Systemic Failure
Whenever a professional sporting team experiences failure on a grand scale, an inquest begins, and the finger of blame gets pointed. Rarely do the key protagonists point the finger inwards in such situations, and a mass-scale process of self-protection kicks in.
When things go wrong, who is to blame? Is it the Players, or is the Coach the one to blame? In my opinion, both are culpable, but ultimately it is the system which is at fault.
Many systems are built to protect themsleves, and only in crisis are they forced to examine their inner workings. Often, cosmetic changes get made to satisfy the critics (in times of difficulty), but ultimately, revolution is necessary in order to activate meaningful change over time.
International tournaments reveal the relative merits of the individual countries’ sporting quality, and level of performance at that moment in time. On every level: physically, mentally, and spiritually, a country’s best players (and management) are tested. The fact that England (with all its resources) have had to recruit foreign managers to lead their team at the last two World Cups reflects an unhealthy system, unable to produce coaches of sufficient quality to succeed in the role. Either that, or it highlights a system which reveals its’ lack of trust in its own people, believing the answers lie elsewhere, which suggests suggests an inferiority complex is at play within the minds of the key decision and policy-makers.
Personally, I believe that international tournaments should preclude foreign nationals from representing their ‘country of convenience’, as I think it undermines the integrity of true international competition, i.e. one country’s sporting excellence versus another. I have no problem with such individuals supporting the process as consultants at developmental level, but at the elite performance level, it should be the domain of the indigenous population. If they struggle, then it highlights where the fous of investment and development should be in the next cycle, in order for a country’s sporting prowess to improve over time.
Players must be responsible for their personal performance, but the collective performance is influenced by the Coach because of the tactics he deploys, and also the environment he creates in and around the team. In the FIFA World Cup 2010, England’s players, and their Coach Fabio Capello, failed spectacularly on both counts.
The media and the general public loves to determine the culprit and justify how things could have been different. Entertaining better possibilities is a wonderful trick the mind can play on itself in difficult times, but when it comes to assessing the wreckage in a sporting performance, it is vital to identify the critical aspects of the team/organisation, which have worked well, and the areas which were sub-optimal.
With England’s Footballers returning to UK today amid harsh criticism of their woeful World Cup campaign, the debate over Coach Fabio Capello’s future will play itself out in the press, over the airwaves, in the factories and in the pubs and bars throughout the country, as well as (most significantly) in the corridors of power at The Football Association. However, this is merely scratching at the surface of a far deeper underlying problem, which continues to reveal itself after virtually every major international tournament cycle.
How can England’s perennial failure at global tournaments (since 1966) be the fault of a coach who has been in the job for two years, irrespective of his gargantuan salary?
With a superb record in qualification for the World Cup Finals, Capello restored England’s credibility as a footballing nation after the debacle of failing to qualify for the last European Championships under the management of Steve McLaren, who was summarily dismissed as a consequence. Capello is a top manager with a superb track record in club football achievement in different countries. His style may not meet with evry player’s approval but his career results point to a man who knows his own mind and who refuses to indulge people or players who do not meet his exacting standards. However, I cannot believe that England’s players were comfortable working with a man who struggles to speak English with ease, and a coaching staff who speak predominantly in Italian, and (apparently) to each other exclusively. Such experiences can breed resentment and frustration within a team environment. The quality of communication is critical to the success of the unfolding process in team sport and I wonder if Capello would have been better served by working alongside English coaches, irrespective of his history and loyalty to his Italian staff.
Is England’s major failure due to the inability of the players to perform under pressure?
The best sportspeople are those who can respond well to adversity and those who embrace the pressure and feed off it positively. Serial winners learn to deal with expectation and recognise thast it is part and parcel of life at the top, for which the rewards are plentiful. Are English players inferior (technically, tactically, physically or intellectually) to their foreign counterparts? Certainly Germany appeared to play with more invention, discipline, intelligence and spirit than England did last Sunday in Bloemfontein. Looking at the South American countries who are dominating the tournament in South Africa, I cannot imagine many (or any?) England players meriting selection in their teams if a combined team were to be selected.
One thing is for sure, consistent under-achievement over a forty year period since 1970 (when England were supposed to have a better team than the winning team of 1966) highlights that the pre-tournament hype about England returning as World Champions, is not in line with their historical form as a nation, or with the form (and fitness) shown by their key individuals during last season. Reaching two Semi-Finals in the history of the competition, (and winning only once), suggests that Quarter-Final achievement represents success. Entertaining ideas that we are potential winners is the stuff of fantasy or nationalistic pride or optimism.
