Curbs, Keegan: the death of the English manager?

September 7, 2008 at 6:30 am | Posted in General Football, Hammers | Leave a comment

A fundamental shift in the Premiership is leading to the death of the English manager.  What has upset Keegan and Curbishley is the perceived lack of control over what palyers are bought and sold.  The traditional English manager would have the last say over such matters, but times have changed.  Now there is a new level of mangement called the “Director of Football” (Nani at West ham, Wise at Newcastle) who appear to be close to the owners and there to carry out the orders of the ownership.  Managers like Keegan and Curbs were essentially demoted and lost power.   Owners, having spent enormous amounts of money from abroad to buy their status symbols in the most famous league in the world, wish to play a more active role.  Roman Abramovich seems to be the prototype of such an owner.  Having hired the most tactically astute manager in world football in Morinho, he then proceeded to make decisions over his manager’s head and essentially pissed him off so much that his manager left.   

The culture of change in English football is enormous since the Premiership started.  The creation of the Premiership shook English football to its roots, but even since then, the English game has changed drastically.  First of all there has been an influx of foreign talent in terms of players, but now there is an influx of foreign mangers as well.  This is all a matter of economics, because due to liberalised trade laws, and the Bosman ruling, top English teams can afford to buy the top playing talent from anywhere in the world.  Similarly with management.  Why have an English manager when you can have the guy who has won the World Cup?  Come to think of it, it is difficult to think of an English manager who is still active who has won anything… I suppose ‘Arry did manage to win the FA Cup last year…

Why have Steve McLaren coach the national team when you can have the man who has won numerous Scudettos, Europeran Cups and many other honors in Capello?

The success of the English Premiership and its globalization will have odd and undesirable effects: the death of the English player, very few of whom get stand a chance of playing for the best clubs in England, and death of the English manager, who will no longer get to manage at a top club. 

Look at the candidates for West Ham’s job: Two Italians and Croatian are the candidates WHU really want.  Hoddle is an English name that has been bandied about, but any bets on him getting the Job?