Sports Notes - England - FA $#!t or Get Off The Pot - November 2007

Jose Mourinho - Mark Freeman from Hornchurch, UK photo - Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License David Beckham's Money Talks - photo osakasteve Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

MOURINHO'S THE MAN BUT THE ENGLAND FA HAS A RECORD OF POOR JUDGMENT AND BAD EYESIGHT

Friday November 30, 2007

MOURINHOS THE MAN

Around and around it goes where it stops nobody knows. We're talking about the England manager's job wheel of fortune.

You don't need a degree in rocket science to figure out that Jose Mourinho is the ONLY logical choice to fill the now vacant England National team managerial post since Steve McClaren was given his walking papers last week after England failed to qualify for Europe.

When we suggested IN APRIL that Mourinho should leave his battle with Chelsea owner RAMO not Rambo Roman AmbRAMOvich behind him and go manage England though it was the tact it was the wrong time since Mourinho was still trying to coexist with his then boss and England had a manager. But that was then and this is now.

Mourinho exited Chelsea September 20, 2007 and McCalren was fired last week. The result being England needs a quality strong manager with a winning track record and Mourinho is free. On the short list of candidates mentioned for the position there is none more suitable than Mourinho who is considered by many that have played for him as he being the best manager they have ever played for. What manager on the England list of candidates has received tat acclaim?

As we've mentioned numerous times in the past Mourinho knows the players on the England side with several having played for him at Chelsea. He speaks English and has said that he loves England and English football. He is highly respected by fans and players alike. He also said as recently as yesterday that the England FA had not approached him about the position. SAY WHAT!!! What are they doing? Are they in a state of paralysis?

The situation reminds me of an experience I had early in my sports journalism career. In American football the then powerhouse Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders had the best record in the NFL (National Football League) for winning the famous Monday Night Football Game. I asked Raiders Executive Assistant Al LoCasale why that was. His reply was, "We don't believe in paralysis by analysis."

It was a good laugh but after thinking about the statement it made a lot of sense that was stated to me another way in Asia…. You think too much.

Whatever the problem the FA thought too much when they searched for a replacement for Sven-Göran Eriksson. In the process numerous candidates dropped out saying they weren't interested. The result being the hiring of McClaren was almost by default.

England is always touted as one of the top teams in the world but they fail to show up when it's all on the line. They play a lethargic brand of football. When McClaren dropped David Beckham that decision from the start took what little spark the side had out of their game. The players seemed to lose their glitter.

Forget Beckham's celebrity and think about this... have you ever heard of a Beckham teammate saying they didn't like him? His departure set the side back. Forget about his celebrity he has something that England needs to add.

When the World Cup comes around again he'll be 35. Given regular playing time he still can be a factor at that age. His recent injuries are consistent with his lack of playing time at Real Madrid and not being on the England side. He's soft but not broken. He's certainly not breaking down like Michael Owen.

England needs inspiration. They have been inept with all of the changes made during the McClaren era. They need motivation and harmony. If there's anyone that can motivate players it is Mourinho. If there's anyone that can get the remaining miles out of Beckham's tank, it is Mourinho.

Don't bring up that stale old argument that players being paid millions of dollars shouldn't have to be motivated. That's a load of crap. Most everyone enjoys being in a straightforward positive atmosphere, being recognized and appreciated. Mourinho doesn't bullshit. Like it or not he says what he has to say and leaves no gray areas. You know where he's coming from and doesn't dazzle you with bullshit. Players respect and appreciate it. But most importantly he knows the game and wins his record speaks for itself.

Mourinho won four consecutive league titles (two at Porto and two at Chelsea) and also the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup with Porto. For two consecutive years (2004 and 2005), Mourinho was named the world's best football coach by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

Who on the list of candidates can match his record? Then there's the old argument that an Englishman should manage England. GET OVER!!! You can call it what you want, nationalism racism, whatever... the point being that though England lays claim to inventing the game that was before jet planes, television and the Internet. Get the picture? Times have changed and England needs to step up to the times and open their eyes and arms to international thinking and hire the best man for the job even though he isn't an Englishman. That type of narrow-minded thinking went out with colonialism.

There's more. Mourinho has the magical charismatic appeal. His acrid charm can sell England team interest and expand their marketing and merchandising muscle.

Think about this. AEG was a key player in bringing David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy and the MLS. That was a masterstroke for the MLS. AEG did business with 19 Entertainment and Simon Fuller

19 Entertainment is also involved in sports. They entered into an exclusive global joint venture with David and Victoria Beckham. They are largely responsible for Beckham's signing a five-year US $250 million contract with the LA Galaxy of the USA's MLS (Major League Soccer). Their television productions include S Club 7 series (1999-2003), and its spin-off film Seeing Double (2003), Spiceworld film (1998) - starring the Spice Girls, Pop Idol (2001), American Idol (2002-present) and the Idol series, and its spin-off film,

Fuller sold the group of 10 companies in March 2005, to Robert Sillerman's CKX, Inc. in a cash and stock deal worth £100 million ($192 million). Fuller has remained in his role as President of 19 and has become a director of CKX.

Since that time they continued to grow and began handling commercial opportunities for the England national football team (through subsidiary 1966 Entertainment) deal in August 2006 that is a four-year deal.

Though Beckham hardly played this season the team and the MLS have admittedly made more money and they now have International exposure and appeal that they never had.

Put all of those elements together and add Mourinho and what do you have. The answer is A WINNER and that's what England needs. The missing ingredient is Mourinho. END OF STORY…

JIM MURRAY GOLF CLASSIC

The Jim Murray Invitational Golf Classic at SilverRock Resort in La Quinta, Calif., is scheduled to take place on Monday, December 3, 2007. Shotgun Start: 8:00 AM

Celebrities confirmed to play: 2007

Great Ones Honoree Luc Robitaille (NHL), Cheech Marin, Tom Dreesen, Steve Garvey, Charlie Hough, Rosie Casals, Jim Tunney, James MacArthur, Marc McClure, Sinjin Smith Kip Gilman and more ...

Presenting Sponsors: Los Angeles Times/latimes.com, CBS2-TV, Palm Desert, California Bank & Trust, Cadillac/Rydell Automotive Group, Van Nuys

Corporate Partners: Callaway Golf Co., Sullivan's Steakhouse, Mimi's Cafe, The Residence Club at PGA West

Jim Murray's illustrious career began at the New Haven (Conn.) Register after graduating in 1943 from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. After a stint at the now extinct Los Angeles Herald Examiner, he joined Time & Life (Time, Inc.) as the Hollywood cinema correspondent.

Murray, a founding father of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1954, joined the Los Angeles Times newspaper in February 1961. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1990 and was named National Sportswriter of the Year 14 times, 12 in consecutive years.

Murray's outstanding work landed him a spot in the writers' wing of Cooperstown (NY) Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. Murray died August 16, 1998.

FULL STORY