England Managers: What Does An Illustrious Club Career Actually Mean?

After the aberration of England's Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, it was clear that the tenure of Roy Hodgson was over. Cue a narrow, and slightly xenophobic search for England's next manager. From, let's be honest, a rather shallow pool of candidates, came the rather underwhelming announcement of Sam Allardyce. The ex-Newcastle, Bolton, West Ham, Blackburn and Sunderland manager has never really hit the heights in his club career, but was given the top job regardless.

However, how important is a successful club manager in the international game? To figure this out, I've looked back at the past 25 years of successful and failed England managers to compare their win rates, which should hopefully highlight a discernible trend.

Name	Clubs managed (pre-England)	W	D	L	Win rate	England win rate	Tournament high
Kevin Keegan	Newcastle United, Fulham	176	63	73	56.4%	38.89%	Group stage Euro 2000
Fabio Capello	AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma, Juventus	311	165	79	56%	66.67%	R16 World Cup 2010
Sven Goran Eriksson	Goteborg, Benfica, Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Lazio	402	205	157	52.6%	59.7%	QF World Cup 2002, Euro 2004, World Cup 2006
Graham Taylor	Lincoln, Watford, Aston Villa	372	210	237	45.4%	47.3%	Group stage Euro 1992
Terry Venables	Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur	297	193	183	44.1%	47.83%	SF Euro 1996
Sir Bobby Robson	Fulham, Ipswich	326	182	241	43.5%	49.47%	SF World Cup 1990
Roy Hodgson	18 clubs and countries, inc Inter Milan, Switzerland, Copenhagen, Liverpool	403	285	257	42.6%	58.93%	QF Euro 2012
Steve McClaren	Middlesbrough	97	60	93	38.8%	50%	Qualification Euro 2008
Glenn Hoddle	Swindon Town, Chelsea	102	86	84	37.5%	60.71%	R16 World Cup 1998

Looking at the statistics, it's interesting to see that arguably the three most successful England managers of the past quarter of a century (Sir Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and Sven Goran Eriksson) do not top the table when it comes to either club win rate, or indeed England win rate, with Fabio Capello and Glenn Hoddle, at the bottom when it comes to his club career, actually topping the England win percentage table.

From the table above, it certainly appears that there is no real rhyme or reason behind the club/national win ratios. It's absolutely not the case that the higher your win rate in club football, the higher your England win rate, or the more successful your career. If anything, it's slightly the opposite. Not so much in terms of percentages, but in terms of tournament performance, with the only semi final appearances in the last quarter century coming from individuals that have around 45 per cent win rates. However, the three below Venables and Robson have hardly done well in tournaments!

Interestingly, Sam Allardyce's current club win ratio stands at around 39 per cent across his time at a number of clubs including Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle, Sunderland and West Ham United. I know we've just proven that this ultimately means very little, but it's interesting to see that he's not too far from the percentage of Steve McClaren at Middlesbrough (and we all know how that turned out!).

On a separate note, I'm always rather bemused by the immediate assumption that we'll only pick an Englishman. Why? One of our more successful managers of the last quarter of a century was foreign, and given the following couple of white, middle aged, dull Englishmen ultimately failing (ignoring the tumultuous reign of Fabio Capello), I don't understand why it isn't considered. It would be completely understandable to pick an Englishman if we invested in young talent for the long term. For example, my pick for the job was Bournemouth's Eddie Howe. Now, I know this is possibly asking too much in today's game, but give him as much time as he needs (almost regardless of results in the short term), because as Man United proved, only through patience can you reach your potential.

Alternatively, there was a Premier League winner available, with a management style that would certainly suit the typically reserved English style. Manuel Pellegrini has shown himself to value attacking and free-flowing football, which would certainly resonate with the English fans following the arguably defensive style of Roy Hodgson, while also being astute and softly spoken in interviews.

However, there is no use crying over spilt milk (a phrase I've never really understood the origins of - I mean, who's that upset at the concept of wasted calcium?), so we have to work with what we've got i.e. Big Sam. With him at the helm, and uncertainty already around the captaincy, who do we see coming into the squad, given his previous playing styles? Obviously, a lot will rest on form, but all things being even, this is my prediction for his first 25-man England squad:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Jack Butland (Stoke City)

Defenders: Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), John Stones (Everton), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mark Noble (West Ham United), James Milner (Liverpool), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Ross Barkley (Everton), Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Jermain Defoe (Sunderland), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Andy Carroll (West Ham United)

West Ham United: Are Hammers Nailed On For Safety?

