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'English managers aren't good enough to manage England the FA had to go German'

MAC OF THE NET COLUMN: The FA are right to hire Thomas Tuchel despite English criticism and INEOS were bold with Sir Alex Ferguson pay cut, but why was he earning that much anyway?

[Tuchel has been given an 18-month contract at England]

Tuchel has been given an 18-month contract at England(Image: The FA via Getty Images)

The last Englishman to manage a team to a European Cup was Liverpool legend Joe Fagan in 1984.

Howard Wilkinson guided Leeds to a First Division title in 1992. No Englishman has won the top flight since it became the Premier League. Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup in 2008 and Steve McClaren won the League Cup in 2004. Even the last English manager to win the Championship was Sean Dyche in 2016.

The last time Manchester United had an English manager was Ron Atkinson in the 1980s. Arsenal had Don Howe in the 1980s, while Roy Hodgson lasted just a few months when he got the gig at Liverpool in 2010.

Manchester City havent looked at an English manager since they became funded by the petro-dollars of the Middle East. So lets look at the St Georges Park coaching pathway.

Theres only Lee Carsley who has amounted to success with the England U21s. Well, Steve Cooper won the World Cup with the England U-17s. But hes Welsh. Is it any wonder the FA have gone German?

The Premier League is full of foreign coaches and so is the Championship. England produces top players but it doesnt produce top managers. Lets face the facts.

If the Three Lions want to win something then theyve had to go abroad. Eddie Howe is doing OK at Newcastle but hes had plenty of money to spend and not ended their trophy drought yet.

Graham Potter has been out of work for 18 months and, with the caveat that Chelsea is a basket case of a club, he got sacked from his last job. So why shouldnt England look for a foreign manager?

[Graham Potter]

Potter has been out of work since leaving Chelsea last year

The claim that the national team should have a manager from that country? Why?

Liverpool dont have a Liverpudlian managing them? They get the best manager they can. England dont have to have an Englishman in charge by FIFA rules, so why would they?

The argument that it would be better if it was an Englishman and it would be sweeter if they win something with one of their own in charge doesnt ring true, either.

Wouldnt Liverpool love it if their 30-year league title wait was ended by Steven Gerrard as their manager? It would have been sweeter but ask a Scouser and they'll tell you they couldn't care less who was the manager once they won the thing.

Another argument is that England shouldnt need to import a manager because they have the best league in the world. Yes, but its only the best league in the world because of the foreign managers who come here to manage the best foreign players.

England have got the best manager available to them. Will it guarantee success? Of course not but Thomas Tuchel gives them a real chance of winning the World Cup. And if he does not one person in this country will care what his passport says.

[INEOS CEO]

Ratcliffe making bold call cutting Ferguson role(Image: PA)

INEOS making bold decisions

Imagine if it was the Glazer family who cut Sir Alex Fergusons ambassadorial role?

There would be protests outside Old Trafford today when Manchester United host Brentford today at Old Trafford. INEOS are getting a free pass on it because theyre supposedly the good guys.

But anyways, why was an 82-year-old pocketing a 2.165m salary for an ambassadorial role when the club had to make 250 staff redundant in the summer? Surely Ferguson, a working-class man from Govan, could have put his hand up then and tried to save a few people from losing their jobs if hed taken a pay cut?

Still, it is a decision that could still come back to bite INEOS in the future. Everything is still rosy for them despite the poor performances on the pitch.

But if success doesnt start coming then decisions like cutting a club legend will come into sharp focus.

[CARDIFF, WALES - SEPTEMBER 06: Craig Bellamy, Head Coach of Wales, reacts prior to the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B4 match between Wales and Trkiye at Cardiff City Stadium on September 06, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)]

Bellamy has got off to a strong start at Wales(Image: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

ONSIDE

Craig Bellamy. Unbeaten start to life as Wales manager. Impressive.

OFFSIDE

Paul Pogba had his ban reduced but he was not cleared of doping. That's crucial.

[Chris McKenna]

Chris McKenna

Chris McKenna is the Daily Star's boxing correspondent and an expert voice on the 'sweet science', along with a hugely experienced football reporter, who primarily focuses on Merseyside giants Liverpool and Everton. He has covered world title fights all around the world, Champions League finals, FA Cup finals and Premier League title deciders.

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