Since Fabio Capello resigned as England manger earlier this year, speculation as to who his replacement should be has reached fever pitch.
In the eyes of the media there seems to be just one man for the job. That’s the same media ready and waiting to knock the next candidate down.
Harry Redknapp is a very respected manager in England. His man management skills are well documented but there a two factors which should be considered. Firstly his age doesn’t mean he is a real long term option. Secondly, should Tottenham secure a top 4 finish then I think Redknapp will relish another crack at Champions League football.
The other man named of similar age is Roy Hodgson. He is well respected across Europe and has coached and been successful at everywhere he has been. OK his time at Liverpool will be questioned but I feel he wasn’t given a fair chance there. Both Hodgson and Redknapp may be slightly to old for the England job.
Now if you consider the next two world cups are in Brazil and Qatar then in all seriousness, I wouldn’t expect England to win either. Travel and climate, altitude and heat are all factors to be considered. So if the FA are looking for longevity then their next manager should be someone who ideally will be around managing in 2022.
I don’t subscribe to the idea the next manager has to be English but certainly British. So who are the candidates.
David Moyes continues to defy the financial constraints at Everton and this season alone finds the club in an FA Cup semi final as well as in the mix for a European place through the league. Moyes also has an uncanny knack of unearthing decent players from lower down the leagues. My only concern would be whether or not Moyes has experienced pressure situations and whether or not a top 4 or 5 club will come calling in the summer.
Tony Pulis has made Stoke one of the Premier Leagues most feared teams on their day. Near impossible to beat on home soil, they continue to defy the odds in the league and although Stoke did spend in the summer, still possess a ‘team’ not guaranteed to play for many premier league teams. People may raise doubts over a proud Welshman managing the England team and maybe that is why he hasn’t been mentioned.
Alan Pardew still remains a candidate for manager of the season in my view. Allowing Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton, Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique to leave and none have gone on to top Newcastle in the table so far. He obviously has an eye for talent as the squad he has assembled proves. The downside to Pardew is the lack of English players in his starting line up.
Chris Hughton has done a minor miracle at Birmingham this season. So long known as an assistant, he left Newcastle through no fault of his own in good shape after an excellent promotion from the championship. He has juggled a squad ripped of it’s better players as well as Europa League commitments, which they almost qualified from, and took Chelsea to an FA Cup replay. During all this he has quietly taken Birmingham into the playoff zone and if nothing else deserves recognition.
The other obvious man is Stuart Pearce. He has tournament experience with the U21 team and knows the next generation of England players. If the players are old enough then why not the manager. England can use the next two world cups as experience and focus on the Euro’s. Then for 2022, Pearce will still be available for a fair crack at a world cup.
Written by Wesley Hillier @armchairstato.blogspot.com.
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