Now that the dust has settled on the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as the new manager of the Three Lions, I feel that it is time to delve into what makes us who and what we are as a footballing nation on the international stage.

There is no doubt that Tuchel is a highly likeable and respected coach amongst his contemporaries. He is also highly regarded within the media as a man who has won trophies at the very highest level in club football, winning major titles at a plethora of clubs including Bayern Munich, PSG, and Chelsea.

Unfortunately, with him in charge I cannot see how we can hold our heads high in the this arena any longer, as rather than look internally we have simply employed a hired gun in an attempt to fast track our way to success which has been so agonisingly close over the last three major tournaments.

After signing his deal in October to become the new England manager we now we find ourselves with yet another foreign coach in charge of our destiny.

It is an experiment that has been conducted twice previously, with both ending in failure, as neither Sven Goran Eriksson or Fabio Capello could scale the heights of the much lesser decorated Gareth Southgate who led us to back to back European Championship finals.

Although he certainly had his own failings, both tactically and as a decisive influence in the matches themselves, I believe that it was his cultivation of unity within the squad and his ability to bring our country together that propelled us forwards through adversity in major tournament football.

Therefore I feel all that was needed was someone that had maybe more experience in dealing with high pressure situations on a more regular basis.

I cannot fathom why Eddie Howe wasn’t even approached by the FA and on lesser note Graham Potter, as these men operate under the bright lights of the Premier League on a weekly basis, which is the current hotbed of club football and has been for many years, with the worlds leading managers and players participating in it.

For these two men to be overlooked for the post just does not seem to make sense, as Howe in particular has done a superb job under a demanding ownership at Newcastle United.

It also rankles that both he and Potter are quite simply one of our own, and that for me is the antithesis of what International Football should be in its purest form, as one country pits its finest representatives against another.

This should be the case with not only the players but also the manager, and all the way through the backroom staff as far as im concerned, as otherwise how are we supposed to exude any essence of pride in our team when we have to rely on another nation to provide us with a helping hand along the way.

Therefore, I believe the role should be filled by someone from our own shores, and now that we have brushed that aside for this appointment it is a sad indictment of the FA who have failed to groom a successor for Gareth Southgate, who despite his tactical flaws as a manager almost led us to the promised land.

It isn’t if they haven’t had the opportunity to do so, with Southgate’s reign lasting a full eight years. With so much young talent in terms of players now shining through it is baffling that the management side of the equation has almost been sidelined as both Eddie Howe and Graham Potter have been palpably ignored, which sends out the completely wrong message to any future managerial prospects we have working their way diligently through the system.

I believe that the sanctity of International football needs to be preserved and if the manager can be of a different nationality then why would it be any different to having a player from a different country make the starting line up itself?

This is what ultimately makes International Football so special as the lure of the club game continues to dwindle in my eyes, as too many players lack loyalty, passion, and chase the highest paycheque.

Step forward the international game where you simply must play for where you are from, or you make a decision based on family ties and eligibility and you must abide by that decision permanently.

This is why World Cup’s and European Championship’s are so unique in the make up of the game we love, as nowhere else will you see so much raw and intense passion.

As all countries are fiercely proud to display their own distinctive identity that has been cultivated by being who and what we are as a country, and when we pit that against another nation in the context of sport, that is where the deep rooted emotion comes from at these events.

Consequently if we were to be successful at the 2026 World Cup with Thomas Tuchel in charge I feel that it will come at a cost.

I could only see it as as England selling its soul for success and any potential victory as two time World Cup winners would always have an asterisk next to its name as we had to have a foreign manager lead us over the line, when any proud nation steeped in football history should have the wherewithal to make it by itself.

In equal measure, being English does not guarantee success either as we have faired rather miserably in the past with the likes of Steve Mclaren and Roy Hodgson, before Gareth Southgate lifted us from the back alleys of the international game.

This is no attack on Thomas Tuchel himself, as he is a fine manager with a great track record. He is also a very likeable character who will no doubt conduct himself professionally throughout his tenure as England manager.

Neither is it an insult to Germany as a country itself, as I had the privilege to travel there for the European Championship’s last summer and it was a fantastic experience. Every city I visited exuded its own unique culture, whilst the people themselves couldn’t have been more vibrant and welcoming, and I will be certainly heading back there to visit in the near future.

With that being said, I cannot imagine the roles being reversed with an Englishman being appointed head coach of the German national team, or any other country for that matter, as all the main powerhouse nations of football almost exclusively employ from within.

Fundamentally it is rivalry’s that make sport as a whole so gratifying when the final result is in our own favour, and as a staunch England supporter it is difficult to comprehend that we have returned to this fallacy that a foreign manager will guarantee success.

It is my belief that either win, lose, or draw, it should ultimately be on our own merit.

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Phil.