Big Phil: Yay or nay?

[Guest Wolverine]

Luiz Felipe Scolari has been offered the job of England manager and is discussing terms with the Football Assocation, the BBC has learned.

FA chief executive Brian Barwick was in Lisbon on Wednesday to thrash out a deal with Portugal's Brazilian coach.

 

"We were speaking to Felipe as part of the process of recruiting the next coach and that process continues," said Barwick after flying back to London.

 

Scolari, 57, is out of contract after the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.

 

If he accepted the post Scolari, who led Brazil to victory at the 2002 World Cup, would replace Sven-Goran Eriksson after this summer's tournament.

 

Scolari is thought to have a gentleman's agreement with the Portuguese FA not to commit himself to another job until his current deal runs out in July.

 

But it is understood part of the FA's talks in Lisbon were about waiving this arrangement.

 

Barwick flew back in to London's Heathrow on Thursday but made no comment on when the FA would make an announcement on the situation.

 

An FA spokesman told BBC Sport that talks with the Portuguese FA started in February this year.

 

The spokesman said: "I can confirm that the FA formally approached the Portuguese Football Federation back in February.

 

"The FA chairman Geoff Thompson spoke to the PFF president Gilberto Madail for permission to speak to Mr Scolari and that permission was granted."

 

The FA board is due to meet again on Thursday 4 May and had hoped to be in a position to finalise its selection by then.

 

Scolari's case is believed to have been championed at the highest level within the FA by Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.

 

News that he has been offered the England job will come as a blow to those fans who favour a British appointment.

 

The FA has also held talks with Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren, Bolton's Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley of Charlton and former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill.

 

Last week, the FA claimed it had completed its interview process, and McClaren - part of Eriksson's current England coaching team - was seen as the favourite.

 

But Barwick's trip to Portugal seems to support claims that the FA board was unable to reach a firm decision.

 

Agreeing personal terms with Scolari should not be an issue as the estimated £3m annual salary on offer would represent a big pay rise for him.

 

But the FA's approach raises the prospect of Scolari facing England in Germany this summer as manager-elect, possibly in the quarter-finals.

 

He has helped to knock England out of their past two major tournaments - with Brazil in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, and with Portugal at the same stage in Euro 2004.

 

Scolari is a double winner of the Libertadores - the South American championship - and took hosts Portugal to the final of Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece.

 

Credit: BBC

 

Are the England fans on the board happy with the impending appointment of Scolari? On the one hand, he is by far the most proven and successful manager on the shortlist, with a World Cup victory among his list of achievements. Of course, there are however those who firmly believe that an English manager should manage the country.

 

So, what d'ya think? Are you pleased by this news or would you rather have Steve McClaren as manager?

[Guest Andrew_D]

He's good enough to win us things. For me, yay.

[Guest Jung]

I'd rather have a proven manager, than the best English manager, which isn't saying much.

 

I think he's a top manager, and can get the best out of England on every level.

[Guest PHIZZLE]

Theres no real stand out english manager in the premiership

 

I say if yous can get big Phil give him the job the guy has a proven record

[Guest The Crippler]

When you look at those in the running, the two best choices were quite obvious to me - either O'Neill or Scolari.

 

Scolari has a great track record at both club and International level. Something that McClaren, Allardyce and Curbishley don't have. There's not much denying that any of those three have done well at small clubs but none have been proven on a massive scale. I think some people think it's far easier managing a bigger club or team than a smaller team. It isn't. The pressure is far greater and you are coaching better players and must work harder to gain their respect.

 

Some of the comments I've read from fans and even football managers the last day or two have been downright xenophobic. The only thing I think Scolari doesn't have going for him is I believe he's lacking in his command of the English language and whilst it's vital to communicate, he can work on improving his English.

[Guest Jung]

Apparantly he's been learning English over the last few months, and he seems very dedicated, so I imagine he'd pick it up pretty quickly. Certainly enough to command a team.

 

I think when Scolari finishes ideally in say 4-5 years time, then by all means give it to someone like Stuart Pearce, who'll have more experience, and more understanding.

 

But giving it to an English manager now, would just be a mistake, because they aren't good enough.

[Guest Wolverine]

His English is reasonably good - he recently had a ten minute interview on Five Live, and he was certainly coherent enough.

[Guest Inno]

That's one up on Steve McLaren already then.

[Guest The Crippler]

Well if his English is better than I thought then that's even better for England and even less reason for opposition to his appointment.

[Guest Boyo]

Even as a Welshman I'm happy for England that they've got Big Phil as the new manager. Well, I'm happy that they've offered the job to him firstly.

 

McLaren, Curbs and Fat Sam are all jokers. Not even Newcastle are considering these clowns for their vacancy and Newcastle are slowly becoming a parody of a football club.

 

If Big Phil does take the job then England will have hired a man with huge cojones, who has guts, who commands a changing room without parallel. Crumbs! The man dropped half the Portugese national team one game into Euro 2004 because they lost to Greece in the group stage.

 

At least it will be Phil's-Balls in charge now, and not Golden-Balls.

 

Thank heavens David Dein knows what he's doing.

 

Cheers!

[Evil Gringo 279]

He managed the Portugese side that beat us in Euro 2004...

 

He's won a World Cup and a Copa America...

 

He is a great character and unafraid to make big decsions regarding big name players like Figo and Romario in the past...

 

For god's sake give him the job!

[Guest Craig Van Dam]

He managed the Portugese side that beat us in Euro 2004...

 

He's won a World Cup and a Copa America...

