The issue begins at the bottom, with how we develop our managers in the first place, the FAs coaching system is one that is dreadfully outdated in the modern era when new methods and creative ways of gaining an advantage are what clubs are crying out for. The coaching system has been described as ‘robotic’, emphasising repetitive drills rather than realistic game situations or unique play styles, this is clear to see in the way Southgate coached, where players natural game seemed stifled by a rigid adherence to the ‘rules’ of how an English team should be playing. Strict formulas have turned English coaches into carbon copies of each other which is something no longer valued by top premier league clubs.
None of the ‘big 6’ have an English manager because English managers simply have nothing unique to offer at the very top levels.
There is also an issue in the attitude of ex english players when it comes to learning the tricks of the trade when it comes to coaching, too many rush into big jobs when they just aren’t ready which hurts their career prospects after public embarrassment, ruining their chances before they’ve even started. Take Mikel Arteta for example, he spent 3 years working mostly in the background at Manchester City, taking on what was essentially an apprenticeship role and learning how to manage players at an elite level, out of the spotlight he gained insights which have led Arsenal to their best run of form since the mid 2000s, when has an English manager done similar? Lampard jumped straight into managing, achieving one good season at Derby before moving to Chelsea and being sacked nearly a year later, he’s now relegated to managing for England at soccer aid. Wayne Rooney did similar and spends his days bouncing around small clubs achieving dismal results and the less said about Sol Campbell's managerial career the better. Ultimately our ex players are simply too arrogant, Eddie Howe, the most successful English manager in recent club football spent many years first learning with Bournemouth, rejecting bids from outside clubs and focusing on self improvement.
For a manager to be successful he must first spend time learning the ropes but many English ex-pros seem to just not want to put in the effort.
There is also one final reason for why English managers do so badly, spaces for becoming a pro manager in England are just so limited, there are over a thousand coaches in England, compared to 7,000 German and 15,000 Spanish coaches. Coaches have reported spending years trying to get on courses to get to the next level and being rejected over and over again. How can we expect to create high quality managerial talent if we refuse to train the talent we do have? These limits on places lead to ex players and those who are already within the FA’s system being prioritised whereas younger coaches with newer ideas are pushed back, effectively reinforcing both of the problems we have already talked about above.
It’s clear that England needs a managerial revolution, younger managers with new ideas need to be allowed into the system and need to be allowed to express themselves, the FA must also acknowledge that its robotic management styles have failed and rethink its coaching strategies. Ex-players similarly have to acknowledge that becoming a manager is a journey and stop rushing into jobs that ultimately hurt their career prospects.
