English snobbery drives our failures

Simon Barnes sums up so much of what is wrong with English sports in today's Times. In a weekend that saw the former champions of the world in rugby suffer their second embarrassing loss in three games Barnes goes for the jugular in this article.

While it is not directly related to football, his insights transcend rugby and are applicable across all sports in England.

Take a read here

The quote below, in my opinion sums up so much of what is wrong with British football. Why are ex-players deemed to be capable managers? Why was Roy Keane deemed to be an appropriate person to lead the multi-million pound organization that was Sunderland? Why was Alan Shearer thought to be that person too? Nowhere else in the world in business are people treated this way except in football.

Martin Johnson was a great rugby player, a wonderful on-the-pitch leader. So the English authorities assumed he would be a great coach and made him team manager. It is another part of English culture, we assume coaching is just an aspect of the magic of leadership. We don’t accept that it is a skill, something you acquire, something you get better at.

Look at the most successful managers in the Premier League: Ferguson, Benitez, Ancelotti and Wenger. The one thing they have in common? All are vastly experienced. When will clubs wise up and realise that experience trumps everything else? How are the England football team doing? Who is in charge I hear you ask. A man of vast experience? Yup.

Hopefully the RFU will realise that this morning and do something about Martin Johnson.