A Shallow Pond of English Managerial Talent

Speculation regarding Gary Rowett`s future was always going to be a talking point over the summer. Derby County, apparently? Villa, perhaps? England? Go and give your head a wobble.

But as England prepare for Euro 2016 in France under the leadership of Roy Hodgson, the media are already discussing his successor.

Earlier this week, John Cross of the Daily Mirror wrote an interesting article weighing up the options for the next England manager. Alan Pardew was mentioned along with Garry Monk, Gareth Southgate, Steve Bruce and Brendan Rodgers. All of the aforementioned were described as ‘not right` for the job for various reasons.

But with foreign headliners occupying Premier League dugouts, how many viable options are left? Sam Allardyce was, once upon a time, heavily linked with the job as was Harry Redknapp. However, it seems that ship has sailed for both of them.

Looking at the odds, as John Cross pointed out in his piece, Rowett is 33/1 to be the next England boss. Obviously, I pay no real attention to the bookmakers` tendency to throw random names onto a list and shove a price alongside it. But Rowett`s name being touted as even a slight possibility signifies, firstly, how good a job he is doing at Birmingham City but secondly and more worryingly, how shallow the pond of English managerial talent is.

Rowett will, one day, manage in the Premier League – and probably in the not too distant future. Whether that is with Blues or another club remains to be seen. But as much as I rate him as a manager – as our manager – linking him with the England job is a farce. Not a farce of his doing, but a farce at the state of the game in this country.

In the highly unlikely event that Rowett moves his desk from B9 to HA9, many, including me, will offer a supportive breath to a young and up-and-coming manager. But the rest will be nit-picking at how English football has sold its soul to the devil.

The realisation that our top flight, supposedly the best league in the world, does not have a genuine English candidate to lead the nation`s football team is a not a laughing matter.