Be excited but don’t expect England to win anything for a
few years
When Stuart Pearce had his press conference last week it
showed that his has matured as a man and as a manager. He talked sense with
poise and conviction and came across as a man who was not fazed by the job he
has been given. He spoke of a man who was not just caretaker.
In the past 25 years we have not been in a final of any
major tournament, getting to only two semi finals, in 1990 and 1996. If we
believe our superbole about our superiority and greatness this is not
good enough. Yet this is a false hood perpetuated by a media who revel in
heightening expectations and take pleasure in seeing those fail. The hopes of a
nation always crushed.
What needs to be done?
The England Manager
The Under 21 tournament last summer was a key indicator that
we do not value players gaining experience. Pearce was adamant that young
players should have gone to the Under 21 Euro’s last summer, yet too many
dropped out. This is not conducive to a winning side; players should be playing
throughout their age groups to experience tournament play and the feeling of a
big games. Spain took World Cup winners Juan Mata and Javi Martinez to the
Under 21’s, unlike some English players they did not reject calls from their
country, these players did not feel superior to this level and came back
victorious, giving Spain more silverware and success.
It shows an arrogance in our nation which is founded on
nothing that some players feel above the Under 21’s, that it is viewed as
inferior. Players such as Argentina's Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero and
Spain's Cesc Fabregas and Germanys Mesut Ozil all gained their first experience
of international tournaments at Under-21 level. Were these experiences key to
their rise to their levels of quality? It certainly would have helped.
In England we have relied on the same players time and time
again. The key players of the past 8 years have been Ashley Cole (93 caps),
Terry (72), Ferdinand (81), Lampard (90), Gerrard (89) and Rooney (73)
and possibly Defoe (46) and Crouch( 42). This totals 586 caps; that is a lot of
experience. Yet as important as that is, it has won us nothing. Looking at this
list perhaps Cole and Rooney are the only two who we can consider for the 2014
World Cup. I say Cole only because talent at the left back position is
limited.
And so looking at the new generation it is worrying to see
such lack of experience and caps. This is why we cannot expect so much too
soon, they must be given time to adapt and improve. People talking of a
partnership between Jones and Smalling yet they only have 5 caps together. Danny
Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge, have a combined four substitute appearances
between them and Fraizer Campbell is uncapped. Add into the mix the
potential of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the future may look promising,
yet is very unproven.
Where do players gain big game experience? International
football is certainly a place to develop yet in club football the key is the
Champions League. There is a distinct lack of Champions League experience in
the England squad. It is no surprise that as Barcelona won the 2006 Champions
League it gave experience to Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol to understand what a winning
side needs to do. At the 2008 Euro’s the world saw what Spain had been
creating, it dominated the tournament in terms of class and style and deservedly
won the tournament with Xavi being instrumental. Winning breeds winning and as
the Barcelona side has looked to dominate European football, the national team
has benefited also. In the champions league this year there were 81 Spanish
players playing for various teams.
A man who has not achieved a lot in his managerial career;
caretaker at Forest and two years at Man City is not the ideal candidate for
the England job. Or is it? A player with 746 games in club football and 78 caps
for his country may be the ideal man to take the reins of the national
team. His best asset may be not what he has done but what he said. Since
2007 he has being a part of the England set up. Capello brought him in to coach
the senior team also and so he has worked with many of these players at all
levels in the national side, this could be invaluable.
Of any of the possible successors to Capello the one with
the most experience is actually Pearce. Redknapp has shown his quality at Spurs
and this blog supported him getting the job when Capello
resigned, mainly because of public support. The press seem set on Redknapp
getting the job, with a campaign to turn public support away from Pearce. But
after a few weeks one has to wonder if he really is the right man to take the
country forward, some of his statements regarding Scholes and the older players
indicates a willingness to stick with the same formula that has resulted in no
success. And his only experience with the national side is coaching the
celebrity England team, not exactly the same.
Pearce believes that "this job, and the profile of this
job, is for a very experienced man with a better CV than I have at this moment
in time.” Yet what is required of the new manager? Are we good enough to win
anything right now? We brought in Capello and Ericcson because we had a side
who we believed were capable of winning tournaments. We were wrong. What
is also essential is long term planning and development, which every manager in
the past 10 years has failed to do. This job requires a man capable of putting
his all into the role for years.
If top quality managers could not create a winning
side then perhaps it was the players who were at fault. Perhaps we actually
thought too much of them, based on a media which feels the need to hyperbole
every English player and proclaims how every tournament is going to be “the
one”. The past two tournaments have shown that we are not that good; one we
couldn’t qualify for and the other were we humiliated in; by Algeria as much as
Germany.
