Another International Job Opening

November 27th, 2007 | by: Daryl |

Big Eck Scotland join the line of countries holding up vacancy signs today, as Alex McLeish has abandoned his post as manager to take over at… Birmingham City. Seems Big ‘Eck has wanted a return to club football ever since Scotland’s close but no cigar Euro 2008 qualification campaign, and Birmingham made him an attractive £30,000 per week offer. But this raises the question: why is it that no-one wants to manage international teams anymore?

McLeish got the Scotland job in the first place after Rangers replaced him with then Scotland boss Walter Smith. Even in the middle of a promising Euro 2008 campaign, Smith preferred to leave international management for the joys of the Scottish Premier League. Now they’ve lost another man to club football, and not even with Rangers but with Birmingham City, a fighting for survival Premiership team with massive doubts surrounding the future of the club. This comes hot on the heels of Dick Advocaat rejecting Australia to stay at Zenit St Petersburg and a general reluctance from managers like Martin O’Neill to take the England job.

The future had looked bright for Scotland, and McLeish seems like a proper patriotic man. But even a World Cup 2010 qualifying draw that looks a little easier than the recent Euro 2008 group couldn’t keep McLeish in a tartan tracksuit. The early favourite to replace him is Billy Davies, recently – and a little harshly – fired by Derby County. What are the chances of Davies rebuilding his reputation with Scotland and then getting a bigger Premiership job?

As well as the superior salaries most clubs can offer (McLeish was on £400,000 a year with Scotland, he can treble that with Birmingham) I’ll bet the time between matches is one of the hardest things about international management. If you lose a club game, you’ve got another game the following Saturday, maybe even sooner. But lose an international and you sometimes have to wait months to put it right.

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Laurie

It takes a special type of character to be a national team manager in Europe. Oddly, I think it takes a Raymond Domenech — bold, intelligent, crafy, and unfraid to piss off everybody in the universe for the good of the team.

(And it also helps if you have really good players at your disposal. There is that.)
kasets

I think most top managers are not interested in managing national teams until they have reached a certain age and would like a slower pace.

For example, I would be very surprise if Mourinho would take the vacant England position. He young and I think will choose a club team shortly. The chase for the Scudetto followed by Champions league then the coppa Italia (just using Italy as an example, could easily be Spain) Takes a great deal out of a manager. It’s a great contrast to the slow tempo of NT duties.

I am not surprised that Capello is considering managing the English NT. I believe his age is a big factor in his decision. He’s won everything with Juve, Milan and Real and now at age 61 would relish the challenge and slower pace of NT duties.

Ciao
http://www.worldcupblog.org Daryl

Agree with that kasets. In a lot of ways international management suits older managers who don’t want the day to day involvement anymore. Especially for someone like Capello who’s been there, done that and got the medals to prove it. On the other side of the coin it explains why someone like McLeish was so keen to get back to club football.
casio

WOW 30k a week? thats amazing man!! I had no idea a manager from a team like Scotland would actually make that much money….oh boy…I think im in the wrong profession!