New England Manager

The media frenzy surrounding the selection of a new England Manager seems to be endless. The consensus seems to be that he should be English, with various up-and-coming English club managers being tipped.

Surely, the most important thing is to get the best person for the job. Managing a national team is not the same as managing a club, and the teams you have to play are also quite different from the teams you meet every week in the league. Why then did the FA not take a serious look at some experienced international managers?

Guus Hiddink was the obvious first choice, but the FA didn't make a serious approach and now he's gone to Russia. His record as a national coach is outstanding - there is even a stadium in Korea named after him! I am certain that Russia will now do better than England in Euro 2008, whoever lands the England job.

Anyway, I thought it was illegal to discriminate against job candidates based on their ethnic origin or nationality (provided they are allowed to work in the UK) so this doesn't set a good example. The best English England managers in recent times were Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables, both of whom managed continental clubs successfully before taking the England job. What we don't need is another Graham Taylor or Kevin Keegan.

Of the candidates still in the frame, Steve McClaren has the most relevant experience. However, if he gets it, I don't see him lasting very long.