 

He is a great character and unafraid to make big decsions regarding big name players like Figo and Romario in the past...

 

For god's sake give him the job!

 

He also managed the 10 man Brazil team that knocked us out of World Cup 2002

 

I would prefer an Englishman however as documented none of the candidates have the credentials that Scolari has, so yes I think he should get the job

[BRM 220]

When you look at those in the running, the two best choices were quite obvious to me - either O'Neill or Scolari.

 

 

Mcleish has a as good a redcord in scotland as o'Neil not to mention has got rangers into the last 16 of the Champions League, he's out of work in the next few weeks.

 

Give it To McLeish!

 

But yeah Scolari, better choice than Mclaren in my opnion, so yay from me.

[Guest Wolverine]

He's said whilst in charge of Brazil that if he found out that one of his players was a homosexual, he'd throw him off the team. :D

 

He's also a huge admirer of General Pinochet and openly tells players to hack the opposition.

 

He's my type of coach.

[Guest The Crippler]

From the BBC Sport:

England and Preston legend Sir Tom Finney wanted to see a home-grown appointment.

 

"I would personally like to see Martin O'Neill appointed," said Finney.

 

"I'm quite surprised there could be another foreign manager after Eriksson.

 

"It's sad to see they've gone abroad for a manager when England taught the rest of the world how to play the game."

 

Only slight problem with that, Sir Tom, is that the guy you've suggested is Northern Irish! So that goes against the rest of what you said.

 

The rest of the comments (mainly from English managers) have kind of astounded me. They are very much against this and to me it just smacks of bitterness.

[Guest The Genetic Jackhammer]

If I was an England fan (which im not thnak god) I would like to have Big Phil to take over as manager whats the point in hiring a crappy english manager just for the sake of it??

[Guest Inno]

to amuse the rest of the world?

[Guest Wolverine]

And ... it appears that the poll was slightly premature. BBC report that:

 

Luiz Felipe Scolari appears to have ruled himself out of taking over as England coach after the World Cup.

 

"The English FA is going to choose a name. My name isn't one of them because I'm closing this matter here," he said.

 

"I was very pleased they considered me, but definitely at this time I want to draw a line under this matter."

 

Looks like you're getting Steve McClaren after all then! :lol

[Guest Jung]

Well done English media for hounding out a top manager.

 

If this means we get a goon like Steve McLaren in charge, then well the media only has themselves to blame when we don't win another World Cup or Euro Championships.

[Guest Boyo]

The FA, whilst making an awesome decision to bring in Big Phil, have made a terrible mis-judgement upon offering him the job.

 

Guys, just like you don't tell the current England manager that he's out of a job, before a World Cup, and that you are looking to announce his successor, before a World Cup, because he got stitched up by our horribly partizan, cruel, and racist tabloid media - in a World Cup year - you don't go out and try to nab another country's manager, in a World Cup year, what, about six weeks before it starts.

 

The FA have made blunders. Peter Reid, Steve Bruce, Alan Curbishly, and Sam Allardyce have shown themselves up to be an old-boys network who think it's their divine right to manage England because they're English. Reid and Bruce talks about disappointment; to paraphrase the immortal F365 today...Reid, Bruce ask fans of Sunderland, Leeds, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield and Birmingham what they think of disappointment :lol.

 

The biggest thing the FA have done, in my opinion, is show themselves to lack class. Big Phil has shown himself to have tons of it. He's not even refusing to discuss the job until after the World Cup, he's refused it outright simply because of the English FA's lack of class, approaching him and disrupting, potentially, Portugal's World Cup.

 

He's a legend.

 

Cheers!

[Guest Nicole]

Doesn't bother me, I'd like someone who was english, even if it is McClaren. I'd rather have someone with a passion for the english game personally.

[Guest Boyo]

Do you agree with Ian Wright when he said he'd rather have an English manager and not win anything than have a foreign manager and win the World Cup?

 

Cheers!

[Guest Nemesis Enforcer]

I'm actually glad that Big Phil didn't get the job, for one he dosen't speak very good Engish! (which isn't a good start to be the Engish manager) and secondly, ok he won the world cup with Brazil, but lets face it anyone would have won the cup with Brazil they were the best team there in 2002, I would have won it with them!

Ad Portugal, they are one of the best teams in Europe so its no big suprise they went to the final on Euro 2004 under Scolari.

 

I want to see an Engish manager have the England job, people say they don't have enough talent, that didn't stop Hollandand Germany putting their managers in place and those two had never managed a team in their lives before getting the national jobs! and I don't see them doing too badly

 

Its simply a fact that managers from other counties don't have the same passion for England to do well, and why should they, its just a way to make to money for them, if England fail they simply move on and think oh well never mind not caring what the fans felt

[Guest Saz]

Regardless of the person, they will never live up to the expectation generated by the media, so whoever it is is going to be f***ed up the ass before they even start.

 

When we lose the premiership mentality of "will win because my money says so" in continental football, we might actually win something.

 

Respect of our opponents goes a long way to understanding and eventually defeating them.

 

We have no respect for anything but the English game, therefore this world cup we will lose, we will, lose as we always will and Ericsson will be the scapegoat to hide the fact that we do not have people who can play football on the international level but talk the talk on an international level.

 

Our media have ruined all forms of competition...

 

Killed it dead

[Guest Nicole]

What did you expect the papers to do? Not make a big fuss? I'm totally not suprised by the reaction, and I felt it was a very normal thing to do. Theres always going to be media speculation and yaddah, and thats just something that comes with the game. If you don't expect it, then your bloody naive.