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England must get it right now in order to win a trophy in the next 10 years - Gary Neville
The former Manchester United captain thinks his country have to make sure they hire the right man for the job and then start to build a long-lasting structure around him
12 Feb 2012 13:36:00
By Chris Butterworth JR
Getty Images
Former England defender Gary Neville believes his country must get it right now in order to be a top nation for the next 10 years.
Fabio Capello resignation earlier this week, apparently in protest at the Football Association's decision to stand John Terry down as England captain, has left the door open for Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp, the nation's popular choice, to take charge for Euro 2012.
Neville believes the FA have a duty to plan for the long-term future of the English game when selecting Capello's successor if the Three Lions are to have any hope of a first major international triumph since 1966.
“Let’s build a structure around the new England manager that can benefit the football nation for years ahead," he told The Mail on Sunday.
“And let’s stop thinking about two-year cycles and start thinking about where we might be in 10 years because that’s the only way we might one day win a major trophy.”
The ex-Manchester United right-back believes it was time for Capello to go and backed the decision made by the FA.
“It took a lot for me to say Capello should go, as I always would veer on the side of longevity and stability for the manager, but I didn’t believe the story could have a happy ending," he added.
“I knew the manager, the team, the fans and the FA would suffer if the show was allowed to limp on in disunited fashion until Euro 2012.
“I didn’t think the FA board really believed in Capello and he certainly wasn’t creating any legacy for English football, so Bernstein acted in the interests of the game by accepting his resignation.”
However, Neville was quick to err on the side of caution, adding: “Let’s not get carried away. The minute we have a new manager, it will be ‘Harry’s in, bring in the kids, everything will be fine, we’re going to win the Euros!’ Let’s inject some reality into the debate.
“Are we going to win Euro 2012? Probably not. Why not? Well, Germany, France, Portugal, Holland and, of course, Spain are five sides better than England straight away.
“Do we have a chance of beating those sides on our day? Yes, of course we do, as we showed against Spain in November.
“Are we better than them over a month-long tournament, playing every four days? Are we better at passing the ball and keeping possession in difficult countries such as Poland and Ukraine in a hot summer environment? That will be very difficult.”
Neville believes many of the problems during Capello's reign were down to the fact that he brought his own staff in with him from Italy, and that he showed no interest in watching the young players coming through at international level.
“The FA are not just appointing a manager, they should be building a structure to put around a manager," he insisted.
“Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the Capello era, where he was allowed to bring in five or six assistants with him, most of whom lived in Italy between games. All of them have now gone, leaving no legacy for our game.
“And it was incredible that Capello famously didn’t go and watch the Under 21s in a tournament during his summer break. The new man has to have some involvement in the kids coming through from Under 16 level to the Under 21s.
“That, too, has been a huge mistake of the Capello years, a complete waste.”
The 36-year-old believes the new boss should be allowed to bring one member of staff, with the rest picked by the FA.
“The new England manager should be able to bring one trusted assistant with him but the rest of the coaches should be people who can contribute to the FA over the next 10 years," he added.
The former Manchester United star firmly believes that young English talent such as Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Daniel Sturridge and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should be drafted into the first-team in the build-up to Euro 2012 to give England the best chance of winning a trophy.
”We can’t write off a tournament but do we have a better chance of winning it with eight experienced players who won’t be available in 2014? I would say no," Neville concluded.
“So blood some youngsters and be discerning in the older players you take. Make sure the bulk of the team will be around for 2014 and 2016.
“Don’t end up getting knocked out in the quarter-finals and find that you have to bring in a whole new team for 2014."
Fabio Capello resignation earlier this week, apparently in protest at the Football Association's decision to stand John Terry down as England captain, has left the door open for Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp, the nation's popular choice, to take charge for Euro 2012.
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Neville believes the FA have a duty to plan for the long-term future of the English game when selecting Capello's successor if the Three Lions are to have any hope of a first major international triumph since 1966.
“Let’s build a structure around the new England manager that can benefit the football nation for years ahead," he told The Mail on Sunday.
“And let’s stop thinking about two-year cycles and start thinking about where we might be in 10 years because that’s the only way we might one day win a major trophy.”
The ex-Manchester United right-back believes it was time for Capello to go and backed the decision made by the FA.
