Sean Dyche has questioned whether the Football Association remains committed to giving English coaches a pathway to the top after the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as men’s national team manager.
The Everton manager has not criticised the choice of Tuchel and insists he is not disheartened by it, though he said “the general theme from people I have spoken to in the game” is a preference for an English coach. Dyche is one of five England-born managers in the Premier League and was not approached about the vacancy.
Dyche believes Tuchel’s arrival raises doubts over the FA’s stated aim to develop English players and coaches at St George’s Park, a policy that paid dividends with the promotion of Gareth Southgate but appears to have been abandoned for now.
“The question I would ask is, and I know it’s not as literal as this, but is the coach of the under-16s made of the stuff that you can see them going all the way through the system to become the England manager?” said Dyche. “If the FA are saying they are going to coach the coaches to become the England manager, then are the under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 21s coaches the right type? If they’re not, then I don’t see the point in that process. If they are, and they might well be, then I’d suggest that is a good way of looking at it.
“But how is an English under-16s coach going to get to the top if they are considered specific to that age group? They might be looking at it that way, I don’t know, but Lee Carsley has been considered not [suitable by the FA]. So was he always considered not or was he always a maybe? For all we know Carsley might have been so close to getting it but I would ask, are those coaches at the younger age levels already considered the right type to manage our national side? If not, then it’s going to be difficult to develop them to be the one who is the leader of the gang.”
The former England captain Wayne Rooney, who was a teammate of Carsley’s at Everton, has also questioned the FA’s approach to the men’s national job. “I think he [Tuchel] is a very good coach, but surprised the FA have employed him,” said the Plymouth manager.
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“What the FA have built, and I was part of that and have seen first-hand what they’ve built over the last 10-15 years, it’s been great. It’s been a great platform for young coaches coming through, so I’m surprised they haven’t gone in with one of their own. But they’ve made the decision and I wish him all the best. I hope he does well for us.”
