Whether it's wright, or it's wrong... it's Woy

England team under Woy the Boy Hodgson: Wobinson; Wichards, Tewwy, Wio, Bwidge; Gewward, Cawwick, Wodwell, Bawwy; Cawwoll, Wooney????????????????????????

Regal, educated, articulated and gentlemanly all words that would not have been associated with the England Manager had 'Arry Redknapp been offered, and taken the poison chalice. Instead it's old man Roy Hodgson who fluffed his lines at Liverpool and got the sack quicker than you can say 'King Kenny' and has instead turned his hand to doing what he does best, taking smaller clubs with poor sides and make them over-achieve, so there is hope for England in the Euro's yet!


At the FA's unveiling of Hodgson the press pack were already sharpening their knives, they had to really, after clearly backing their buddy, Redknapp, and now seeing this intruder they'd all written off in the big chair in front of their camera's, pen's and professional reputation. They've subsequently slaughtered him. The English press are a wonderful bunch really, fickle, one minded and over-reactionary. They think that just because they helped get a manager fired (Capello) they have the right to hire his successor. Of course the dismally run FA had different ideas and in their true 'up yours' to the press, and general public they didn't even interview the man the bookies had stop taking bets on 8 games ago! It was also cheaper for the FA with Hodgson out of contract this Summer and Redknapp with an expensive buy out clause with Tottenham, and after the money pissed away on Capello, the FA could probably do with balancing the books a little.


Is Woy the right man for the job? Sure, why not? He fits the bill. For starters he's English, so that's good, second he's experienced in International football with Switzerland and Finland and did relatively well with both (getting Switzerland to the 1994 US World Cup - something Graham 'Turnip' Taylor failed horrifically to do with England) and has won a plethora of trophies during his time in Sweden, Denmark, Italy and the UAE. He's managed two truly 'BIG' clubs in Inter Milan and Liverpool and had mixed success in Italy (losing the 1997 UEFA cup final on penalty's) and had a well documented failure at Liverpool. Redknapp's 'BIG' clubs, a emerging Tottenham side and West Ham?! Not quite on the same level some might argue. A look at their CV's shows Hodgson has more experience and a better win percentage to boot 

Roy Hodgson
Halmstad
Allsvenskan (2): 1976, 1979


Malmö FF
Swedish football champions (2): 1986, 1988
Allsvenskan (5): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
Svenska Cupen (2): 1985–86, 1988–89


Inter Milan
UEFA Cup Runner Up (1): 1997


Copenhagen
Danish Superliga (1): 2000–01
Danish Super Cup (1): 2001


Fulham
UEFA Europa League Runner Up (1): 2010
Individual


LMA Manager of the Year (1): 2010


Harry Redknapp
Bournemouth
Football League Division Three: 1986–87
Football League Trophy: 1983–84


West Ham United
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999


Portsmouth
Football League Division One: 2002–03
FA Cup: 2007-08


Tottenham Hotspur
Football League Cup runners up: 2009
Premier League Manager of the Year: 2009-10

But, it's what these lists don't mention that is the real problem here.  Harry isn't a great coach, and in fact famously does very little on the training ground other than having a natter on his blower and a bit of a giggle with Kevin Bond before disappearing into his office to get a copy of the Racing Post out and ave a flutter.  Redknapp wouldn't show any interest in the new National Football Center at Burton and would just do the job in front of him without any long term planning or thought.  He is a man of the moment, famously excellent at motivating players and keeping them as happy as any modern manager can keep an over-paid and uneducated footballer 'happy'.  He's charismatic, funny and a little bit cheeky.  Whereas Hodgson will be trying rope around players to get them in a strict bank of 4 on the training ground, 'Arry is more likely to put the players in touch with his slippery accountant from the East End!  The other main problem with international football and Harry Redknapp? Transfers- you can't do them, there's no selling, wheeler dealing or any of that, you've got what you've got and have to make the most of it...

I like Harry, and I'd have liked him more as England manager as he would have bought some of the fun of international football back to the national side, something we haven't seen since Venables in the mid 1990's.  Instead we will have a dignified and almost apologetic failure at this summers fast approaching Euro's with a man at the helm with all the qualifications, but none of the verve or joie de vivre of football that Harry may well have seen in.  Spurs fans are happy as the curse of the England job is lifted (they had a horrible run with no away goals in 4, and only a small amount of points after Redknapp was linked with the job by the press) and WBA fans will be pleased to say that their manager went on to the England job.  If Woy can do what he did at West Brom with England we'll be in fine shape.  We're the equivalent of a West Brom or Fulham on the national stage, and maybe that makes England the perfect job for Woy, formerly of the (Blackburn) Rovers, and now top of the pile in English football.

notBigSam ‏ @TheBig_Sam

Look at the state of Hodgson at this press conference. He looks like an elderly GP who's been accused of manslaughter.

Capello's successor

Many coaches or managers in the world game will look at the vacant England's managerial seat and think twice about applying for and even taking it.  It's a well paid job - one of the best paid coaching positions in the world, which consists of watching Premier League matches on the regular, getting England's best players together and preparing them for international tournaments at luxury hotels and training facilities.  There is the occasional trip to the FA HQ but that can be tacked onto a day at the shops.  All this doesn't sound too bad! 