“It took a lot for me to say Capello should go, as I always would veer on the side of longevity and stability for the manager, but I didn’t believe the story could have a happy ending," he added.
“I knew the manager, the team, the fans and the FA would suffer if the show was allowed to limp on in disunited fashion until Euro 2012.
“I didn’t think the FA board really believed in Capello and he certainly wasn’t creating any legacy for English football, so Bernstein acted in the interests of the game by accepting his resignation.”
However, Neville was quick to err on the side of caution, adding: “Let’s not get carried away. The minute we have a new manager, it will be ‘Harry’s in, bring in the kids, everything will be fine, we’re going to win the Euros!’ Let’s inject some reality into the debate.
“Are we going to win Euro 2012? Probably not. Why not? Well, Germany, France, Portugal, Holland and, of course, Spain are five sides better than England straight away.
“Do we have a chance of beating those sides on our day? Yes, of course we do, as we showed against Spain in November.
“Are we better than them over a month-long tournament, playing every four days? Are we better at passing the ball and keeping possession in difficult countries such as Poland and Ukraine in a hot summer environment? That will be very difficult.”
Neville believes many of the problems during Capello's reign were down to the fact that he brought his own staff in with him from Italy, and that he showed no interest in watching the young players coming through at international level.
“The FA are not just appointing a manager, they should be building a structure to put around a manager," he insisted.
“Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the Capello era, where he was allowed to bring in five or six assistants with him, most of whom lived in Italy between games. All of them have now gone, leaving no legacy for our game.
“And it was incredible that Capello famously didn’t go and watch the Under 21s in a tournament during his summer break. The new man has to have some involvement in the kids coming through from Under 16 level to the Under 21s.
“That, too, has been a huge mistake of the Capello years, a complete waste.”
The 36-year-old believes the new boss should be allowed to bring one member of staff, with the rest picked by the FA.
“The new England manager should be able to bring one trusted assistant with him but the rest of the coaches should be people who can contribute to the FA over the next 10 years," he added.
The former Manchester United star firmly believes that young English talent such as Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Daniel Sturridge and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should be drafted into the first-team in the build-up to Euro 2012 to give England the best chance of winning a trophy.
”We can’t write off a tournament but do we have a better chance of winning it with eight experienced players who won’t be available in 2014? I would say no," Neville concluded.
“So blood some youngsters and be discerning in the older players you take. Make sure the bulk of the team will be around for 2014 and 2016.
“Don’t end up getting knocked out in the quarter-finals and find that you have to bring in a whole new team for 2014."
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Live!
England 1-0 Belgium, Netherlands 2-0 Northern Ireland - follow all the international action LIVE! ahead of Euro 2012
With countries across the continent gearing up for their final warm-up games ahead of Euro 2012, join us for all the action from Saturday's friendlies. Get in touch with us via Twitter with your reaction.
Hosted by Joe Doyle
Hosted by Joe Doyle
19:38 BST
Here's Roy Hodgson's reaction to the result and some injury chat: "I'm very pleased, it's been a hard week and we've used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second-half with substitutions – some forced upon us, some we wanted to do. But it's still a very good end to the week playing against a good Belgian team here. Arguably even stronger than the Norwegian team we played last week and I've got to be more than happy that we've come out with another victory."
"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."
Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."
Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
19:35 BST
And another point from today: Eden Hazard wasn't great. Don't think you can judge him on one performance though. What do you think? Is it just a case of too much hype around the Chelsea-bound Belgian?
19:32 BST
We're getting plenty of people saying it was boring. PLENTY. But Spain scored seven goals in eight games at the World Cup and I didn't hear too many of their fans complaining. Or as Fran Stinchcombe points out on Twitter: "If we had lost but played free flowing attacking football would these people still have moaned?"
19:24 BST
No, no, no. I'll have none of that Emile Heskey shouting anymore! Hello, it's me, it's me, it's that D-O-Y-L-E. Yes, I'm Joe Doyle, and I'll be here for all the reaction to that England game. First things first, how did everyone see that game? Good performance? A touch boring? Let me know on Twitter.
19:17 BST
Right, that’s me, Danny Hart, done. Joe Doyle is itching to retain his LIVE! crown for the evening. England reaction, Netherlands-Northern Ireland updates and much, much more - Doyle will be across it all. England are gonna win the Euros! And remember: EMILE HESKEY. Cheerio!
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