Of course, the thing that usually instigates this discussion is an English manager getting the sack and recently a press favourite – Sam Allardyce – was sacked by Blackburn. An unbiased mind would look at all the facts and see that he underachieved and had them playing some of the ugliest football around. The media see it as an indictment of these crazy and impatient foreigners that won’t give the English a chance. Yet, if you look at the coverage of Roberto Mancini and Carlo Ancelotti’s situations in recent months you can’t help but notice a distinctly different attitude; there is almost a delicious glee to the way the media report on how Ancelotti appears to have lost control of the club and how Mancini can’t keep his players or the owners happy. The press seems to have little faith in these two men, despite sharing 4 Serie A’s, 5 Coppa Italias and 2 Champions League’s. That kind of track record should buy both these men more time. If they have one bad season, they should at least be given another to rectify the situation but they won’t. The tabloids won’t allow it while there is a chance that one of their favourites might get a crack at one of these jobs.
Even England manager Fabio Capello has lost the press, after England’s ‘finest’ once again failed to turn up at a World Cup. It seems that the claims that ‘if this man can’t make England World Cup winners, then we’ll know the problem is with the players’ has swiftly been forgotten. It seems that his track record of 7 Serie A titles, 2 La Ligas and a Champions League now mean nothing; he didn’t win the World Cup with a bunch of overrated prima donnas so his 30+ year managerial career counts for nothing. If you take a look at the man touted to potentially – eventually – replace all three then you see either a symptom of the problem, or an example of the problem itself: Harry Redknapp. Years of self-promotion and press-promotion have made him what he is today: an arrogant, smarmy, self-impressed under-achiever. Some people forget but this man has been in management over 30 years. In that time, he has won an FA Cup. He has also qualified for the Champions League once. Oh, he has also seen several of the clubs he’s managed relegated too. Yet, he is the best we have to offer and the press would have you believe he is the best in the country.
Similarly (and where I get to the point of how this affects Liverpool), Roy Hodgson can seemingly do no wrong. Nothing is ever his fault; every defeat is met with excuses and buck-passing. Liverpool fans have been getting criticised all season long for wanting Roy Hodgson sacked. After the team’s 8th league defeat of the season on Wednesday, the ground was resounding with boos, all of them directed at one man: the manager. There are few left that think he should be given a bit more time. These few are the press and they will happily see Liverpool run into the ground before they will change their opinion of the man. This is what we’re up against.
What scares me most is that once Hodgson finally does go, the press will again be pushing for an Englishman to be given a chance, and I’m sure the likes of Allardyce and Redknapp will be mentioned. I know who my choice will be and he has been hounded by the press ever since he made it clear he wouldn’t be towing their line; he is a prime example of how foreign managers are given much less time to turn a situation around, despite his previous record. He is currently on holiday on Merseyside, so he’s within a stone’s throw of the ground as well. However, should he be overlooked if and when the top job in the country again becomes available, I will still prefer a foreign manager, and unless the whole culture of English managers (and the quality of them) changes sometime soon, I always will.
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I totally agree with you dj.
English managers are …….CRAP!
I’ve just read a study that suggests most English participants on message boards tend to have lower levels of insight, vocabularly and wit compared to their foreign counterparts. I suggest that the quality of this site could be improved considerably by having a few more French, Spanish and Italian contributors.
Bravo mon ami tu et un homme qui parle avec tres sensebilite
English managers are like Range Rover ; expensive,old fashion and unreliable!!
Excellent article David – yet again!
Winning the Italian Super Cup is not an achievement, it is the equivalent of a preseason friendly like the Charity Shield. Inter beat the champions of the Congo to win the World Club Championship-wow what an achievement. The tactically brilliant Rafa in the 86 point season could not even beat Hull at Anfield or Stoke home and away. But we must give Rafa credit for bringing in tactically brilliant foreign players like Skyrtel, Insua, Josemi, Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Ngog, El Zhar, Plessis, Pellegrino.
The genius Rafa failed at Liverpool, FACT. The genius Rafa failed at Inter Milan, FACT. Put Dalglish and Thompson in charge until the end of the season. Unlike Rafa, they genuinely love the club and do not see the club as an ego trip.
Simon dear boy,you are a ‘dimwit’ BENITEZ DID NOT FAIL AT LFC! the big failures were the ‘yanks’ and unfortunately for LFC the club is in the same trouble having the ‘new yanks’ because they won’t be any better! They will continue taking out profits as the others did !
one of the best LFC articles I have ever read
Rafa bought Liverpool down from 2nd to 7th. He failed to get out of a straightforward group in the Champions League last season. He insulted Alonso which made him leave. He installed Insua and Johnson as fullbacks which resulted in 19 defeats last season. Hodgson should never have been appointed, it should have been Dalglish and Phil Thompson. Devotees of Rafa forget that in the 86 point season he could not mastermind a win over Hull at Anfield or home and away against Stoke.
And what nationality was Bob Paisley our most successful manager ever??