Is the problem behind England’s football one of unrealistic expectation? I think so. The pressure the team is under is increased because of the fear which must be prevalent in the team of being unable to match the public and media’s expectation of the team as potential winners. Players enjoy this kind of potential ‘talk’ as it doesn’t require achievement in the run-up to an event, but when the bell tolls, it becomes a massive burden which few are able to handle.
Until we can produce a conveyer belt of talented young players who keep the foreigners out of the big teams due to their superior playing ability, we will find it impossible to compete on the world stage against the best opponents, let alone win. This is where the solution and the challenge lies: get the best coaches to work with the best young players and ensure that the learning environment is creative. Providing a competitive experience (through tournaments) to hone the competitive greatness in each player, overseen by experienced menytors, can enhance the learning experience. The players will raise each other and compete to become the best of the best in their group. Over time, a healthier system will produce a succession of players who have been raised with a better set of professional and personal values if you get the right people to guide the learning process. This way, the players will naturally de-select themsleves over time. It is survival of the fittest. It is the opposite to the culture which pervades the UK presently, where the state provides, and a nation gets ‘fatter’ and lazier by the decade, while the sense of entitlement grows that it is someone else’s responsibility to take care of the individual’s well-being. Such a society will never produce champion sportspeople in big numbers as it lends itself to developing a ‘softness’ in people. It creates a ‘victim’ mentality, whereby evereything is somewone else’s fault, and a mindset which gets brutally exposed in elite sport. Just observe some of the players’ quotes such as Chelsea full-back, Ashley Cole, who was quoted before boarding the plane to the pre-tournament camp in Austria that ” I hate England, and the f*****g people.” Charming. He added ” I always try my hardest for Chelsea and England but the intrusion and presssure I feel is making my life hell”.
So where does it begin to go wrong? I think that in the early stages of a player’s professional career, the culture of entitlement can set in, and a player’s love for the game, and the pursuit of mastery of the ball, gets lost in pursuit of the material trappings which are regarde highly and necessary accessories to mark their so-called ‘success’ as ‘celebrities’.
We were told that in Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, we had players who could make an indelible mark on sport’s biggest event. Sadly, it was for the wrong reasons: England were awful, and the future appears more bleak with fewer players of similar quality coming throught o replace the current failed ‘golden generation’. Just because many of our players are ‘world-famous’, does not mean that they are ‘world-class’.
The global reach of the English Premier League has enabled the best of the English talent to earn vast sums and have their profile enhanced by exposure in over fifty countries each week. The advertising and marketing between matches of the clubs and the key players has distorted the impression of a player’s ability. Where once a player had to succeed at a World Cup (e.g. Bobby Moore, Gary Lineker) to enjoy global recognition, players like John Terry, Frank Lampard, or Steven Gerrard is able to enjoy similar status without the achievement of a Lineker at a World Cup Finals.
The power of television has made multi-millionaires of modern players. However, it has not made them into top quality players. If they were ‘top-class’ (like Lionel Messi, Luis Fabiano, Christiano Ronaldo, or Mesut Ozil), England would have enjoyed more success as a team over the duration of these players’ international careers.
Despite the failure of the system, I believed this England team significantly under-achieved under Capello in South Africa. So where does the blame for the under-performance in South Africa lie? For me, the relationship between coach and player is inter-dependent and there is a need to understand the dynamic balance that exists in a performance process between players and management. It can never be the fault of one party exclusively. Top players overcome being led by a mediocre coach and take ownership for the team’s performance. Likewise, gresat coaches can inspire a body of players to play beyond their own levels of expectation by organising them to play in a system andby filling them with a belief in the power of the collective being greter than the sum of the parts.
An International Coach can only select the best players which are available to him from the development system his National Governing Body has overseen. Top coaches cannot turn average players into good players. Conversely, if the players have the requisite ability, then with good coaching which inspires a team environment that enhances the possibility of creative performance emerging from within the group, anything is possible.
Human greatness comes from a internal force within each person but the ‘magic’ which exists between people is an energy flow that goes beyond words and logic. It comes from touching people’s hearts as a coach, and ensuring that the fabric of the team is woven tightly together so that during periods of stress, the whole thing does not unravel, but instead gets stronger because of the belief which grows when difficulties are overcome, and the strength of the relationships reveal a deep connection between people. This cannot be manufactured. It is not a cosmetic process, spun out by PR people or players ‘talking a good game’ at press conferences. Strengths or weaknesses are revealed during stressful moments in time.
England’s players appeared to turn in on themselves and complain about the manager’s regime during the tournament. The lonely hours of preparation and rest between games seemed to compound the problems they were experiencing and deposed Captain John Terry took it upon himself to break ranks, and speak publicly about his frustrations before the final group game.
