England national football team
manager
The current England manager Fabio Capello
The role of an England national football
team manager was first established in May
1947 with the appointment of Walter Winter-
bottom.[1][2] Before this, the England team
was selected by the "International Selection
Committee",[2] a process by which the Foot-
ball Association (FA) would select coaches
and trainers from the league to prepare the
side for single games, but where all decisions
ultimately remained under the control of the
committee.[3] A 1–0 defeat by Switzerland
prompted FA secretary Stanley Rous to raise
Winterbottom from "National Director of
coaching" to "Manager".[1][4]
Fifteen men have occupied the post since
its inception; three of those were in short-
term caretaker manager roles: Joe Mercer
(seven games in charge), Howard Wilkinson
(two games, a year apart from one another)
and Peter Taylor (one game). In comparison,
Winterbottom held the position for
the
longest to date; a tenure of 16 years, com-
prising four World Cups and a total of 139
matches. Alf Ramsey is the only manager to
have won a major tournament, winning the
1966 FIFA World Cup with his "Wingless
Wonders".[5] No other manager has pro-
gressed beyond the semi-finals of a major
competition.
Swedish coach Sven-Göran
Eriksson became the first foreign manager of
the team in 2001 amid much acrimony;[6][7]
he helped the team to three successive
quarter finals in major championships. The
incumbent is the Italian Fabio Capello, who
replaced Steve McClaren in 2008 after Eng-
land failed to qualify
for the European
Championships.
The England manager’s job is subject to
intense press scrutiny, often including revela-
tions about the incumbent’s private life.[8][9]
Due to the high level of expectation of both
the public and media the role has been de-
scribed as "the impossible job"[3][10] or com-
pared in importance in national culture to
that of the British Prime Minister.[11][12]
Position
Role
The England manager’s role means he has
sole responsibility for