Next England Boss

[Kevin S]

Next England Boss

Depends on the squad he picks, CV. I put this on the thread in 'Football'. Give Allardyce 23 of the players below and I reckon he could be a world-beater.

G: Jack Butland, Ben Foster, Fraser Forster

D: Billy Jones, Aaron Cresswell, James Tomkins, Joel Ward, Scott Dann, Martin Kelly, Ryan Shawcross, Craig Dawson

M: Jack Rodwell, Stewart Downing, Mark Noble, Wilfried Zaha, Danny Drinkwater, Jason Puncheon, Craig Gardner, Callum McManaman

F: Andy Carroll, Saido Berahino, Connor Wickham, Jamie Vardy

(Edit: decided to whittle it down to an Allardyce 23)

[Thierry Ennui]

Next England Boss

The England team's problem is they (and those who manage them) think they're technically superior to most other teams, so they end up playing possession football believing their superior technique will eventually allow them to pass the opposition to death.

Technical football - by which I mean the art of controlling, manipulating and passing the ball - is something Italian and Spanish players can do intuitively without thinking, whereas English players are more laboured and deliberate. Kids in other countries grow up experimenting with a ball and learning to control it before anything else, but English kids grow up with the fast, physical, end-to-end Premier League as their model and get coached with the emphasis immediately on strength, size and speed.

Short of a complete change in the way the whole country approaches football, England need a manager who will be unafraid to identify the players as technically inferior and have them play a game that suits their strengths. They could keep the defence tight and counter-attack at pace like Leicester did, or they could play to their physical strengths like Allardyce or Pulis would.

Because of England's arrogance, though, none of this will happen.

[Borracho]

Next England Boss

Kevchenkeau wrote: Depends on the squad he picks, CV. I put this on the thread in 'Football'. Give Allardyce 23 of the players below and I reckon he could be a world-beater.

G: Jack Butland, Ben Foster, Fraser Forster

D: Billy Jones, Aaron Cresswell, James Tomkins, Joel Ward, Scott Dann, Martin Kelly, Ryan Shawcross, Craig Dawson

M: Jack Rodwell, Stewart Downing, Mark Noble, Wilfried Zaha, Danny Drinkwater, Jason Puncheon, Craig Gardner, Callum McManaman

F: Andy Carroll, Saido Berahino, Connor Wickham, Jamie Vardy

(Edit: decided to whittle it down to an Allardyce 23)

I know you're only stirring, but if a long-ball system with average (or, in some cases here, poor) players could consistently get results against good teams, then everyone would be doing it, because it's much easier than trying to implement a passing game.

We must have tried 15 or 20 up-and-unders against the Belgians a few weeks ago in Bordeaux. Much good it did us.

Seriously, imagine Allardyce going off to Russia 2018 with that squad and throwing a load of high balls at Andy Carroll. It would work about as well as when Hodgson and Joe Hart tried it against Italy in Kiev.

Graham Taylor reached for the route-one tactic against Sweden in 1992 as well, when push came to shove. You'll get the odd team that reacts badly to it (e.g. Dortmund against Liverpool last spring) but most sides are well able for it, because it's simplistic enough to defend against.

[tee rex]

Next England Boss

They could at least (re)learn how to defend against the long ball. In 2010 and 2014 they were beaten by Route One. In 2016 it was the long throw / set piece.

Their inability to create and convert chances is the "real issue" for a would-be tournament contender, but the proximate cause of their elimination has been even more basic - and therefore inexcusable.

[Sean of the Shed]

Next England Boss

I wasn't entirely sure who I want to take over, but according to this, my preferred choice is Big Sam

[Patrick Thistle]

Next England Boss

I think Big Sam could suprise a few people. I heard an interview with him where he said the Newcastle experience changed people's perception of him. He saw Newscastle as his chance to manage a big club and show what he could do, but it all went south. After that he became seen as the guy to get you out of the Championship or help you avoid being relegated.

