So, the FA is incapable of picking a manager – not only that, it is incapable of even not picking a manager, as the Big Phil Scolari debacle illustrates perfectly well – a series of inept choices that led to the appointment of utterly unsuitable Steve McClaren. After seeing Scolari crash and burn at Chelsea, I think it is worth noting that his work in the England post could well have been as disastrous.
But it’s not just about that. It’s about the whole structure and the whole collection of activities that FA undertakes that are in question.
On the BBC website, the former sports minister, Richard Caborn, recently stated his belief that the FA is unfit for purpose (a phrase politicians seem to really like at the moment).
His arguments are that the FA takes on far too much, by running the national stadium, the national challenge cup, running ‘Team England’, overseeing the development of youth talent and governing the game in England.
This is nothing new. The Burns Report of 2005 and the Lewis Report of 2007 looked at two separate issues facing the FA.
Burns concluded that there were problems that needed to be solved regarding potential conflicts of interests among FA board members, an unrepresentative council, a lack of confidence in the disciplinary process, too much power being wielded by the Premier League and a lack of representation for the grassroots game.
His report was comprehensive and sensible. He saw the FA as best formed to be a sort of ‘parliament’ for the game, comprising a council of some 110 members, representing players, clubs, refs, semi-pros, amateurs, educators, managers and coaches. The executive board was recommended to be 12 people, six from the pro game and six from the amateur. Finally, a three new bodies should be created: one to oversee the adoption, maintenance and implementation of rules and regulations, and the other two to oversee the pro game and the grassroots game.
All pretty simple stuff.
Five years on, what has been implemented? I don’t even need to say it, do I?
The Lewis Report of 2007 concerned the youth game and recommended the formation of a new Youth Management Group, to be made up of leading figures from the three main football authorities. It largely backed the existing format of the FA (unfortunately), although the call for the current club system of academies and centres of excellence to be maintained is clearly a sensible one.
And there is the modern myth of the national academy at Burton on Trent! Blimey – whatever happened to that.
As Caborne said, we are really good at having inquiries, but rubbish at implementing them. I guess it would be more forgivable if the FA was crap at what it does, but we didn’t know why. The fact is, however, that we have spent millions of pounds to find out what the problem with our governing body is and have done nothing to change it – the implementations remain as much as a myth as the academy in Burton.
Now, we are in the position where the FA has no CEO and no chairman (the latter, Triesman, was caught up in some ridiculous scam, quoted out of context saying something ridiculous in private and wa forced to resign. The former, Ian Watmore, more disturbingly, resigned because of ‘disagreements’ with senior board members and, reportedly, because he felt he couldn’t do his job – namely, implement the Burns recommendations).
What a god-forsaken mess. That committee of despicable old boys, with their old boy school ties and some sort of Etonian mentality for goes and what doesn’t in our national game – the same people who chose Ron Greenwood over Brian Clough, who ousted Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle for ridiculous, trumped up charges, who appointed Steve Bloody McClaren for and from the England manager position – they are all still there. They are in charge.
Can the turkeys call for an early Christmas and appoint a couple of bosses who will actually make a difference to game, who will actually improve it? Or will they continue to dissemble and hide behind official statements of bland, corporate blah in an effort to maintain their jobs… Regardless of the fact that their jobs are meant to be making English football and English footballers the best in the world.
All they are doing is prevaricating, procrastinating and ultimately punishing everyone – including themselves. There is no future for the FA as it is. And while we have the FA as it is, we have no youth, we have no structure, we pick the wrong managers and the players remain mediocre.
I have revealed in my music blogs that there is nothi8ng wrong with being mediocre, but you need to recognise that you are and accept that you are never going to win anything.
We neither recognise nor accept that about our football players. But rest assured, even after the changes are made, it will be 15, maybe 20 years before we see any tangible results. Before that, we are never going to win the World Cup.
No comments:
Post a Comment