Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England’s new manager has sparked a lot of debate, with several local pundits and former footballers chanting one thing in unison – England’s manager should be English. Whether that claim is justified or not is another topic altogether. But are there really any good English managers?
Ex-Nottingham Forest and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore feels that the real issue runs deeper than simply stating they are not good enough.
A pundit who is also active on social media, Collymore responded to a question on X (formerly Twitter) about why there are no English managers who could match Tuchel’s standards.
Why?
“Why don’t we produce English coaches of Tuchel’s standard, Collymore “?
Two reasons.
1. £13,700 to do your Pro licence in England, today. In Spain it’s around €2000. There are 2200 Spanish pro licence coaches. There are 200 English pro licence coaches. Look at the…
— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) October 16, 2024
Collymore emphasized that the main issue is money. He revealed that it costs £13,700 to get a pro license in England, which already eliminates sharp footballing minds who can’t afford to pay the big bucks for a shot.
“There are 2,200 Spanish pro license coaches. There are 200 English pro license coaches.”
But that’s not all. Collymore went on to call out some of England’s best players of all time for failing to undergo proper coaching training before landing lucrative deals at top clubs.
Over the last few years, we have seen several former English players, such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Wayne Rooney delve into the world of coaching. Unfortunately, they have not been successful, and at times, justifiably sackable.
Collymore believes that it is because they didn’t take proper training at the St George’s Park National Football Center – England’s home base.
BREAKING: Frank Lampard sacked as Everton manager
Full story from @joe_thomas18 🚨 https://t.co/uNsxnPPDdK
— Everton FC News (@LivEchoEFC) January 23, 2023
Still, they go on to earn huge contracts at clubs, that gamble on their reputation as players.
In a scathing attack on their coaching philosophy, the former England national also insisted that they have none, which is why they aren’t able to succeed.
“English coaches have to pay 10 times more than European compatriots to get the same qualification, and English players don’t give SGP an identity because they never get there, they go straight to jobs where their fame gets them inflated salary and deal.”
The Premier League, often regarded as the holy grail of league football, hasn’t seen an English manager win the title since Howard Wilkinson led Leeds to victory in 1992.
Since then, the league has been dominated by a host of legendary title-winning coaches like Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola, and Jurgen Klopp.
In contrast, renowned English managers such as Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson, and Sean Dyche—despite making a name for themselves—have remained far from the trophy scene.
This doesn’t mean that there won’t be new coaches in England who could be capable of fighting for trophies, but trust? That has likely taken a hit.
One of the more recent top English coaches was Graham Potter, whose impressive work with mid-table Brighton led many to believe he was the next big thing in English football.
Unfortunately, his move to Chelsea turned out to be a disaster, derailing his career. Since then, Potter has remained on the sidelines.
In a strongly worded X tweet, Collymore urged the FA to address the root issues before planning for a long-term future with English managers in charge.
Gareth Southgate became England’s manager in 2016, and while the results did come more often than not, the FA and fans wanted trophies, which he fell agonizingly short of.
The Euro 2024 final loss to Spain was the final straw, and Southgate parted ways with England shortly afterwards. Following that, there were Englishmen like Eddie Howe and Graham Potter linked to the job, but soon it became clear that England was going international in their search.
Tuchel wasn’t the only foreign coach considered for the Three Lions job—Pep Guardiola was also on the shortlist, a prospect that excited many English pundits.
However, Tuchel’s pragmatic, results-driven approach stood in stark contrast to Guardiola’s flair, making him a less favorable choice for some.
Tuchel quizzed on whether he will sing national anthem https://t.co/soqzoaRJkd
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 16, 2024
So perhaps the issue wasn’t with having a foreign coach, but with Tuchel specifically. Whether this influenced the English press’s harsh criticism of the German manager is unclear, but one thing is certain—the fans and the board currently place more trust in foreign managers than in English ones.
