From McClaren to Capello
Are England Missing the Point as well as the Euro 2008 Tournament?
Was England's inability to qualify for the European Championship Finals really all down to one man?
The aftermath of England’s 3-2 defeat to Croatia last November, and resultant failure to reachEuro 2008, saw Steve McClaren’s removal from his job as national manager. Despite some heavy press and fan criticism straight after the fact, however, all of the players involved returned to their normal club existences and no one from The FA was left scouring the wanted ads. The outstanding question that may be concerning England fans, though, is whether simply sacking McClaren was the answer to all the team’s problems?
Injuries and absences
England’s loss at Wembley in their final Euro 2008 qualifying game was the bitter climax to two years in which the manager’s selections were consistently hampered by missing players.
For the crucial match against Croatia, England were without their entire first choice back four as well as their two strikers. Steve McClaren could quite easily point to the fact that losing half his starting eleven was a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the game and the reason he had to resort to the controversial 4-5-1 formation which his side apparently struggled with.
The fact that clubs are normally infuriated whenever one of their players is hurt on international duty, and do not appear to recognise that a large proportion of injuries, no matter when they occur, are a result of their own hectic schedule of fixtures, is only one of a number of ways in which they are a hindrance to the England cause.
Premiership sides little help to England
It is understandable that, with the huge burden of increased player wages and transfer fees falling solely on their shoulders, it goes completely against clubs’ natural instincts to release their extremely valuable assets to the inherent risks of competing for someone else. The consequence of this for the national coach, however, is that, even on the minimal number of occasions he requires the players, he can often only watch as the squad he originally selected is decimated by withdrawals.
Another worrying offshoot beginning to emerge from the growing self-importance of domestic sides is that players are increasingly viewing annual club competitions, such as the Champions League, as of greater worth than international finals such as the World Cup. On top of this, the huge amounts of wealth which prevent the Premiership machine from grinding to a halt have also had the indirect effect of flooding the league with foreign talent which, in turn, has meant that chances for home grown players to gain top level experience are limited.
The FA the main culprits?
Despite the fingers of blame that can be pointed at clubs and players the ultimate reason for the failings of the national team could possibly rest a lot closer to home – with The FA.
When the Football Association created the Premiership they could have little imagined the massive effect it would have on English football. Since its inception, however, outstanding issues such as adequate compensation payments to clubs for players injured on England duty show that they have failed to come to terms with the games’ transition from a sport to a business and have been unable to prevent domestic football from dominating and suppressing its international counterpart. It’s ironic that the success of the Premiership, which has provided The FA with enough money to pay a large enough salary to attract a manager of a calibre capable of leading England to an international tournament victory, is the same reason why, under the current system, such a victory may never be achieved.
