I’ve never wanted Fabio Capello managing England. Whilst there was a lot of hype when he took the job on, I just didn’t buy into it.
I remember saying last year that he just came across as too detached from the country as a whole and nothing he’s done in the past year has changed my mind. If anything, as he lurches from one PR gaffe to another, it just reinforces for me the bloke is about as suited to managing England as Andy Gray is to advocating feminism.
I’ve never liked the idea of having foreigners managing internationally, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would any foreigner give a shit about any country apart from their own winning internationals? Especially if, like Capello, that manager had never even been involved at club level in that country? It stands to reason they’d feel no affinity with the people at all and when a manager of a national side is in the job purely for the financial incentive, then it also stands to reason he’ll never feel passionate about any more than his bank balance.
Of course, if there were laws governing the nationality of international managers it would narrow choices down somewhat but that’s not to say it wouldn’t leave a choice at all. Sulley Muntari came up with a couple of suggestions in Harry Redknapp and Steve Bruce but whilst I don’t think Redknapp is particularly realistic, in fact, thinking Spurs could challenge for the title I’d say he’s downright deluded, the idea of Steve Bruce managing England has a lot more appeal.
In fact, someone mentioned it to me the other day and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. At Birmingham, Bruce took a mid-table, First Division side not only to the play-offs but got them into the Premier League. Despite a dented first team from the transfer window, he went on to get Wigan an 11th place finish in the 2008-09 season and at Sunderland, he’s turned around the mess left behind following Keane’s departure – embarrassing us with a 3-0 win in the process! So clearly, he knows how to get the best out of players.
Steve Bruce, unlike many others, is an honest manager and whilst he doesn’t take any prisoners, he goes about his business with a lot of respect for those around him. He’s already demonstrated he does more than pay lip service to giving younger players a chance and I couldn’t see him putting up with any nonsense from England’s prima donnas.
On a PR front, he interviews well and whilst players like Angeleri can level ‘racist’ accusations at him because he allegedly ‘doesn’t like players who aren’t English’, that just adds more points in my book. Why would anyone like Argies?
Joking aside though, Steve Bruce is passionate about football, he’s English and he’s a sound manager – exactly what the England set-up is crying out for.
Blue is the colour
