England Needs a Football Philosophy
posted by Geoff Andrews at Monday, June 28, 2010
Yesterday's worst ever World Cup defeat against a young German side has prompted a familiar debate on the failings of the national team. Not enough 'passion' and the shortcomings of a foreign coach are put forward as explanations yet again while the underlying reasons are obscured. Chris Waddle was right: England need more ideas; on coaching, bringing young players through earlier, on developing technical skills and to draw on the experience of former players rather than the policies of the bureaucrats who run the Football Association. It needs a change of mentality and a new philosophy. Germany played with the freedom and fluidity of the Enlightenment; England, by contrast, were reminiscent of a declining class of footballing aristocrats. The so-called 'golden generation' has become an ancien regime: egotistical, cocooned in privilege, hanging on by past reputation and unresponsive to new ideas.