So the mighty Mc Quiff has gone. Gawd knows how much it really cost the FA to pay him off and tactical/media assistant (ha!) Terry Vegetables and head of positive thinking Brian ‘stephen hawkins’ Beswick and head goal-keeping coach (that’s a f**king laugh) Ray Clemence. I suggested £5m flippantly in a pique last night but I bet it’s not far awry. Today at the press conference SM suggested that all the critical/key questions would be answered not now but in the fullness of time. In FAspeak this means that ‘I’m prevented from saying anything negative under the terms of my multi-million pound pay-out but but once the silence-period has been observed, I’ll reveal all in my revelationary multi-million pound biography’. So the fu**wit walks away with let’s say £4-6M of opportunity before he works again.
And he was totally ineffective. Not just poor but completely useless. He’s set the Engalnd team development back in a ‘golden era’ probably 10 years. Slavan Bilic (he of the most outrageous ‘simulation’ of all time) and Hiddinck (head of a transitional team) made him look like an unwelcome head of an under 11’s team. No personality, no intelligence, no tactical acumen, no strength, no leadership and no frigging clue. And a weirdo’s hair style; just to worry the mums.
So what’s the point? I talked about a completely different regime in a comment to a posting to ‘and so carragher brings it back to mcclaren’ on 9 July. I was being a bit wistful but i strongly believe that treating wembley as a footballing temple is important (so no more nfl games 2 weeks before a critical england game), treating the england fan with respect ( no new shirt deals within 5 years, tickets available for a reasonable 5 year personal debenture etc) and a commitment to recoup costs from new events (see later). I’d structure the main team from age 23 -28 to take the pressure of winning at all costs. The emphasis would be on playing the right way – attractive football played in the true English spirit using the country’s best young talent.
New Wembley/Prem clubs could host a WC tournament for over 28’s and it would be a money-spinner. Similarly an over 33’s tournament at other grounds. Steal the thunder from FIFA. We are a perfect permanent location.
All managers to be the best of young English managers as opposed to the most expensive old gits. This would be a stepping path to break into the Premiership not the reverse.
Make England a host venue for the world’s best tournaments and make our national team the best young team who can occasionally challenge the world’s best at WC time.
It’s all too much to ask for I know but what do you think?
pp
Pasta Paulie 