You would have thought that with the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine beckoning, the main focus would be on England’s preparations for the tournament. But this talk is being somewhat overshadowed by discourse of the manager’s future.
Fabio Capello has previously stated that he is going to leave the job after Euro 2012, however that departure may become more imminent after the Italian spoke publicly about his disagreement at the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy after his alleged racial slur at QPR defender Anton Ferdinand back in October.
Rumours have surfaced that this latest act by Capello has breached the terms of his contract which adds to growing concern from the FA over their manager. These factors have, almost certainly, put an end to his reign as England manager whether it’s within the next few weeks, months or after the European Championships. Therefore, a decision needs to be made over who his successor will be. For me, there are three outstanding candidates for one of the most difficult but prestigious jobs in international football.
Harry Redknapp is probably who the majority of England fans want. The current Tottenham Hotspur manager has a pretty solid track record wherever he has been. His current win percentage as a manager is just over 40% and his list of honours is very creditable, with triumphs in the FA Cup with Portsmouth and reaching the Champions League with Spurs in 2010.
These successes have nurtured Redknapp into one of the most decorated English managers of the past 10 years. But it’s not just his managerial honours that make him the fans choice – it’s his personality and desire to want the job that has been noticed by England as a footballing nation. In my opinion, if the job popped up in the near future then the FA would probably have to look elsewhere.
Redknapp is fully committed to the Spurs project, according to chairman Daniel Levy, but would he take the job after the Euro 2012 Championships is the question on everyone’s lips. Many hope he does.
The current England Under 21 manager Stuart Pearce is someone who has popped up every time the managerial situation has arised. His success with the England U21’s at the 2009 European Championships received plaudits from across the country. However, 2 years later, they failed to get out of the group stages at the tournament which was a big blemish on his record.
Nevertheless, you cannot fault the passion and commitment he deployed whilst pulling on the Three Lions jersey during his playing career. Nicknamed “Psycho” for his crunching tackles and ruthless mindset, he is adding a once in a lifetime opportunity to his CV when he manages Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.
That opportunity will give him further managerial experience at an international level and will enhance his ability to deal with some players who don’t play regularly together, which is the case for the England national side. For me, Pearce is a certainty for the job, whether it’s in the near future or in the next few years.