The failings of a country
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| Different place, same feeling |
What have we looked to do about it? Nothing. We change only
the manager and hope that will improve matters. Capello was brought in to
revolutionise the whole structure, yet many will tell you that he did very
little except for PR events. What the FA wanted was him to lay down a
blueprint, he didn’t do anything, instead presiding over the same players which
have fallen short before, even calling up Scholes and Carragher for the
World Cup. He showed glimpses this last qualifying campaign of bringing through
some new faces but still relied on the older generation when the games
mattered. It is these games which players need experience in, not friendlies
which lack the requirement of winning.
The sad fact is that our reliance on a generation which has
won nothing has resulted in a future which lacks depth and experience.
What needs to be done?
I have addressed the issues that I believe are needed for
the future of England. Expert quality coaching isrequired at all levels. The new
EPPP has its advantages but also its flaws, more hours is pointless if the
coaching is not good enough. The key is that coaching needs to be a profession
and a coach needs to be a teacher to young players. If so, then the quality and
pool of talent will improve.
When we have more quality players, quite simply they need to
play more when they become professional. And so the issue of the Premier
League's 6+5 ruling needs to be addressed. Fifa introduced it to promote home grown
talent, however the Premier League twisted this ruling and allowed non English
players to be classed as home grown. It has had a major impact on the amount of
English talent coming through in the game; by not giving them experience in the
top level league the players will not be able to adapt and improve, it is
simple. Our 6+5 rule allows foreign players to play more than our own
English players, this does not happen in Germany; their rulesforce clubs to play German players.
Do we suffer from a sense of short termism? Always, in my
opinion. We are an impatient nation who want success and wealth yet are not
willing to put in the time to accomplish our goals. We then blame everything
but ourselves for our failings. We need to change this mentality and understand
that a project takes time and perseverance, it requires patience and most
importanty it requires people to believe in it. If we are serious about
developing players and improving our national side we need to give this project
time.
The England Manager
In regards to the manager’s job of England; I believe we
should have an Englishman in charge of our national team, every other major
nation does and it makes an embarrassment out of us to believe we need a
foreign manager to lead our country.
We clearly have a problem in producing and developing
quality coaches in this country, and this is something that needs addressing by
the FA. I have spoken before of the lack of English managers in world
football, the lack of world class coaches that are produced in this country is
reflected in our production of world class players. There are only 4 English
managers in the Premier League; two are over 60, Pardew is 50 and the only
other has been a manager for 1 game in Terry Connor. What does this say about
the standard of coaching and how English managers are viewed in the game?
The role of the manager is more than coaching the national
side, he should be the man who brings all levels together, from grassroots to
the senior side. He needs to inspire a nation, which I don’t believe Sven or
Fabio did. And so I look at the comments made by Pearce and wonder if this man
may be the one to lay the foundations for the future of England. In Pearce I
see a man passionate about his country and passionate about developing the
future of the team. This role requires more than a world class coach; we
need a project manager, one who can oversee 10 years of development to give
this national side sustainability.
Pearce is a big supporter of the Germany model and how it
has helped develop the players in their national side. "What a fantastic
model," Pearce said. "They bedded those players in and took them to
the World Cup. Now I have to make sure our young players are ready, too, so
when it really matters, it doesn't become too much for them." I cannot
agree more, they have revolutionised their development structure and have
created world class players and world class team. It has come from a combined
effort from all to produce something special.
Are our young players ready?
The point of this article is to explain that England will
not win anything in the coming years, and that this is not a bad thing. We need
to stop obsessing about winning every tournament, we need to understand our
players are not good enough at this time. If we become realistic about the
issues needed to address then perhaps we can put in place foundations for the
future which give us a better standing for the future. At this time we are in a
stage of transition; players need to move on and young players need to be given
experience and time to improve.
Experience is the most fundamental aspect of development. By
depriving players of valuable time, opposition and circumstance clubs are doing
a disservice to them. The 6+5 rule has helped Germany improve their pool of
talent without a doubt.
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| Importance of winning |
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| Experience = improved quality |
Experience is the key ingredient
Stuart Pearce’s ideas for England have merit, he should be given the chance to develop them. However we cannot hold out hope that success will come quickly, if at all. We must try something new with a new breed of players. We are lagging behind Germany and Spain in terms of experience and this new generation must be given the next five years to gain this essential experience.
Stuart Pearce’s ideas for England have merit, he should be given the chance to develop them. However we cannot hold out hope that success will come quickly, if at all. We must try something new with a new breed of players. We are lagging behind Germany and Spain in terms of experience and this new generation must be given the next five years to gain this essential experience.
