Jamie Carragher’s ‘cheating’ comments discussed

“The next manager of England should be English. I’ve got nothing against Capello, I went to the World Cup and got to know him, but that’s not what international football is. It’s like saying if our keeper’s not good enough, we’ll go and get (Gianluigi) Buffon from Italy. It’s a form of cheating in international football and it’s a bit embarrassing.”

It’s become such a boring debate this, and it’s revealingly cyclical. Bad set of results by a foreign manager? We need someone from INGERLAND! Bad set of results from someone homegrown? Let’s get a foreigner!

Jamie Carragher’s comment is just so annoyingly…English. Let’s do things in the right way first, and worry about winning second. It’s the attitude of a country that have got so used to under-achieving that we’re now resorting to moral victories to quench our thirst for success.

We constantly moan about the lack of opportunities that are given to English managers within the Premier League, but ours is not the only top-flight league on the continent – so why do British managers feel unable to build a reputation for themselves abroad? In any case, you can’t blame the clubs for taking what would be seen as a risk on a manager who hasn’t won anything.

One of the big problems we have here, is that too many players sneer at the idea of qualifying for the coaching badges – many ex-Premier League players feel entitled to a managerial position once they retire, and hence dismiss the importance of qualifications. So the option to make a name for themselves in France, Italy or Spain is taken away by the stringent rules that insist on managers having the appropriate coaching license. Too many shortcuts are taken into management in this country, and that’s the price paid.

The Premier League clubs aren’t showing any bias against British managers, they just have the resources to attract the best candidates to their vacant positions – the managers themselves are to blame for not forcing their way onto those shortlists. It’s exactly the same reasoning that sees foreign imports picked ahead of home-grown players – they have more ability.

Back to Jamie Carragher’s points; why should the football watching public in this country have to suffer watching a substandard set of players being managed by a probably substandard manager? It really is bad enough as it is, why would the FA put another obstacle between the England team and success?

Tell me Jamie, if in the 2014 World Cup we’re eliminated in the group stages, will you be ok with it as long as Steve Bruce or Alan Shearer is the manager?

On that positive note, England are playing Montenegro tomorrow night – and here are the markets from Paddy Power – with money back offers if England lose. Useful