The good news for the battered pride of English coaching is that, even leaving Lee Carsley and his complicated status aside, England still provides the manager for 11 national teams. Although France and Italy also supply 11, only Spain, with 14, offer more. The less positive news is that, according to the Fifa world rankings, the best of those sides are Jamaica (61st), New Zealand (95th) and Puerto Rico (154th).
It’s not to demean the work of Steve McClaren, Darren Bazeley or Charlie Trout to suggest that that does not sound like the record of a major football nation. It’s true that Spain’s tally includes the coaches of Brunei and Belize, but Spaniards also manage Portugal and, crucially, Spain. France’s list includes South Sudan and New Caledonia, but also Georgia and France. Italians manage Nepal and San Marino, but also Turkey and Italy. You don’t have to be a raging xenophobe to regard the FA’s decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel as manager of England as an admission of failure.
