Get The Right Man For The Job

I think the way the FA is going about the business of finding a new manager for the England football team is flawed.

As I understand it the only real pressure in terms of time is the fierce public, and in particular media, interest. I am not aware of any important international engagements coming up which require us to have someone in place. We certainly don't need one to prepare for Euro '08 do we for goodness sake.

I was very struck when I heard Ian Holloway interviewed on Talk Sport recently. He talked about the small window of time in which he had to make major career-changing decisions when he was faced with the choice between Plymouth and Leicester.

That situation was different though. There was an imperative to get someone in and for them to hit the ground running.

In my view the FA should have just put the brakes on. They should have made it clear that they would take as long as necessary to identify the right person.

Yes there would be huge and on-going media interest. Yes everyone would moan.

And no doubt the FA would say they have to answer to the fans.

But I am certain that if you asked any English fan what they wanted they would not say an immediate decision. They would say they want the best man for the job.

And lets be honest, eventually the story would become stale and the media focus would shift. With good PR which included smoke screening and red herrings they could have taken back the power. Pursued various options. Gathered information. Sought to target who they wanted then work to get it over time.

Instead they have given away all their power. Their actions smack of desperation. Everyone now knows - or at least believes - that Mourinho was first choice and Capello second. If he turns it down then anyone else offered it starts to look like an 'also-ran'. Just what happened with McLaren.

I tell you what. I would love to get involved in running the FA. They would have to let me be in charge of course. But I am sure I could make a better fist of it than some of the current incumbents. In other words - I am the right woman for the job.

So if any of my readers have friends with influence perhaps you could have a word in the right ear.

Men In Suits

Seems it is not just Steve McLaren who is being held responsible for Wednesday's debacle. Even the government is warning the FA that they need to bring about some fundamental reforms - or else!

This blogger thinks the FA themselves should be sacked. There certainly seems to be considerable evidence that significant change is necessary. As long ago as 2005, a review undertaken by Lord Burns identified a number of major concerns including:

Potential conflicts of interests among FA board members

An unrepresentative council

Lack of confidence in the disciplinary process

Too much power being wielded by the Premier League

Lack of representation for the grassroots game

When you look at the makeup of the Board you can see what he means.

It's always a strange situation when you have a group of people who are the "accountable body". Who are they accountable to? And what power do those they are accountable to have to change anything?

I guess ultimately the FA are accountable to the fans and the commercial investors, which includes the government of course.

There is a real problem though I think when you have organisations who are responsible for recruiting themselves and for assessing their own performance. It is well known for example that so often people and groups recruit in their own image. It is why women and minority groups find it so difficult to reach the top.

Which begs the question, why are there no women on the FA Board? There is a growing women's football movement. You do not necessarily have to have a history within the football world (Brian Barwick the Chair being a case in point) to make a contribution. And maybe just maybe you would get some different perspectives and skills.

Ultimately of course it is about having the right people for the right job and I am not necessarily in favour of quotas or tokenism. But you do have to ask yourself if it is time for a very different approach. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

How different these men in suits seem to our new manager. I heard him interviewed on Talk Sport last night. My impressions were;

• genuine
• passionate
• thoughtful
• open
• kind
• modest
• in-touch
• ambitious
• dedicated
• ordinary (in the nicest sense)
• not simply 'a man in a suit'
  

Having heard him I am not surprised Manadaric chose him. These are all qualities that MM has stated he admires. This is complemented by his performance record, which although he is no Wenger or Ferguson, is respectable.

What touched me most was when he was talking about the team and the state he has found them in. Not judging, not using it as an opportunity to promote himself, but a genuine sense of concern that here were a bunch of young men who had had a difficult time over recent months, experienced instability and change and who just need a combination of TLC and firm guidance and leadership.

As you have guessed I am impressed so far. Ultimately of course it will be the results that count but I'm prepared to invest my belief in him.

Especially after today's 0 2 win against Bristol City.

Olly Olly Olly - Oi Oi Oi!!!!