Why have England appointed Thomas Tuchel, why are there so few English managers in the Premier League?

0
Football associations around Europe run four UEFA-accredited licensing schemes to get coaches qualified, and allow them to progress through to work in the professional game and beyond.

Each course is delivered by the country's individual association, who will decide the way it is delivered plus number of places available and fees charged.

A UEFA B Licence allows coaches to manage in Leagues One and Two, the UEFA A in the Championship, and the UEFA Pro Licence for Premier League clubs, as well as matches in Europe.

The FA runs all of its courses at its dedicated home of football, at St George's Park in Staffordshire. But earning a place on some of its higher-end courses is a challenge, with the A Licence reportedly nearly 10-times oversubscribed for its 120 places a year.

Demand outweighs supply so much for the qualification that it has put some coaches off from continuing their journey altogether, while others have looked abroad to continue their rise up the ladder.

One of those is Simon Goodey, who was denied a spot on an A Licence course three times by The FA and a fourth by the Scottish FA, despite previously coaching in Southampton's male and female youth setup and with Colchester United.

From there, he decided moving to Spain would provide a better opportunity to complete his badges than trying again through the English authorities - despite speaking none of the language and having to take on a second job as a PE teacher to support himself on the continent.

His experiences since have included coaching Fernando Torres' son Nicolas while working for two years in the Atletico Madrid academy. He now runs one of the U19 sides at fourth-tier SD Compostela and has ambitions of becoming a senior head coach in the future.

"Spain was something I saw as an opportunity to progress," he tells Sky Sports. "I got a bit stuck in England since I'd done my B Licence at 19.

"It was a lot easier going to Spain. That still came with a lot of challenges, I had to learn Spanish and do a Spanish exam to even enrol in the A Licence course.

"Spending five years abroad now, I would definitely recommend it if you're a young coach coming through. It's a great avenue to consider.

"Unfortunately, it's harder for coaches to get abroad since Brexit. It would be great if the FA could find ways for young coaches to spend time with a club in a different country, or to put on regional A Licences like already exist in Spain.

"It would make it a little bit cheaper, because coaches wouldn't have to pay for accommodation [at St George's Park]. I see a lot of coaches who fall out of love with the game because they can't progress."

Your browser does not support this video

The FA is outwardly comfortable with the current set-up, particularly with pricing which they consider competitive across Europe despite anecdotal reports that has also proved a difficult barrier for some coaches.

The Pro Licence costs a substantial amount in England at almost £14,000, though that is still less than coaches pay in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

In Spain, the course costs around half the price of England, though it is delivered regionally with significantly lower accommodation costs than through The FA, where all attendees are required to stay at St George's Park while studying.

"Where we deliver our courses centrally, particularly in the professional game, helps us to enhance standards across coaching," the FA's head of coach development Dan Clements tells Sky Sports.

"If another nation was delivering it a different way, that may suit their culture, system and the regulations they're run by.

"By us having one central place where we can deliver our coach education, that drives standards, I think."

There is the same feeling about the difficulties getting onto the A Licence. The FA points to the quality of their teaching and suggest it's something it is not willing to compromise on to increase accessibility.

They also defend their record on prioritising former players for those few available spots - despite the rise in coaches who have never played professionally in the top levels of the game.

"The A Licence is a very good qualification," Clements says. "It's a real driver within the professional game.

"With that, our priority sits within the professional game. It is quite challenging for individuals outside of the professional game to get onto it.

"We're really proud of the work we're doing in that space, and committed to providing more opportunity for those coaches who do have ambitions to progress into the professional game."

Ultimately, with the number of places for the Pro Licence set by UEFA as 24 per country, the number of potential Premier League managers coming through year on year is no different to any other major nation.

But whether they will be given that chance appears to be the biggest barrier. While 10 per cent of Premier League bosses are English, that number rises to 54 per cent in the Championship, 63 per cent in League One and 67 per cent in League Two.

So no question the managers are there. But does the Premier League feel the need - or bare the responsibility - to give them that opportunity in a world full of other options?

With the direction of travel since 1992, there is little sign to suggest that is the case.

Unless something more widely changes, these exact same conversations will likely be had again when England come looking for Tuchel's successor.

Click here to read article

Related Articles