New England Manager (Part 3)

I have been out of the country for a week or so, which is why I have been silent for a while. I was visiting the USA, so I have been completely out of touch with the Beautiful Game. I even missed the end-of-season drama of Arsenal clinching the last remaining Champions League spot, after ten Tottenham Hotspur players were struck down by a mysterious illness.

Apparently, the only American TV stations to show live games during the last World Cup were Spanish language stations that cater for America's large Latino population. Football is a national obsession for most people from Central and South America. In Brazil, football is almost the only sport that people follow or play. (Motor racing is a very distant second.)

The FA has finally appointed the next England manager, Steve McClaren. Luiz Felipe Scolari was quickly scared off by the over-intrusive English media. As I have already said, McClaren is probably the best qualified Englishman of a poor bunch. I think we will have to wait a while before some good English coaches acquire the experience needed to manage a successful national team. My hot tip for the future is Aidy Boothroyd, the current Watford manager.