John Terry’s unilateral actions highlighted why he is not a leader, as he undermined the management and also compromised his teammates, and implicated others in the process of ‘sounding off’. Such selfish, self-indulgent behaviour, is not the mark of a quality leader in my opinion. By saying that ‘‘if the Coach doesn’t like what I have to say then, so what’’, revealed an unbelievable arrogance and a dis-regard for authority.
In any team, discipline and cohesion are vital to successful performance. The key is to connect people to a compelling vision which is far greater than ‘self’.
England’s Football Team were lacking in resilience and quality when the pressure was at its greatest. Their performance revealed a decay in the system which develops young footballers, both as players, and as men. No doubt the system will protect itself and the nation will be promised a ‘root and branch’ review which will present the findings about what is wrong with English football, and then the new season will begin, and another debacle will be consigned to history.
I imagine that our 1966 World Cup-winning Manager Sir Alf Ramsey, and legendary Captain Bobby Moore must be looking down from on high in dismay.
Ultimately, will key people (with the passion, experience and intelligence) be entrusted with the responsibility of providing quality leadership based on a new vision for English Football?
Will a new set of values underpinned by a sound philosophy become a living organism and set new standards of behaviour to help make our nation proud of the people who represent us at football in the future.
Will a new level of excellence in coaching be established? Will our National age-group teams succeed consistently at International Tournaments? Will our players burst with pride at the prospect of representing their nation? Will our players (upon maturity) be sought after by countries around the globe to add value by showcasing and bestowing their ‘world-class’ status as proud exports of English Football?
Bobby Moore was my hero. He was an immaculate player, and an immaculate man. He inspired me as a youngster to become a professional sportsman. He loved England and he loved football. He loved captaining England. He retired from playing and experienced a difficult post-playing career while his counterpart Franz Beckenbauer was utilized by the German Football Federation and his club Bayern Munich as an Ambassador. In my opinion, our administrators displayed a lack of respect towards Bobby and his World Cup Winners, which is possibly where the decay set in.
So where does the responsibility and blame for failure lie?
It is never as simplistic as sacking the Coach or removing senior players in favour of promising youngsters. The answer lies in the quality of player and coach a nation can develop. Strength in depth is wonderful too, but this can be no substitute for quality of the highest order in the key positions.
England Football’s problem is one of systemic failure.
England has under-achieved in tournament play (and occasionally in qualification) relative to their wealth, population and sporting history. The hiring of an expensive high-profile manager is not the answer, as they just inherit the problems generated by the system, a culture which places wealth, profile and the myopia of club football above international success.
The English Premier League and the big clubs dominate the game, and England being successful as a National team is of secondary importance. Debt-laden clubs chase the dream of European Champions League qualification, while others incur big risks to stay in the league as the threat of relegation from the Premier League can lead to meltdown. Last season, Portsmouth experienced this fate and in the recent past, Leeds United and Newcastle have been high-profile casualties, while West ham United have teetered on the brink of collapse for several years.
The fear that permeates clubs in such circumstances is an unhealthy environment for talented young players to develop. Most managers who fear the sack, will not turn to a youngster who is excelling in the Youth Team or Reserves, preferring to sign an experienced player to help shore up the deficiencies of his team. If the top clubs aren’t playing the best young England players, and if the bottom clubs fear risking young players in a relegation dogfight, where are the young players going to learn the game at professional level? Overseas?
The systemic problem needs to be addressed. Otherwise, good people, conscientious and gifted coaches, and talented players, will continue to be victims of the inherent failure (over many decades) of the governing body called the Football Association. When problems run deep, the root needs to be identified and removed. Unfortunately, the FA is a moving target at present with accountability nigh on impossible, because the organization is without a Chief Executive, and without a Chairman, but facing a serious challenge to restore the nation’s faith in our national game.
Now is a time for fresh thinking to activate change. Transformation is needed.
Would you trust the same body which delivered the fiasco of ‘The New Wembley’ where the delays and spiraling costs meant the FA had to take extra loans out to finance the £798 million stadium. Annual interest payments of around £20 million are crippling the game and have meant that a variety of events including Rugby and pop concerts have taken place and contributed to the destruction of the pitch, which has been re-laid a dozen times so far at a significant cost each time. The FA have yet to commence The National Football Centre in Burton-on-Trent, nearly a decade after its approval. Canny businessmen remain horrified that a committee of people are charged with the responsibility of running the FA, and making the kind of employment decisions which allow Fabio Capello and Sven Goran Eriksson to receive contracts which are financially way above market rate, and incur significant penalty clauses for the employer for early termination.
Now is the time to address the shortcomings and empower the next generation to become intelligent, self-reliant players who are raised to be fully accountable for their individual performance, and committed to developing a greater respect for the game, the country, and fulfilling their role in ensuring the collective effort brings better returns in future.
Do you trust the same body of people to come up with the new vision for English Football?