As a manager he has won titles / achieved promotion four times. I'm not sure what most of the squad have actually won. Especially the Spurs contingent.

[jameswba]

Next England Boss

I don't see a real difference between Allardyce and Hodgson. The club records of both are about over-achieving with middle-sized clubs, with Allardyce doing this over a slightly longer period with one club. However, it was meant to be in Hodgson's favour that he had so much experience of coaching in Europe.

Both also have reputations for being able to organise a defence, but you need time to implement your methods of doing this, which an international job doesn't allow.

I agree with Thierry Ennui's third paragraph, but the obvious addition to it is that Eriksson was one recent manager who seemed to recognise England's limitations and organise the team according to them. His record starts to look respectable in the light of what we've seen since.

Maybe this would be the idea of appointing Allardyce. Get back to reaching quarter-finals, no matter how tedious the football, and at least we won't be ending every tournament in shame and ignominy.

[Calvert]

Next England Boss

I'm for Allardyce getting the job, if not for the comedy value alone then at least it'll stop him cunting on about how white northern working-class English long-ball merchants have NO chance EVER of becoming England manager because all the London-centric EU-loving trendy lefties at the FA are FIXATED on bloody namby-pamby foreigners, when they should be appointing a proud red-blooded muck & nettles Anglo-Saxon.
Ee. I tell thee what, you'll be diabolical to look at and everyone else will be scoffing at your agricultural football, but you'll be bloody 'ard to beat.

I'm only half joking.

[Duncan Gardner]

Next England Boss

You're only half right actually- Sam is from Dudley, very much not in the North. I'm in town this evening and would pop into the pub on his old estate (local equivalent of Mount Vernon). Named after another local A-lister, Duncan Edwards.

I would, but for the local spides torching it a few years ago.

[SouthdownRebel]

Next England Boss

Sean of the Shed wrote: I wasn't entirely sure who I want to take over, but according to this, my preferred choice is Big Sam

Bit irresponsible of the BBC to leak the FA's selection criteria.

[Calvert]

Next England Boss

Dudley, eh?
Surely he qualifies as a Northerner with time served in Bolton?

[Duncan Gardner]

Next England Boss

Aye, in the same way that living beside Belmarsh Prison for years makes me Ronnie Biggs belting out Cosh the Driver...

[Calvert]

Next England Boss

If only you were as musically talented as Biggs.

[Duncan Gardner]

Next England Boss

Cruel, but I have talented relatives. You should get cousin Ciaran's bluegrass trio in for a set at the Empire.

[Calvert]

Next England Boss

You have a cousin called Ciaran?

How does that work?

[Jon]

Next England Boss

Duncan Gardner wrote: You're only half right actually- Sam is from Dudley, very much not in the North. I'm in town this evening and would pop into the pub on his old estate (local equivalent of Mount Vernon). Named after another local A-lister, Duncan Edwards.

I would, but for the local spides torching it a few years ago.

Found out the other day that the current manager of dudley town is one andrew allardice.

[Duncan Gardner]

Next England Boss

Calvert wrote: You have a cousin called Ciaran?

How does that work?

He's sure to come out beerin'...

Not quite married to first-cousin twice-removed Tina. Their son is named after the lead singer out of Metallica. You've probably met Ciaran. Little bloke with a beard, looks a bit like a slimmer version of Sergio Ramos.

I was introduced recently to my youngest and most extravagantly named middle-distant relative: Tomasso Grimaldi Pennycook. Happily sporting a GAWA babygro, but he also qualifies for the darkside (obviously), as well as Italy and France via mother and granny. Not quite Scotland though, nearest link is great-great-grandfather.Could well be a center-back or burly midfielder, he's already twice the size of his three-yo sister.

As Jon may have spotted and to be fair to big Sam, I exaggerated slightly above. The Old Park where he lived is a step up from the Wrenner or Priory Estates down Dudley way

[Calvert]

Next England Boss

Can't say I know the boy, but I Iove a bit of Bluegrass, me.
If you're in touch tell him to come find me and bring a demo.

