The build up to this summer’s world cup was the first time that I can remember there being a complete absence of hope or expectation of success for England’s football team, as years of underperformance at the highest level finally took their toll on weary English fans. And yet, remarkably, the England team somehow still managed to perform below expectations, with three uninspiring performances against teams that did not make it much further in the tournament themselves. What is even more remarkable is that there has been very little soul searching following this dismal tournament, indicating that there is an acceptance that this is just the way things are, and we are not likely to be able to change it for the better. This blogger disagrees and the following article sets out five simple steps to restore some pride to the English national team.
1) A captain to set the tone
First things first, the England team is now without a captain, and this provides an ideal opportunity for a implement a short-term fix and set the tone for the future development of the team. Candidates for the role are thin on the ground, but two names have been mentioned in particular - Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart. While Wayne Rooney has the experience and star player status, his well publicised inability to perform at the highest level should surely count against him. And one would assume his ability to be an inspirational leader is limited to leading through his performances on the pitch, the ability of the captain to enhance the performance of the team would be held hostage to Rooney's form and confidence. He is also too closely linked to the poor performances of the team over recent years, and overlooking him should be a key symbol that players will no longer be able to expect selection as a right, regardless of their performances for the team.
Joe Hart represents a much surer choice. Although, as goalkeeper, he is distanced from his teammates on the pitch, he is the one player who seemed to demonstrate any passion for playing for England - simply having the captain belting out the national anthem (he was the only player to do so with any kind of gusto at the world cup), sets the tone for the other, younger, players to really relish having the opportunity to represent their country. Also, as a relatively new member of the squad, he is protected from links to the perennially underachieving 'golden generation' - breaking from the past should be a critical aim for the future development of the team.
But most importantly, because of the consistently lacklustre performances by a team full of multi-millionaire players who are brought up expecting success, returning passion and motivation to the England team should be a key goal for the England team. This is why Joe Hart gets my vote for Captain.
2) Actions, not words – start training coaches
After the French team flourished 15 years ago, much was made of the success that stemmed from their national training centre which allowed the national team members to train together, with the best possible facilities, from a young age – creating a group of technically sound players who knew each other well and could play as a team.
And now with Germany's re-emergence as a dominant force in world football, there has been much written and spoken about the number of qualified coaches that they have across the country, serving not only the elite footballers, but right across all levels of grass roots football (Germany - 34,970, Italy - 29,420, Spain - 23,995, France - 17,588, England - a paltry 2,769). This creates greater competition in all parts of the game and improves the chance that we will have more Englishmen managing top teams in the country. And if two minds are better than one, what better than having tens of thousands of trained coaches in the country to create new ideas of training players to higher and higher standards.
The FA has the resources, it has the facilities (especially now St George's park has finally arrived), and it should now make a bold statement of exceeding all other countries in training new coaches. And once we have reached parity in this field, we should stop being the country chasing the pack and start leading the field by creating our own higher level diploma of coaching - the PhD equivalent of football coaching, so we become the envy of the world when it comes to coaching knowledge and expertise.
3) Expand coverage on free-to-view television
I'm not naive enough to suggest that we should return all domestic football to free-to-view television is the best route forward - the financial meltdown of the premier league is in no-one's interest - but there has to be some benefits to increasing access to watching the highest quality football in the country. And there are benefits for the broadcaster brave enough to be innovative in this area, particularly given the now competitive environment of football broadcasting, following BT's entry into the market. For example, if BT sport were to combine with ITV to co-host the opening fixture of the year, they would increase goodwill whilst simultaneously advertising their product at the start of the season when the fight for new customers is at its most intense.
Another area that should be targeted is giving the terrestrial coverage a bit more scope to improve their coverage. With Match of the Day fast becoming an irrelevant side show, providing a bit more time (maybe later in the week) to go into greater depth of high quality analysis of the games would help improve understanding of the game to a wider audience.
4) Reconnect clubs with ordinary fans
If you want to go and watch premier league football as a family day out - you're going to struggle. First you've got to get hold of the tickets, which is no walk in the park, in one of the most popular leagues in the world, particularly at the big clubs. And then you've got to have the financial firepower to be able to buy four tickets at exorbitant prices. Requiring clubs to make all but the most expensive tickets available at affordable prices would help strengthen ties of the clubs with their fans, regardless of their wealth. Surely the riches being offered by television money means that the clubs can be a bit more benevolent when it comes to ticket prices (and they can continue to try to make as much money as possible from corporate and in-stadium activities as they want)?
5) Create more rounded footballers
Professional footballers increasingly have to sacrifice so much in the pursuit of success that they are disconnected from the rest of the world. Exposing the players to other parts of society and life is good for the well being of the players who don't make it to the top, but also to those who eventually commit to football full-time. Requiring young players to have 6 month exchanges at clubs' academies abroad, where they stay with a host family and are required to learn the local language is just one way where they can learn a skill whilst also furthering their footballing education. This exposure to other cultures will also make the players better suited to travelling abroad for international tournaments.
Five steps and its not rocket science to do any of them - but they won't count for anything unless they are acted upon swiftly, and if people have the patience to stick with them over a 5-10 year period until they pay-off. There are no quick wins to becoming world leaders and every year the powers that be need to identify more steps like these to keep the English game moving forward. The inertia of the past is the biggest threat to a continually under-performing England team...
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