In a week that has seen the FA lose one manager and find a potential replacement reluctant to dive headlong into the maelstrom of what has become known as a poisoned chalice, there are mixed messages emerging about the future direction of the top job in management.
Was there ever a day when appointing an England manager was straightforward and without controversy? Or can we look back at any manager’s term and conclude that it was all sweetness and light? Clearly these are the thoughts occupying the men who must choose the next manager, and the outstanding candidate for the job – Harry Redknapp.
Having been found innocent of all charges of tax evasion, and finally clearing his name after a five-year cloud hanging over him, Redknapp has remarkable options open to him now. He is the nation’s choice as Fabio Capello’s successor, certainly for the short term.
He has the support of fans, the players, the media and it seems the FA see him as the ideal man to lead England into Euro 2012. So it should be a simple process, yes?
No, it would seem. For a start there is Harry’s day job, as manager of a side that are third in the Premier League and on course for another tilt at the Champions League. I covered Tottenham’s last campaign, last season, and know how much it means to the club – from manager through to the fans – to go and win against the likes of AC Milan and Inter. Redknapp has turned Tottenham from a team that seemed to be constantly in transition, into one of European football’s most exciting sides.
In return, the players and fans adore him, and the club have supported him strongly throughout his court ordeal. So to walk away from Spurs in this position would not come easily to a man who has spent his career working towards the upper echelons of club management.
Is the England job enough to tempt him? It depends what it involves, which is where we go back to the mixed messages coming out of Wembley. Is it looking after the senior team, taking a talented group of players and getting the best out of them with tactical nous and superb man-management, which are clearly Redknapp’s major strengths?
Or is it about being involved in the development of players from school-age upwards, working out of St George’s Park in Burton to oversee the restructuring of English football, which is what was being suggested by some of the FA’s leadership this week?
I am not sure that is a role that Redknapp – or any leading club manager would want. I remember when I did my coaching badges, back in the 1980s, having the certificates signed by Bobby Robson, who was technical director of the FA as well as a not-too successful manager of England at the time.
With all due respect to a man who became Sir Bobby, one of the most revered football managers, we were less than enthralled to have a stamp of endorsement from a man whose team had just been taken to the cleaners by the likes of Wales, Russia and Uruguay.
The roles of a technical director and first team manager are very different, and while Redknapp has an interest in development of young players at Tottenham, for example, he has a team of coaches who are responsible for those areas. His skills are in the day to day management of players, the cut and thrust of games, and international management is a very different job.
So is the ideal thing for him to become England manager with responsibility for the long-term future of the game in this country, or would he be better off sticking to what he knows – and does – best? One compromise that has been suggested is that he could complete the season with Spurs, then lead England at Euro 2012, with a view to returning to Tottenham once the tournament is over.
That would allow him to see at first-hand what the job entails, while keeping his options open, and allow the FA more time to consider who might be their ideal man for the long-term, to build on the developments they have put in motion with St George’s Park and their coaching initiatives.
One thing is certain – the situation needs to be resolved soon.
THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: THEN WHAT?
ROGAN TAYLOR: PITY THE POOR FOOTBALLERS
Gerry Cox is one of England’s leading football writers and former Chairman of the Football Writers’ Association. He has covered well over 1000 matches including four World Cups and four European Championships. He currently runs the Hayters Sports reporting agency and writes for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.
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