed both in the eyes of the betting fraternity and in the press. Foreign managers are seen to be less likely because of Dalglish’s involvement in the selection as he may have a slight bias towards a British candidate due to his long association with Liverpool and the tradition of the Reds bootroom. It is an attitude seemingly shared by Ian St John who said yesterday:

“Personally I hope we get a British manager. We’ve had over 10 years of foreign managers. Take away the night in Istanbul and the whole club seems to have changed. The staff we’ve got now, one minute it was all Frenchmen, the next minute all Spaniards. I mean this is Liverpool Football Club.”

It is a view that I have found not to be shared among Liverpool fans, who would quite welcome another foreign manager if he had the required ability to manage the club. Guus Hiddink was certainly very popular in the polls before the Dutch coach ruled himself out of the running because of his commitment to Turkey. Some others feel Rijkaard, Lippi or even Slaven Bilic could be credible contenders for the role as they have the right skills and managerial ability to take on the role.

One of the big reasons why another foreign manager is so popular is because of the style of football they might play. Playing attractive attacking at Anfield seems a pretty popular notion and it is something many just don’t see in the British managerial candidates, with the exception of Dalglish of course. Roy Hodgson for all his experience and success as a manager at both club and international level, is a tactical obsessive like Rafa Benitez and you couldn’t ever accuse Martin O’Neill of playing nice neat attacking football.

The big problem for all fans preferring another foreign coach is the fact few maybe interested in the post at the time of massive upheaval at the club. Any foreign coach especially will want time and money to rebuild the squad, neither which he will have until a takeover which may see him ousted as manager. The shortlist being drawn up has to take into account those willing to work on a tight budget while being aware that the appointment maybe only for the short term. That is why in my eyes Roy Hodgson has been installed as favourite. It certainly doesn’t rule out a foreign appointment because the reputation of Liverpool precedes itself, but if we look both at the current situation at the club, with who is leading the search, it makes a British manager that bit more likely.

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