The negative aspects of the job is where lots of managers will lose interest.   The coverage the open seat has caused in the British media is already manic.  The papers are awash with 'what really happened in that meeting', bookmakers are taking bets on all possible new comers, and twitter is rife with people declaring that the FA should employ 'one of our own'.

These three downsides are enough to turn anyone off.  The media and press will look to build you up before smashing you to pieces on their back, and more likely, front pages with exposes about private lives, financial history's and kiss-and-tells from anyone willing to sell a story.  The bookies will be sharpening the swords for the new boss as soon as they take the job, on when they will get fired and whether they will win the Euro's or get knocked out in the group stage.  The British public will expect the world, literally, in the form of the World Cup and before that European domination this summer.  If it's a foreign coach, they're on to a loser from the start as the FA and the polls say they'd prefer an English coach.  That's not a great way to do business for a new hire.  Limiting yourself off the bat to a shortlist, and a very 'short' list at that, of viable English candidates is professional suicide in most cases, why is football any different?

Looking at the possible English candidates you see why employing a local boy might not be the best bet.  Yes there's Harry Redknapp, a man who has won the FA cup and coached one season in the Champions League, but is he the answer?  He has said previously that he'd like to manage England one day, but maybe the time isn't right for him just yet, he's enjoying his time at Spurs and they're having a great year so far.  There is talk of him seeing out the season at White Hart Lane and taking a 'part-time' role with England.  Nothing spells amateur more than 'part-time'.  'Arry is popular now amongst pockets of the general public, hated by others (Gooners), but if he loses a couple of games that will quickly change, and has he got the necessary tactical knowledge to compete on the international stage? 

If it's not Harry for whatever reason then who is left?

Woy Hodgson - He's too busy banging his head against the wall at West Brom and couldn't even get Liverpool to play football.

Psycho Pearce - His nickname is Psycho and he hasn't done much in the professional managerial game

Alan Pardew - like so many people who we're never in the running have, has ruled himself out.
Alan Curbishley - Charlton hasn't been the same without him...
Big Sam - Want to beat Spain? He'll help us do it physically at least!

Trevor Brooking - He's old and knocks around at the FA, maybe he could be 'caretaker' manager 'cos he looks more like a janitor than anything else.

There aren't maybe that many foreign coaches interested because of the press and pressure. But at least have a good look at whats on offer before limiting ourselves to the few options in the English game.

'Arry, Capello and England

The footballing world is a buzz with stories after an amazing turn of events after the conclusion of Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric's trial and the resignation of Fabio Capello.


Earlier today Redknapp and Mandaric were cleared of charges of tax evasion at Southwark Crown Court.  The result was no real shock to anyone as the prosecutions case was flimsy at best, but the result of the trial could be huge in relation to who is hired as the next England manager.  Redknapp will now be odds on favourite to replace Fabio Capello who sensationally quit his post as England Coach after a meeting today with the FA.


Capello had spoken out about John Terry being stripped of his captaincy after the Chelsea man was accused of racial abusing Anton Ferdinand in a Premiership game a couple of months ago.  That criminal trial has been postponed till the after the summer European competition leaving Terry free to play.  The race row in the game started with Liverpool's Luis Suarez being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra means that Terry now has a 'racist' tag looming over him and his career.  Therefore the FA saw it in their best interests to strip him of the captains armband to Capello's displeasure.

All this sums up the state of the game in England.  We don't win major tournaments and it's no real surprise as we can't even keep our own house in order.  All this commotion started with the result of a 5 year court case accusing Redknapp of tax dodging.  The deal in the prosecutions arguments dated back to 2002 when 'Arry flogged Peter Crouch from his then club Portsmouth to Aston Villa.  There was some ropey looking offshore Monaco bank account named after Harry's dog, Rosie, and about 190,000 quid of 'gifted money' from then Pompy Chairman Mandaric to his Manager Redknapp. 


Capello went into his meeting with the FA with a bee in his bonnet.  Apparently the FA wanted to smooth over the public criticisms that Capello had made and come to some sort of agreement to move on and allow him to continue to coach the team to the Euro's this summer, and then after watch him bugger off.  Capello had, of course, previously stripped Terry of his captaincy for shagging his teammate's, Wayne Bridge, misses!  I think racism is generally considered worse in most circles than a sexual affair, but not for Mr. Capello.


The FA said they would employ an Englishman to take over from Capello after his final hurrah at the Euro's this summer.  The door is now open for Redknapp who, after doing his best Terry Venables impression off the pitch, has been cleared of any legal wrong doing and has built an excellent side in Tottenham Hotspurs on the pitch.  JT will get his chance to play at the Euro's if he's fit and in form regardless of who the new coach is, but if 'Arry does get the job - with the FA compensating Spurs for the remainder of his 2 year contract - maybe he'd be more interested in the partnership of Michael Dawson and Ledley King, a couple of non 'racist' center halves who played excellently together at Anfield on Monday night and seem to be as strong as any English center half pairing available.


So, after all this excitement these are the facts-
England don't have a coach and England don't have a captain.  The first game against France in Euro 2012 on Monday June 11 in Donestk can't come soon enough from them.  We are a national team in disarray and we hope or think that a freshly acquitted Harry Redknapp, with Sven Goran Eriksson's backing, can save the day.  Don't hold your breath.