Promoting change and instigating a rule are two very different things. The main problem is not the fans questioning the effect this rule may have. Nor is it the enforcement of a rule promoting a fairer system for black coaches, it is the reaction that may take place at board level at clubs all across the land and the repurcussions it could have on the game further down the line.
Increasing pressure and scrutiny on a Chairman’s selection policies with regards to hiring coaches and managers could have an adverse effect on the very problem that this rule is trying to address.
John Barnes didn’t get hired at Celtic because he was black. He didn’t get fired because he was black either. He was fired because it turns out that he’s not very good at this football management lark, great player though he was.
And that is the wider issue that needs addressing here; the opportunities afforded to players of prestige and the fact that their roles often far outweigh their expertise on the coaching front. Surely the issue that needs addressing is the amount of ex-pros that get jobs in management based entirely on their ability on the pitch and the subsequent lack of opportunity afforded to first-time coaches trying to break through intocoaching and management.
Are Steve Bruce and Roy Keane (please forgive the Sunderland bias with this one) really better equipped to be successful football managers at Premier League level than John Coleman at Accrington Stanley or Dario Gradi at Crewe? A successful playing career does not always equate to a successful coaching career, but it does supply a helpful leg up in getting started out.
The two black managers currently operating in the Football League have both taken different routes to where they are now. Chris Powell gained his current position through recognition of his efforts as a player at Charlton. He acquired this position a lot sooner than what is normally deemed neccessary experience-wise due to his standing at the club.
Whereas Chris Hughton worked his way around various clubs coaching staffs, admittedly after a successful playing career, and took the longer route. His success at Newcastle was the culmination of years of hard graft at coaching level, which is what made his baffling dismissal last term all the more difficult to comprehend.
The Rooney Rule could prove a step in the right direction. After all, it simply affords candidates the opportunity of an interview, nothing more. However, with concerns to football management and race, please forgive the pun, but things are rarely as clear as black and white. The myriad of issues with implementing a policy such as this may have yet to fully avail themselves and while the aim may be laudable, in practice, it may be something that simply requires a little more time and patience.
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Written by James mcManus for FootballFancast.com
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