Make Your Case: Should The New England Manager Be A Foreigner?

Rory - Ja! Si! Oui!

It's been pointed out by many that there's an anti-intellectualism running through English football. Not just recently but for years, the majority of English football fans have preferred players who run around a lot and kick people ahead of those who are calm, measured and don't go casing lost causes.

If the FA are to appoint another English manager then I don't see us moving away from that mentality, especially when you look at the available candidates. Alan Pardew, Glenn Hoddle, Gareth Southgate, it hardly seems progressive. In fact, the only English manager who would probably shun those ideals would be Eddie Howe but a lack of experience may hinder his chances and he probably doesn't fancy the potential of blighting his career when it's only just getting started.

This is why England must look to a foreign coach to take them forward. Someone who isn't a yes man, who won't tow the party line and will pick players that suit a system, rather than picking players purely on reputation. Look no further than Italy and the fantastic job Antonio Conte has done. Italy were written off before the tournament, accused of having nothing more than a sturdy defence, but his trust in players who suit his 3-5-2 system has worked wonders. Conte is, of course, set to take over at Chelsea next season but the FA should be looking for someone who thinks in the same way.

Our own Emanuele Giaccherini was a fairly "unfashionable" player for Conte to have in his squad, let alone in the starting XI, but the managers faith in the right players to the job for him is yielding excellent results. Something that was certainly never shown by Roy Hodgson who, in fairness, probably feared a media backlash if he left out the so called "stars." Again, a none English manager won't have the same fear of the media. You could also say the same for Vincent del Bosque, who wasn't afraid to leave out players such as Juan Mata and Diego Costa, in place of players who were more suited to the football he wished to play. Spain may have been undone by Italy but they reached the same stage as England, in a far more impressive fashion.

One thing a foreign manager wouldn't bring to St George's Park is a psychological barrier that seems to bleed into the whole squad, at every major tournament England travel to. Someone outside of the England bubble will hopefully bring not just new ideas, but a renewed belief into a side that desperately needs some. The time for an English manager to lead the national team will come again but now is not that time. For now, the FA need to think differently and appoint a manager with plenty of ideas and no fears.

Gav - Nein!

Though I can see that there isn't exactly a deep pool of English managers for the FA to select from when looking to fill the role, I do not think that appointing a foreign coach will solve all of our problems. If anything, the issue here is that the FA consistently take safe decisions when they really should be looking towards the future, particularly at English managers that have worked hard and deserve a top job.

Fabio Capello was the 'foreign' choice last time around, and his reign as manager was a huge step back. He didn't understand nor care for English culture, and in turn the England team suffered as a consequence. As a result, the FA decided to play it safe and appoint Roy Hodgson, who has further set back our nation's football team to a point where we are left scratching our heads, wondering just why the FA keep appointing these dinosaurs.

This time around, the England manager should be a young coach who is eager to prove himself in a top job, not someone who has already seen success elsewhere and doesn't particularly value the role that they hold.

The two standout English candidates, for me, are Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe.

Though neither have held 'big' jobs - well, in the context of world football, anyhow - I'm not sure that is even relevant. Both men have shown in recent times that they have a skill set and coaching ethos that is perhaps exactly what England need right now, and whether or not the FA agree with me on that is a completely different matter.

Dyche is a disciplinarian that has made more out of the limited resources that Burnley have to offer than perhaps any other manager could have done. To be a success in the Championship you have to not only be a fantastic coach, but an accomplished man motivator. Dyche offers just that.

And, by the same token, let us not forget the path that Eddie Howe and Burnley have trodden in recent times.

They won the Championship in 2015 and followed that up with a hugely successful Premier League campaign that saw them never even flirt with relegation. Howe is an incredibly deep thinker - I urge all of you to listen to the Podcast he recorded with Graham Hunter a few months ago to get a better insight into his management style and coaching ethos.

Quite frankly, if Howe or Dyche are not offered the job it will, to me, signify a huge step back for English football.

For far too long now we have imported talent into our game without showing a semblance of faith in English managers, and now we finally have the chance to offer the opportunity of a lifetime - the biggest job in British football - to a manager that has not only earned his opportunity, but could well be the first step in a plan that will see England achieve success in the long term. Appointing a Redknapp, Allardyce or a foreign name like Hiddink simply is not the answer.

Who do you agree with? Vote in the poll below!