The appointment of Thomas Tuchel as England manager has upset many supporters. — Photo courtesy of The Football Association

Paul Kennedy

England’s many knuckle draggers are well and truly up in arms right about now.

And I’m not just talking about the one-brain-cell per person supporters that follow the national football team, but also the right-leaning pundits, former managers and ex-players who are going into meltdown because the new England manager is not just a Johnny Foreigner, but a German to boot (or should that be Das Boot?).

Bavarian Thomas Tuchel was this week announced as the new manager of England, signing an 18-month contract to lead the national team to the World Cup in 2026.

Cue the angst, fury and uproar. The backlash has been deafening.

Take Darren for example, a QPR supporter who called TalkSport’s phone-in on Wednesday incandescent with rage.

“That’s it, it’s all over,” he declared before revealing he’d just thrown his US$500 worth of England tracksuits in the bin.

I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it.

Who cares where the England manager is from as long as he is successful? And who cares if he is from a country that England went to war with…. more than 80 years ago?

I understand that some of the best international football teams, like Brazil, Germany and Spain have only ever been managed by people from those countries.

But here’s the deal, and you might not like it. Are there any English managers as good as Tuchel? Sorry, the answer is a firm no.

Graham Potter’s name was mentioned as a possible candidate, but he’s not worked since he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 after losing 11 games.

Eddie Howe was another, but let’s be honest, he’s not exactly turned Newcastle United into world beaters since he joined three years ago.

And all these supporters complaining right now need to look at their own domestic clubs.

Currently, out of the 20 teams in the Premier League, only five are managed by Englishmen with three quarters, foreigners.

The last Englishman to win the Premier League? Well guess what, it’s never happened.

Howard Wilkinson did win the title at Leeds United in 1992, but that was the year before the Premier League had even begun.

Get over it, England fans, and get behind the new boss. He’s the best you could have hoped for. — VNS