2012/2013: 10th

Transfer(s) In: Stuart Downing (Liverpool, £5 Million), Andy Carroll (Liverpool, £15 Million), Adrian (Atletico Madrid, Free), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk, Free), Danny Whitehead (Stockport, Undisc)

Transfer(s) Out: Carlton Cole, Gary O'Neil, Frederic Piquionne (Released)

Transfers Review:

                                              Big Sam has been active in this transfer window, bringing in several new faces, a couple of which are truly impressive captures. If we look at my West Ham season review from last season, we can see that I suggested the area that they most needed to strengthen was in central defence. However, West Ham have done exactly opposite, choosing to sign more attack minded players. Andy Carroll was a signing that we all knew was on the horizon at the end of the last season. After a successful loan spell at Upton Park, the tall Geordie was always likely to go where he was wanted. The more impressive signing is that of Stuart Downing for a fee of just £5 Million. Having said publicly that he felt Downing was priced out of their league, Allardyce must have performed well in the negotiations, as he got his man. After a much more encouraging season last campaign, the formed England winger has a chance to carry that form into his new club.

                                               Other than raiding Liverpool, the Hammers have brought in an attacking midfield in the shape of Atletico Madrid's Adrian. He looks a prospect, with an eye for goal, as well for a pass, and I am certain he will chip in with a goal or two this season. At the back, one of the earliest signings of the summer was Shakhtar Donetsk's experienced wing back Razvan Rat. Having experienced World Cups with Romania, as well as Champions League and Europa League football, he will be a valuable asset to West Ham, both on the field and off it.

                                               Another transfer area that Big Sam will be pleased with is that fact that they have managed to retain their core squad from last season. The impressive Matt Jarvis remains with club, as does the defensive duo of James Collins and James Tomkins. This will allow the Hammers to build upon their relatively comfortable season from last time around, and they will hope to consolidate and push on this time around.

Pre-Season:

                                                West Ham have had a pre-season that has been undertaken mostly in the British Isles. Starting with a trip to Ireland to play Cork City Foras, a game that the East London club won emphatically. Goals from Diarra, Cole, Taylor, McCallum, Noble and Morrison left the scoreline at a comfortable 6-2. 3 games against lower league English opposition followed in July, with the Hammers seeing off Boreham Wood 3-0 before beating Bournemouth by 2 goals to 0, and finishing the mini-tour off with a 2-1 success over Colchester. The games in July came thick and fast, and the Hammers finished their unbeaten month with the best result yet. A trip to Germany to face Hamburg resulted in a 3-1 success, setting them up nicely for their tour of Portugal in August.

                                                 That tour, however, did not start as successfully. Against Champions League opposition in the form of Braga, the Hammers tried valiantly, but eventually had to succumb to a 1-0 defeat, ending their 100% pre-season record. Just one match remained in West Ham's preparations for the new season, against Portuguese top division side Pacos Ferreira. Allardyce's side will be pleased to have ended in the manner they did, with a 2-1 success. This will give them confidence going into the opening weekend of the season.

Key Players:

                                                 Jussi Jaaskelainen was, in my opinion, the club's best player last time around, and the Hammers will need the veteran keeper to be at his best again this term. He led the league in terms of shots stopped, and the ex-Bolton man seems to like the East End, as he is playing some of his best football. His reflexes are superb, and his understanding and anticipation make him one of the most respected goalkeepers in the league.

                                                  Sam Allardyce has spoken at length about how expects this to be the breakthrough season for youth prospect Ravel Morrison. After several troubles at Manchester United, including run-ins with the police, Big Sam insists that the young man has changed his mindset, and is now able to deal with the pressure of the Premier League. He clearly has talent, but whether he will simply become another Mario Balotelli is yet to be seen. It will certainly be a interesting watch though.

Key Fixture Dates:

24/08/2013: Newcastle vs West Ham United
15/09/2013: Southampton vs West Ham United
02/11/2013: West Ham United vs Aston Villa
30/11/2013: West Ham United vs Fulham
14/12/2013: West Ham United vs Sunderland
01/01/2014: Fulham vs West Ham United
18/01/2014: West Ham United vs Newcastle
08/02/2014: Aston Villa vs West Ham United
22/02/2014: West Ham United vs Southampton
29/03/2014: Sunderland vs West Ham United

Top Goalscorer:

                                                   After he bedded in so quickly at the Hammers last time around, I think that this year could see Andy Carroll back to his Newcastle form that saw Liverpool pay £35 Million for his services. The Hammers' style of play suits the big powerful striker, and we will see him terrorise defences in the air lots this season. Not many of his goals will be the pretty kind, but they all count!

Prediction:

                                                   Threats of the 'Second Season Syndrome' will always be ever present, and I feel this will have an effect on the Hammers this season. However, they have the squad to deal with the pressure, and after a couple of worrying times in the season, I am certain that they will finish in a very comfortable mid-table position. They may not hit the heights of a top-10 finish, but I am sure that they will be safe from the drop, which I am sure will please Hammers' fans.

West Ham United 2013/2014: 13th