Young Tamasso's full name is superb.

[Reed John]

Next England Boss

The Men in Blazers (great show/podcast) were talking about Jurgen Klinsman taking the job. They don't think that's really a possibility for a number of reasons, but it's interesting that the idea is even out there.

He has some interesting and maybe good ideas about reshaping a country's entire men's football set-up, but is there anything in his time with the US that suggests he's the tactical genius England needs to stop being less than the sum of its parts?

[Reed John]

Next England Boss

Carnivorous Vulgaris wrote:

He has some interesting and maybe good ideas about reshaping a country's entire men's football set-up, but is there anything in his time with the US that suggests he's the tactical genius England needs to stop being less than the sum of its parts?

I'm not sure about his time with the US but when he was in charge of Germany I think it was considered an open secret that Löw was the brains of the operation while Klinsmann provided motivation and man-management. His subsequent stint at Bayern seemed to bear that out. I remember one report saying that the Bayern players weren't impressed with his new-age approach to management, such as being made to do yoga exercises.

Yeah, although that shit probably goes over a bit better with young American players than at Bayern.

But apparently Germany are getting spoiled and maybe Löw might want to come to the US and be the real coach while JK does whatever he does to reform the U-13 set-up or whatever. Then we'd really be cooking with gas, as they say.

[ale]

Next England Boss

Defensive minded wrote: It should be a non-issue of whether the next manager is to be English or foreign. I'd like to see the best available option become England's next manager.

See I disagree with this...if you're still going to the bother of running international tournaments on the basis of exclusivity of the competitors/players the same principle should extend to the one who is picking those players...

[Reed John]

Next England Boss

ale wrote:

It should be a non-issue of whether the next manager is to be English or foreign. I'd like to see the best available option become England's next manager.

See I disagree with this...if you're still going to the bother of running international tournaments on the basis of exclusivity of the competitors/players the same principle should extend to the one who is picking those players...

Why should it? Completely arbitrary either way.

[ale]

Next England Boss

Carniveraux Vulgarry wrote: If the FA are hoping that whoever is England manager has the ability to change the culture of English football then they're repeating their mistakes. The same arguments were made when Capello was appointed - he comes from a country with a great tradition, his expertise is second to none, he'll bring a wealth of knowledge that can be tapped into. The England manager ultimately can only work with the players he has. Fixing the infrastructural problems is something that takes a long time and a lot of people.

this working with the players he has though?...Wales have been used as a stick to beat England with but theres a lot of truth in it...Coleman had far fewer players at the highest level to choose from did he not?

[ale]

Next England Boss

Reed John wrote:

It should be a non-issue of whether the next manager is to be English or foreign. I'd like to see the best available option become England's next manager.

See I disagree with this...if you're still going to the bother of running international tournaments on the basis of exclusivity of the competitors/players the same principle should extend to the one who is picking those players...

Why should it? Completely arbitrary either way.

just think if you are going to have tournaments based on national eligibility of those actually playing on the pitch whats the point of not applying the same principle to the coaches/managers?...most of the nations who win trophies do actually stick to this even if its not necessarily relevant to the argument...

[Reed John]

Next England Boss

ale wrote:

It should be a non-issue of whether the next manager is to be English or foreign. I'd like to see the best available option become England's next manager.

See I disagree with this...if you're still going to the bother of running international tournaments on the basis of exclusivity of the competitors/players the same principle should extend to the one who is picking those players...

Why should it? Completely arbitrary either way.

just think if you are going to have tournaments based on national eligibility of those actually playing on the pitch whats the point of not applying the same principle to the coaches/managers?...most of the nations who win trophies do actually stick to this even if its not necessarily relevant to the argument...

The current arrangement is better for the game. It gives countries an incentive and avenue to develop the game in their own country while importing expertise and new ideas from abroad.