Future Coaches

I was having a chat with some friends the other day about who in the current England squad would make a good coach and we really couldn’t come up with anyone. This is probably as we seem to have a bit of a dearth of real leaders and these are the people most usually associate with becoming coaches. I think JW could become a good coach in a specific area such as kicking or potentially the backs but don’t see him ever being ‘the man’. After him the only people I’d guess had the potential could be Thompson or Tindall? Saying that I don’t think many would have had Richard Cockerill down as a future manager so who knows?

I know that future coaches don’t necessarily have to come from the international set up but I thought it would be interesting to look at these players as they are technically supposed to be the best. Personally I’m a bit gutted more of the 2003 team that seemed to be packed with leaders didn’t go on to coach.

Who do you think in your current international squad could end up becoming a decent coach?

Of the 03 era I'd love Will Greenwood to come in and coach the backs. He won't because I don't think he wants to coach at pro level at all, he does really good work coaching kids now and has his sky sports contract and seems pretty happy doing that.

It's perhaps a little early for many of the current team to assess their coaching potential? Remember 03 was "Dad's army" so they were all a bit older I think. The ones you've highlighted from the current lot are the older guys. Loads have taken media positions as well, which is basically the easy way out. They get to say what they would've done without having to back it up with results!

From this Irish team its hard to tell. O'Gara and O'Connell have both spoken about doing it.

I know that Reggie Corrigan, Girvan Dempsey, Anthony Foley are all recent retirees who are coaching within Leinster and Munster.

Its a difficult one as often those who show signs of being a good coach do not materialise and those seemingly totally unsuited to the role make excellent coaches.

Clive Woodward during his playing career was a maverick, someone who would do something great one minute and then follow it up with something dire. Certainly wasn't a team man and was quickly disposed of as a player.

Yet he brought a different mindset to coaching, brought a real professionalism to the England team and certainly should be given more credit then he receives... it doesn't matter whether or not he had talented players... he turned that side from wannabes to conquerers.

Then you look at a person like Roy Keane... everyone thought he was set for management greatness... he had all the attributes apparently, yet is an utter failure.... the same goes from Graeme Souness (but less of a coaching failure).

Sometimes I feel that the best coaches tend to be those who were at best fringe players who had specific inadequacies and were never natural players.. they were those who had to work at their game to compete.

Guys like Woodward, Gatland, Robinson, Cockerill, Mitchell all fall into this category in rugby, in football you can add Clough, Ferguson, Wenger.

Natural players have a tendancy to expect too much from their players.. they can't get the best out of them because to them its easy and they would expect the same from their players.