How have last 5 English Three Lions managers fared after Allardyce appointment?
Published:
Robbie Purves | July 13, 2016
The poisoned chalice of the England managerial job claimed its latest victim in the form of Roy Hodgson recently, after an embarrassing Euro 2016 campaign. Yet it hasn’t stopped English coaches queuing up to take his place.
With Sam Allardyce (8/11 with Coral to still be in charge at Euro 2020) now confirmed as Three Lions boss, we take a look at the last five Englishmen to have patrolled the Wembley dugout…
Roy Hodgson (2012-2016)
After Fabio Capello resigned, it was widely accepted with the press that Harry Redknapp, who had no international management experience, would take over. However, FA Chairman, David Bernstein, stated that, despite there being a shortlist of candidates, Hodgson was the only man approached.
The manager came into Euro 2012 with just a few weeks preparation after finishing his tenure at West Bromwich Albion that summer. Despite a number of injuries and the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ at an end, expectations were still high.
In the quarter-finals England met Italy, despite losing 4-2 on penalties, the Three Lions were praised for being defensively well-organised and hard to beat – the team were reported to have either met or exceeded their expectations. England rose to third in the FIFA World Rankings, their highest ever position since the system was introduced in 1992.
In 2014, Hodgson proclaimed: “I believe the squad can win the World Cup.”. But far from the glory the nation yearned for, England disgraced themselves in Brazil. Roy’s boys crashed out at the group stage for the first time since 1958.
The year 2016 saw the end of Hodgson. After finishing their Euro qualifying campaign with a perfect record of 10 wins, they were left embarrassed after being beaten by Iceland in the round of 16 in France – he resigned that evening with the joint second-highest points per game record of any England manager.
Steve McClaren (2006-2007)
After Sven-Goran Eriksson announced that he would leave as England manager after the 2006 World Cup finals, McClaren was placed on the Football Association’s shortlist to succeed him alongside Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley, Martin O’Neill and Luiz Felipe Scolari. The FA first offered the position to Scolari, but he rejected the offer claiming that the role would mean excessive media intrusion in his life – McClaren was subsequently appointed.
England kicked off the qualification campaign of Euro 2008 with two wins, but were hit with a poor run of form between October 2006 and March 2007 with only one goal scored in five matches.
In a U-turn, McClaren recalled David Beckham into the squad. England then had a streak of four wins from six matches, boosting the country’s hopes of qualification for Euro 2008 before a defeat against Russia, causing the Three Lions’ qualification fate to fall out of their hands.
The results of other matches in England’s group went their way and meant that they would qualify as the second-placed team by avoiding a loss in their final match against Croatia. McClaren lost in the pouring rain of Wembley and was dubbed the ‘Wally with a Brolly’ – he was then removed from his position.
Kevin Keegan (1999-2000)
After almost a month of speculation, Keegan was named as the new England manager in February of 1999, succeeding Glenn Hoddle, who had been sacked after a controversial tenure.
Keegan made an immediate impact and led the team to a winning start with 3–1 victory over Poland to reignite the country’s Euro 2000 qualifying campaign hopes, and went on to triumph 2-1 in a two-legged qualification play-off with Scotland. This was the fourth successive tournament England had qualified for, one of which they hosted.
After enjoying a popular start to his reign, the manager was criticised for his tactical naivety thanks to an unsuccessful Euro 2000 campaign, which featured a 3–2 defeat against Portugal, despite England having taken a 2–0 lead after 17 minutes.
Keegan resigned in October of 2000 with the lowest win record of any permanent England manager, 38.9 per cent, although he did achieve qualification for a major competition.
Glenn Hoddle (1996-1999)
Hoddle ended his three-year reign as Chelsea manager in 1996 when he accepted the England job, and guided the nation to the 1998 World Cup. His reign was fraught with controversy and started with the omission of Paul Gascoigne from the squad, and the appointment of apparent faith healer Eileen Drewery as part of the England coaching staff.
England exited the 1998 World Cup at the round of 16 thanks to a 4-3 penalty defeat to Argentina. Hoddle was criticised for a poor start in qualification for the 2000 World Cup and was subsequently sacked after controversial comments.
Terry Venables 1994-1996
When Venables took charge, the nation team was in disarray having failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. The former Barcelona manager, however, offered the presence, charisma and looked certain to reignite the national team.
As hosts of Euro 1996, the Three Lions didn’t need to qualify, and came into the tournament as one of the favourites. England won three of their five games with the highest point coming against the Netherlands with a 4–1 victory in their final group game.
The team stormed their way into the semi-finals, but suffered heartache at the hands of Germany – losing to Die Mannschaft on penalties as they had done in the 1990 World Cup semi-final.
During his 23 match tenure as England manager, the team only lost once and many pros including Coral ambassador Alan Shearer cite him as their greatest national manager.
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