BBC SPORT | Football | Tough life after England



By John May BBC Sport Online

Lawrie McMenemy warns that it is tough for former England managers to adjust to life back in club football.

The knives are already being sharpened for former England bosses Kevin Keegan and Graham Taylor at Manchester City and Aston Villa.

Managers usually get the England job because they have a proven track record of success with clubs, and you don't lose that

Lawrie McMenemy

Terry Venables' Leeds and Newcastle under Bobby Robson are way off the title pace, while former caretaker boss and FA technical director Howard Wilkinson faces an uphil task at Sunderland that would frighten Sir Edmund Hilary.

Former England assistant manager McMenemy reckons the troubled five have the experience to pull through.

McMenemy told BBC Sport Online: "The game changes so fast these days that it doesn't take long to drop off the pace.

Last of the England line

"Managers returning to club football find a different set-up to when they were first there.

"Everywhere these days there is a higher expectation level, which brings it own pressures.

"Club managers are dealing with players from all over the world, where the attitude and culture are different.

"But managers usually get the England job because they have a proven track record of success with clubs, and you don't lose that," said former Northern Ireland boss McMenemy.

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson
Experience should help Bobby Robson cope better with presure

Not all former England managers have leaped back into the saddle immediately after falling off. Taylor, Venables and Wilkinson all took breaks before returning to the game.

Robson has come in for criticism that he is an anachronism in a young man's game, but McMenemy is convinced age and experience brings its own benefits.

He said: "It's easy to say 'he's not doing well because he's too old but nobody was saying that about Bobby last season'.

"As you get older, you don't worry so much about the things you would have done when you were younger.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that some of them are struggling

Lawre McMenemy

"You learn to shrug your shoulders and get on with things.

"Club management is just such a completely different thing to managing the national team.

"The biggest difference is the lack of day-to-day involvement with players. That's something that even Sven-Goran Eriksson admits he misses.

"You get the players for a short time and then they go home. The advantage to that is that they take their problems with them!

"But you're faced with a different set of problems when you're managing a club. You're dealing with issues like transfers, players' contracts and dealing with their agents.

New Sunderland manager Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson was bitten by the club management bug

"You don't have that when you're involved with the naitonal team - you just have to deal with their managers!"

Spurs' flying start this season, and the sound job he did at Southampton hint that Glenn Hoddle had no trouble easing back into club football.

Is it a coincidence that of the former England bosses back in club harness, Hoddle was the only one whose association did not end because of poor results?

Defiant Taylor stands tall

Of the others, McMenemy said: "I'm sure it's just a coincidence that some of them are struggling.

"There are six former Egland bosses managing clubs at the moment, that's a quarter of the Premiershp and the law of averages says that some of them won't be doing very well."


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