Germany and Spain are the best two teams in Europe and
possibly the world right now. So it is interesting to compare the experience
that players in their squad who are under 25 have. If we are talking teams
capable of being successful for the coming 6 years then players under 25 will
be around more likely in that time.
When analysing at the Under 25’s in the German, Spanish and
English squads makes for interesting reading.
Germany
Neuer (25),Hummels (12), Badstuber (18), Boateng (19),
Khedira (24), Ozil (30), Schurrle (11), Muller (25) ,Kroos (24), Gotze (12)
Total = 200 caps
Spain
Pique (37), Ramos (82), Fabregas (62), Mata (16),
Busquets (37), Pedro (15), Martinez (7), Jordi Alba (2), Thiago (3)
Total = 261 caps
England
Hart (16), Richards (12) , Jones (3) , Smalling (2) ,
Walcott (21), Adam Johnson (9) , Welbeck (3) , Sturridge (1) , Wilshere( 5) ,
Rodwell (2) ,Lennon (19), Walker (2), Cleverley (0)
Total = 93 caps
This list is not conclusive and is not an indication of a
starting XI, however it is interesting to see the players who you would
consider to be part of the national side for the next two tournaments. Is it a
worry to you that of our potential young players are far behind the experience
of the same players in these other two countries. Experience of tournaments is
a major factor in improving players and teams in order to win things.
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| Not again? |
We have used the same players too often and not looked to
bleed any new players through, enough for them to get comfortable in their
surroudings, as Pearce said "What we need is to get one or
two of these young faces in there and find out whether they can handle
it," Pearce said. "It was too much for me when I went to Italia 90.
It took me three or four games. I had 20 caps to my name but it still got to
me. I have to try to make sure that doesn't happen to the next generation of
players."
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| The future? |
Champions League, a necessity for the national side?
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| Creating a winning mentality |
Looking at players playing Champions League football the
past 4 years is worrying for the future. There are too many players in and
around the England with no or minimal experience in the biggest club tournament
in world football, this is where competition is best, where quality is highest
and where players are challenged more. Play well here and international
football will not be as difficult. If a player can play in the Champions League
then he can play international football.
That being said I would be worried to play players with no
Champions League experience, call me elitist but this is fundamental to the
development of world class players. Players like Sturridge, Wilshere, Lennon,
Jones, Smalling, Richards, Milner, Hart, Lescott, Dawson, Gibbs, Glen Johnson,
Gary Cahill all have only minimal experience in this competition, however they
are in teams which will be playing Champions League. Scott Parker, Jack Rodwell
and Leighton Baines all have no experience in this competition.
I have said already that the team should be built on Hard,
Lescott, Carrick and Rooney because they possess experience and qualities
required to aid the new generation. I would give the captains role to Rooney and would revolve the team around him. Rooney is a modern Number 10, capable of
dropping into midfield, out wide or being a 9 in the box. We have undervalued
Rooney in terms of how he is portrayed by the fans and the media, through
this we are doing a disservice to him. He is a great player who too often
underperforms. We need to support him and give him the responsibility to lead
the team and guide this new generation. Like Zidane, I believe he will revel in
it and it will make him better.
England project manager – Stuart Pearce
I believe in the success of coaching and of development. I
do not believe that money solves everything, especially top down projects. The
Premier League needs to do more and it is essential to change the 6+5 rule to
enable more English players to gain more experience. We put too much on foreign
players and neglect our own players, we release our own players too early, send
them out on loan to quickly and prevent their development. Why? Because there
are no rules which require clubs to play them. The Germans and Spanish are
proud of developing their own and their rules indicate that. Both countries
have over 60% of players in their top league who are able to play for their
national side, in England it is 38%.
I believe we need to give the job to Pearce. He talks with
sense and an understanding that this team requires time. It doesn’t matter if
we bring in Jose or Pep, they would not win the next tournament, I guarantee
it. Give Pearce licence to develop all the youth sides, allow him to work with
Southgate and the FA and Premier League to improve standards of coaching and
let us see what we accomplish together, as England.
Without change I cannot see England winning things in the
next 20 years. I believe it is essential to give the new generation of players
the required caps and experience to develop. They need to be playing Champions
League as well international football in order to excel. We need to see the
value in playing for all levels of the national side and put more into winning
tournaments at 17’s, 19’s and 21’s. If we rely on those players that we have
done before then we will not improve, success will not come and all we do
is be in the same place again in 5 years time. This is why Redknapp is not the
man to take this country forward. Pearce is right when he says we need to
develop our national side like the Germans, and we need him, a man passionate
about developing a new generation to be in charge of this English project.
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