When Sam Allardyce recently left his position as England manager in the aftermath of an undercover newspaper investigation, the lack of eager candidates to succeed him once again brought into light the distinct lack of world class managers plying their trade at international level.
What it also did, however, was expose the disregard with which the English job is viewed in the highest echelons of football. Not many competent domestic clubs around Europe, let alone international teams, would employ a manager with such a modest CV – featuring 3 years at Middlesbrough and 3 years at England U21s.
So, why do Wayne Rooney and co. continuously find themselves being coached by such low profile names? Let’s take a look at five reasons why the England job is not so coveted anymore:
#1 Overhyped squad
When England find themselves a Wilshere, they proclaim him as the answer to Xavi; when they see Barkley, they are sure they are looking at a fresh young Steven Gerrard. The curse of England has always been a tendency to hype their players to the extent that young talent often get ahead of themselves, with the likes of Raheem Sterling feeling they are perfectly entitled to wages more than £150,000 per week (perhaps he has been told he is England's answer to Messi!!).
In all honesty, England's international squad is average at best, with a clear lack of world class players. The era of Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham and Scholes vying for positions feels like the remnants of a long forgotten dream.
When you go up against Thomas Muller, Diego Costa and the rest with John Stones, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka shielding your goal, it is imperative that you keep your expectations at a minimum.
#2 Media
When you are appointed, you are full of promise – everything is going to change under your stewardship, and the woes of bygone years are set to be vanquished by your legacy. Two losses later, however, your position is perilous and there is talk of rift and mutiny in the dressing room against the manager. Welcome to the world of English media – where life can be as unforgiving as it gets.
Every word spoken is shelved for re-inspection in a different context; every exchange of dialogue with club level managers is dissected and put to scrutiny.
While Premier League managers go through the same, they eventually wise up to it with weekly press conferences; an England manager is likely to be out the door by the time he figures out that the novelties and idiosyncrasies of the English press.
For example, “What is the role of Wayne Rooney in your squad?” There is no right answer to that question – you are doomed however you answer it!!
#3 Lack of help from FA
Amidst focusing their efforts on successfully marketing the Premier League globally, the FA has failed to make decisions that help the England national team.
Exacerbating the issues due to the traditional lack of winter break, Premier League fixture scheduling is heavily swayed based on the demands of television broadcasters, with the result that matches are being scheduled with less than 48 hours gap between them.
This is unprecedented even for the Premier League, and Jurgen Klopp among other foreign managers has openly questioned the commitment FA has towards restoring England's glory.
There is no clear policy to protect talented youngsters either, with the better ones immediately drafted into the first team without a second thought, leading to underachievement at youth levels as well.
When youngsters are called up for senior international friendlies at the expense of major international youth level tournaments, it costs them the vital learning curve and tournament experience.
#4 Domestic rivalry
Juventus, Barcelona, Bayern Munich – the winning squads of the last three winners of the FIFA World Cup have all featured heavy contributions from the solid core of a successful domestic side.
Look at England, however, and the diminishing number of English players in the Premier League is alarming – so much so that clubs shell out £50 million for the likes of Stones and Sterling to ensure their domestic player quota is not under threat.
The one club that could make a case for genuine contribution to the England national team is Tottenham, and even then their status and success till date leaves a lot to be desired compared to the Barcelonas and Bayerns of the world.
The inflow of cash into the Premier league has done away with the need to groom talent for the future – why would Manchester United spend years in search of the next Scholes when they can pick Pogba right off the shelf?
#5 Burden of history
With just one major international success – the 1966 World Cup – to speak of, every time the England football team step out on the pitch, the expectations and unfulfilled promises of 50 years weigh upon them.
One only needs to look at the Spanish team of the last decade to understand how this mentality works – once they won Euro 2008, the juggernaut was on a roll all through WC 2010 and Euro 2012. But until the success of 2008, Spain always seemed a little overwhelmed at being asked for a first major international success story since Euro 1964.
So when England square up to a penalty shootout in a major tournament, they lose their nerve; when Iceland equalises against them in a knockout match, they fumble their way towards conceding yet another rather than fighting back.
Success breeds success – disappointments work pretty much the same way. English players and managers need to win the battle within their minds first – then success on the pitch may be more straightforward than they imagine.
