I've had enough of damning reality English coaches face - it's time for a change
Gareth Southgate's future will be up for discussion after the Euros - and it will be interesting to see what direction the FA move in if they are left looking for a new England manager.
Southgate has proved himself to be a very capable operator at the highest level - and if England can finally get over the line in Germany after a series of near misses then there will be no shortage of offers for him to go back into club football when his contract expires a few months later.
But I would love to be a fly on the wall in the Wembley offices when the committee responsible for the next appointment are discussing their options.
Because, if they want to appoint an Englishman, they have got an extremely limited pool of candidates to choose from.
I’m not totally opposed to a foreign manager following in the footsteps of Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. If someone like Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp fancied the job, for example, it is clear that the benefits for the national team would be huge.
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It has to be the best man for the job.
But I can also understand the thinking that the FA would prefer to give the top job in this country to an Englishman. After all, this is international football.
If you create a pathway to the pinnacle then that will help recruit more coaches to the game at grassroots level. But take a look at the managerial picture in the Premier League and it is clear how limited the FA’s options are.
Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe, Chris Wilder and Gary O’Neil are the only Englishmen managing at the top level of English football. David Moyes is British, of course, but I’m not sure a Scotsman would fit the bill!
And there is also Welshman Rob Edwards.
If Jurgen Klopp fancies being England boss, he should be the No.1 candidate (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
There are only four English coaches in the Premier League - including Wolves' Gary O'NeilYet Moyes is under pressure at West Ham despite winning the club’s first trophy since 1975 last year, while Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi is being spoken about as a possible successor to Klopp at Liverpool.
Brighton went into the weekend just one place and one point better off than the Hammers. It appears to be a particular problem in this country.
Let me emphasise that club owners have to do what they think is best for their club. But last year, Arsene Wenger complained about the dearth of French coaches on the touchline in Ligue 1. Yet no fewer than 10 of the 18 top-flight clubs on the other side of the Channel are managed by Frenchmen.
I’ve taken a look at the managerial make-up at some of the other top leagues around Europe - and it makes interesting reading.
In La Liga, for example, 14 of the 20 clubs are managed by Spaniards. The Bundesliga boasts 12 managers who were either born or raised in Germany out of their 18-club top-flight. No fewer than 18 of the 20 clubs in serie A have an Italian manager.
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And the numbers in Portugal are even more of an eye-opener, with homegrown managers in charge at 17 of the 18 clubs in Primeira Liga.
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi has done wonderful work after being given a chance at big jobs in Italy (Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim has a glittering reputation in Portugal and is expected to move to the Premier League eventually (Getty Images)It costs almost £10,000 to complete the UEFA Pro Licence course run by the Football Association, which is the qualification all managers must pass. If you haven’t got enough previous experience in the professional game, it’s another £960 to take the 12-month UEFA B Licence and another year and £3,645 for the A Licence.
That’s a lot of commitment - and the certificates do look nice on your wall if they are framed properly.
But if you’re British they are not passports to opportunity.
It’s well documented that I have got my own personal frustrations about the lack of opportunities for English coaches - even for jobs in the EFL.
The NFL introduced the so-called ‘Rooney Rule’ to address the problem for black coaches in American Football. Perhaps something similar is needed over here, not just for black and minority candidates, but for English coaches in general?
Sam Allardyce once famously remarked that a more exotic-sounding name would have opened more doors for him in the game. Maybe there’s some truth in that.
Yours in sport, Roberto Fowlieri.
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