Forget what pundits say: foreign managers do better in across all four divisions of English football – even though clubs seem to hold them to higher standards
“What does he know about the Premier League?” Two decades on from Arsène Wenger’s arrival from Japan it remains a sneer posed as a question whenever an unknown overseas manager comes to England. Paul Merson and Phil Thompson’s visceral reaction to Marco Silva becoming Hull City manager in January was hardly unique.
Lawrie McMenemy had the same response when Mauricio Pochettino took over at Southampton. It barely matters that under Silva’s watch Hull have a fighting chance of staying up or that Pochettino rapidly proved himself far superior to the man he replaced, Nigel Adkins. Many in English football cling to the notion that British is instinctively a safer option.
Related: Is it time for clubs to end goal bonuses and put players on flexible pay? | Sean Ingle
Related: Art of crossing can still count in an age of crowded penalty areas | Sean Ingle
Continue reading...