The people who believe that when a successor to Gareth Southgate is needed, he should be English, have a reasonably compelling argument.
In principle, I very much agree. Very much. And in an ideal world, it would have been good if the head coach of the English rugby union team over the past seven years had been English. And in an ideal world, it would be good if the head coaches of the English cricket team were English, although we would not have had Baz-ball or would probably not be T20 world champions and 50-over world champions.
And in an ideal world, we would probably have had a Great British rowing coach for the couple of decades when Jurgen Grobler oversaw a golden Olympic age. If football thinks it is, currently, different, then fine. No problem at all.
Men’s football, that is. When I said the word ‘he’ in relation to Southgate’s eventual successor, it was because I know it is going to be a man, without question. It will not be Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch manager who will take England’s women to the World Cup, having won the Euros earlier this year.
The glaring problem, though, is that the field of possible Southgate successors is relatively small, especially if they have to be REALLY English. And that is where it gets tricky for those of us who would like the England manager to be English. How English do they have to be?
St George’s-flag-flying-from-the-house English? Last-Night-of-the-Proms English? Love-afternoon-tea English? Like-queuing English? Are dual nationality types allowed? The Walid Regragui type who, presumably, would not have been allowed to manage Morocco if you had to be ‘completely’ Moroccan. He was born in France, after all.
The argument then goes that the Football Association has spent all those millions on the St George’s Park (SGP) centre of playing and coaching excellence and if we cannot produce our own England managers, what’s the point.
Do you think the England manager needs to be English? Have your say in the comments!
Fair enough. So what about the coach who came through SGP and won a World Cup with England under-17s, Steve Cooper? Ah, but he is Welsh. Jose Mourinho, whose children have been predominantly raised in London, once said he considers himself to be more English than many people born in England.
He was once on the verge of taking the England job and was rumoured to be considering dual nationality. If he did do that, would Jose be English enough to get the gig? How about if English is your native language, is that enough. Brendan Rodgers? David Moyes?
What if the exciting young player Jamal Musiala, who has represented England at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 level but now represents Germany at senior level and was born in Stuttgart, wants to be a coach when his playing career ends in a couple of decades?
Would he ever be able to manage England? In the melting pot of national belonging, categorising someone, for the benefit of sport, as purely English has become archaic. Yes, it would be absolutely ideal if the England football manager is English but to tie yourself down to the narrowest of principles would be ludicrous and, frankly, unworkable.
