Winners Breed Winners

The Man,The Legend,The Coach

If you have ever read my blog you will know how much I love Gary Neville, so the news that Roy Hodgson hired the ex Manchester United right back to his coaching staff was a great way to start off my week. I am an Englishman but one that has lost all faith and interest in our national team due to the clowns at the FA, the boring tactics implemented by various managers, and our venomous media who try to ruin or scupper any chance we have of winning a major tournament. All three components and the fact that the players seem to show no interest in wearing the shirt, has seen me watch far fewer games than I used to, but with Neville on board my fire has been reignited.

The Few Good Moments!

So how has a player, who in his book stated that he never really enjoyed his time with the national team, been hired on to the staff? I live in America, which means I have to listen to Warren Barton instead of Gary Neville analyze football matches. I am not slating Barton because I actually enjoy his work but he is no Gary Neville and looking on my time line on Twitter, I am not the only one. Arsenal, Chelsea, even Liverpool fans, are tweeting that they enjoy the former Manchester United players work even though it kills them to say so. The reason for this is the fact that he gives the average football fan an insider’s view into the modern footballer. We can listen to Graeme Souness or Phil Thompson all day but the game has changed since their day and Neville is a breath of fresh air in that regard. He has been there and done it, and the way he breaks down teams during games, especially on Champions League nights, is fascinating to me. Playing against the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, he learned so much. He has experience not only in the Premier League but in European competition and understands the tactics they like to deploy; Hodgson must have recognized this and that’s gone a long way to why he asked Gary to join his staff. It doesn't stop there though, he only retired last season so he has seen the old school, working man’s, footballer die and be replaced by these Hollywood superstars which is something the older analysts find harder to come to terms with, even the more youthful Jamie Redknapp at times. England fans sometimes forget players are only human and sometimes football is not always fun and feels like a job. Wayne Rooney doesn't just play football for a living, he has to live with pressures the average man doesn't deal with, with other commitments he has to find time for, and sometimes it must feel like enough is enough . So, being away with England during big tournaments just adds and intensifies all of the pressure, and this is why we sometimes see why players retiring early from international football. In his biography, Gary pointed out some off the field mistakes that previous managers have made in past tournaments, an example was Hoddle and his idea to bring in people to entertain the squad like they were away at Butlins. You have to understand that they probably want a break, to be on a beach, away from the training ground, with their families and friends, instead of the people they have seen for the last 9 months. Fans will bring up the amount of money as an argument against players being tired of football, but they are human and only want a break from the pressures of top flight football. Neville will steer Hodgson in the right direction in this regard and inform the manager of the activities that the squad could be doing in their spare time to keep morale high in the exotic Ukraine.

 One of the many moments
of heartache!

We can talk about all the intangibles that he brings to the England set up but the one obvious reason why he hired the Bury native is his CV. This piece of paper clearly states he is a winner, with Eight Premier League titles,  3 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 World Club Cup, and 1 Champions League medal in his own personal trophy cabinet. English people talk about footballers having passion, pride, grit, and determination but never about winners, why? Gary Neville is a winner and the more we have around our national team, and the new national football academy in Burton, the better. Capello and Sven are winners no question, but they are not English and our boys couldn’t relate. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and Jack Wilshere can look at their new coach and relate to the path that he took being an Englishman, a very successful one at that which may inspire them to greatness.

The man is a winner!

Overall, I cannot speak highly enough of this appointment made by Roy Hodgson. Hopefully, the new England boss carries on making these kinds of decisions in the future, if he does his tenure will be one to look back on with great fondness and I may even regain that passion for our beloved Three Lions.