04 Sep 2014 20:26:51
I think one of the big problems we have at international level is that our desire, passion to wear the shirt, pride to a certain extent has all but gone and been replaced with almost robotic one dimensional technical nonsense aimed to ware down the opposition.
A good example is how many players under Hodgsons time have actually improved as international players?
Jones? Smalling? Wiltshire? Cahill? Jags? Hart? Ox?Rooney?Milner etc etc ok there is a case for Sturridge and Sterling maybe Lallana but very few look better now than when they came into the international fold.
So I am slightly worried that in the short term this might affect us.
Here is my mad scenario. Hodgson is on borrowed time imo, the first sign that things are not going well in the qualifiers and the FA will panic as the troops will be getting more and more restless, the press will hammering them and so on. Who do you think they will look at especially if we are still flying.
Someone who can blend youth with time served, not be scared to put kids out there, reinstall passion and desire in the squad, someone who simply put will not only be technically minded but will install sleeves rolled up attitude from back to front. Someone who has 2 wingers beating players and hitting good early crosses into the zone. ok sounds a little old fashioned and a bit like "back in the days"
But I firmly believe that SP will almost certainly interviewed, hopefully its just an ol git sick and tired of watching us promise so much early on and then something goes belly up for whatever reason, form, manager, I just hope that we will get there this time but I still think at the end of it we will lose the Gaffer sooner than we would like.

{Ed003's Note - good post BR, we do have an International Football page if anyone is interested International Football Page Cheers

1.) 05 Sep 2014
Great post bingham. If I'm honest I'm primarily a rugby union fan, and it is plainly obvious that when someone is made part of the England rugby squad, they make a massive step up in ability, knowledge, fitness and experience, which can be seen at club level even if they don't actually get a game. They barely get paid any more, but they buy into the culture. Just like ryder cup golfers, americas cup sailers and gb cyclists when they leave their team to represent their country. In my opinion it's the team culture they are exposed to within the entire England set up that's at fault. This stems from the head honchos at the FA downwards. There's a saying that a fish rots from the head down. There are too many people keeping each other in very well paid executive jobs that perhaps don't have the experience, knowledge and wherewithal for their post, but perpetrate a 'you scratch my back I'll scratch yours' to keep their jobs. The problem is that the money keeps rolling in, so the only person that they see as at fault for performance is the manager, who gets minimal time with the players. This is also due to the amount of power the clubs have been allowed, due to monetary income frome the premier league.

2.) 06 Sep 2014
While I agree SP will make an excellent international manager next up is Gareth Southgate.

Given the managerial influences on his career I am sure he will want to have made major achievements at club level before returning to England.

Remember the lack of support he got with releasing players from the senior squad for the Under 21's.

England are years away from getting their act together so we can look forward to The SP Dynasty!