England have only ever had three non-British managers for their men’s teams. (Image: Getty)
Thomas Tuchel is one of the best and most successful football managers in the world, but not everyone is happy that he is the head coach of the England men’s national team. Former England captain Bryan Robson and former goalscoring hero Michael Owen both believe Tuchel should not be in charge and that a man born on these shores should take over in his place. Owen even went so far as to say that all of the backroom staff should also be in English.
So as Tuchel oversees the final preparations for the World Cup in America, where he aims to become only the second manager to bring his country international glory since Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966, we asked the question: Should England’s manager be British? Here are the sportswriter’s comments…
Charlie Mallam
No. In an ideal world, would an English manager lead England to glory? Of course. However, the best English managers at the moment are Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard. As for both, neither can beat Thomas Tuchel.
Whenever Tuchel’s reign ends, England should simply target the best manager available. If it’s Lampard, great. Xabi Alonso would be great. Winning the tournament must take precedence over the nationality of the coach.
If Tuchel wins the World Cup this summer, who will care where he comes from?
Dan Burnham
My verdict – who cares? If the best manager was green and had three eyes, I’d want him to manage England. In any case, ultimately there are limits to what managers can influence.
Success depends primarily on quality on the pitch, both individually and as a team. We’re already struggling enough to end 60 years of hurt this way, so why limit our options and make our chances of winning anything even lower?
john cross
No, ideally England’s manager should be British. And I flipped out for years before I considered whether it even mattered.
The way I see it, Fabio Capello took it as a meal ticket. He was past his peak and didn’t put any energy into learning the language or embracing the culture. That led me to the idea that England needed an English manager.
But Thomas Tuchel is a good counterargument. He is dedicated, takes his job seriously and sees it as a responsibility and not just a big contract.
It is unfortunate that the route between St. George’s Park and the FA has not been able to produce enough English managers. However, there is no rule that says what nationality it has to be, but choose the best one.
Thomas Tuchel will be appointed England national team manager from October 2024 (Image: Getty)
Jack McEachen
I don’t profess to be a hardcore nationalist, but I believe that international football should be a battle between one country and another. In this modern day and age, coaches are just as important as players. Mikel Arteta and Josep Guardiola have shown similar performances in the Premier League this season.
So why shouldn’t the eligibility rules for athletes also apply to coaches? Where do you draw the line? Some would argue that the manager is more important than the left-back. But Lewis Hall has to be born in Slough so England can buy their way to a top-flight manager like Thomas Tuchel.
No English manager has ever won the Premier League. And we wonder why. There is no incentive for the FA to bring in English coaches, but perhaps if the requirement was for each country to employ managers with the same qualifications as the players, it wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to get a coaching badge here. England’s manager should be British, but the same rules should apply to any country at this summer’s World Cup.
archie griggs
I don’t care where the English manager is from as long as he is the right man for the job. That’s how it should be, right? Why is it important?
I know that several people, including Michael Owen, opposed Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as manager because of his German nationality. If England win the World Cup this summer, they won’t celebrate, because that would be very hypocritical of them!
amy wilson
As long as the manager leads England to success in major tournaments, I don’t care about his nationality. If we want to defeat Dharma, don’t we definitely need the best and the best, no matter where they come from?
Look at the Lionesses’ success under Sarina Wigman. There is no talk of her not being British as she brought success to the team.
Hopefully, that will be the case for Tuchel and the men’s team in the coming months.
Eddie Howe is one of the few high level English coaches (Image: Getty)
harry brent
British managers are a nice sentiment, but making nationality a prerequisite is a slippery slope logically. If we ban foreign managers, do we also ban foreign assistants, physical therapists, analysts, and kit staff? Where does that “Britishness” end?
There is nothing immoral or unpatriotic about hiring the best in class. Seeking the best talent available is not cheating. This is common sense, especially when there are no established rules governing it.
The FA should absolutely support the development of young English coaches, but the job of the national team should not be an affirmative action project. We must prioritize excellence over passports. We give the nation’s coaches the tools to succeed, but it’s up to them to prove they’re the best in class. If you can’t do that, then you’re not worthy of the job.
Jack Flintham
If England insist on only appointing an English manager, they will have few options. Eddie Howe is the only realistic option if they insist on an English coach, but there is no denying that his CV is better than Tuchel’s. I would rather the FA go down the route of appointing managers through its system, rather than ensuring all head coaches are British.
Gareth Southgate’s transition from the Under-21s to the seniors turned out to be the most successful stint of the century. Lee Carsley was next on the conveyor belt, but Tuchel was preferred. There are fears that Tuchel, who is German, will be blamed if England do poorly this summer, but the reality is that the nationality of the head coach means nothing. What matters is the result.
