[STORY] The World of Football Management - Chapter 5 - Pride of England

[Mark]

Last Updated: 14th July
BREAKING NEWS

ENGLAND APPOINT MARK HENDERSON AS MANAGER

The Football Association have today confirmed that a replacement has been found to take over as the new England football manager.

Following a disastrous European Championship campaign, Roy Hodgson swiftly resigned from the job and left the FA searching for a replacement with the start of qualifying for the next tournament taking place in just two months time.

The likes of Jurgen Klinsmann, Glenn Hoddle, Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce had all been heavily linked to the job but the man that FA has chosen is a name that nobody had expected to be hired, particularly after a very short spell at Manchester City.

Mark Henderson will be a underwhelming name tasked with restoring the pride into the national team. He may have tarnished his reputation after losing his job at the Etihad after just 25 games but there is no doubting his passion for the game and the silverware that he has achieved during his time in the game to date.

It all started at Alfreton Town for the new England manager where turned the fortunes of the club from mid-table obscurity in the Conference to an established Championship side, all while never pending a single penny on a player. On the way, he picked up the title in the Conference and League Two and steered the club to promotion from League One via second place.

His time at Alfreton came to an abrupt end with the team in the Championship but Henderson then moved abroad to try his hand elsewhere. 15 years in Germany followed in which he oversaw a rebuilding project at Hoffenheim before leading them to the Bundesliga title. Prior to that, he'd led the German club to a runners-up spot in the league as well as in the German Cup and the German League Cup. In his final couple of seasons, Henderson jumped ship to take over VfB Stuttgart, leading them to a 3rd place finish and a runners-up spot in the German League Cup. But he soon tasted glory once again as Stuttgart won the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the UEFA Cup!

Having now announced himself on the international stage, Henderson returned 'home' to England to take over at Stoke City. Promising to blood a young squad at the Britannia Stadium, much like the failed efforts of England in recent times, Henderson endured a tough start to his debut in the Premiership but there's no doubting the rewards that followed. Stoke City won the Premiership title, finished 2nd once and 3rd twice. The club also won both the FA Cup and League Cup as well as picking up three runners-up medals across both competitions. Henderson also matched the achievement with Stuttgart and went one further in winning the UEFA Cup twice, the Inter-Toto Cup twice but was runners-up twice in the Super Cup. His crowning glory though was success in the Champions League.

For years, it seemed as though everything Henderson touched turned to gold but even he couldn't salvage his job at the next project at Manchester City. Tasked with an offensive line-up, Henderson seemed to struggle at adapting his tactics and although there were runners-up medals in the Inter-Toto Cup, the hierarchy at the Etihad fired Henderson for only the second time in his career.

While there are a number of England supporters disappointed with the appointment on the back of that spell at Man City, it's well worth remembering that Henderson has delivered teams that play attractive football and also work hard off the ball at the same time. Are these traits that you saw at the European Championships?

He has also shown a ruthless streak in his dealings in the transfer market. Players who fans had become accustomed to were suddenly sold when Henderson felt that they no longer bought into his ambition or were simply not good enough. Doesn't that remind you of one famous Scottish manager at Old Trafford? Granted, working in the transfer market is not the same but these are traits that every England supporter bemoans a lack of when it comes to selecting the more 'established' names in the England squads.

More information about the appointment will be announced tomorrow when Mark Henderson faces the media for the first time. If you have any questions to ask the England boss, share them with us below.

[AMC]

Interesting stuff, I assumed someone may start an England story after the Euros, are you doing the Three Lions challenge or is this entirely your own concept? How are you going to manage not wheeling and dealing too?

[CMAdventurer]

The very best of luck! Being England manager usually guarantees failure, so let's see if you can reverse that trend.

[Redknapp69]

Shouldn't this be Chapter 6?

Can you manage the U21's/B Team as well?

A few questions from the baying public............


1 - What is the system you will be playing? Given this is one (of the MANY) reasons why Roy was sacked the expectation is you should know what formation and type of footie you want to play!

2 - Will your team be based on reputation/form?

3 - Can you please ensure you do not cripple Sturridge like Roy did!

4 - Will you be playing players in the position they excel in - another reason why the former maanger failed miserably

5 - Will you ensure your best set piece players will be on set pieces?!

6 - Are you keeping any of the "existing" coaching staff?

7 - Are you gonna jump ship every 2 seconds like your last "challenge" or are you in this for the long haul?!

8 - Do you plan to bring back to "Home Nations" cup?

9 - What can be done to bring team spirit back to England?

10 - Apart from John Barnes rap - are you going to be putting out a tender for a song to beat this one by the mightly Welsh?!

[Kingsley]

Am I allowed to wish you the worst of luck

Like others, I'm interested to see what, if any, restrictions that you put on yourself. I can't help but think that just managing England is too easy for a World of Football Management story.

[Redknapp69]

Maybe it's a Stoke filled English XI

[AMC]

Crouchy does have a great international scoring record.

[Akitt]

Interesting new idea, I shall be keeping my eyes on this one. Good luck, with England you're gonna need it

[kuy]

Do you feel your inexperience at international level will be a disadvantage?

Who do you think are England's best players, and what is the biggest weakness in the squad?

How long is your contract? What are you hoping to achieve?

[ZanSnake]

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

And if that tree is England falling at every tournament, and no one has been able to fix it, what is your plans to ensure we can achieve better?

Who is your striker partnership, if you have one,or main threat for attack?

[CMAdventurer]

Will Emile Heskey feature in your plans?

Have you found Harry Kane yet, who has been missing since May 2016?

How do you plan to deal with the heckling that will inevitably come from Kingsley?

[Kingsley]

Would you consider a fans ballot for players to include in the squad ? (Previous managers have taken the advice of the media which hasn't worked)

If there is a ballot, can I create 100 new accounts so that I can influence that ballot ?

Great success can be achieved from a sweeper formation and I think that Rooney would be the ideal sweeper. Is this something that you would consider ?

[Mark]

Redders - Nope, not chapter 6 because the last story was ruined and therefore incomplete. I'll start a new one with the same concept someday but didn't fancy doing it all again.

Interesting stuff, I assumed someone may start an England story after the Euros, are you doing the Three Lions challenge or is this entirely your own concept? How are you going to manage not wheeling and dealing too?

You assumed right! It's my own story, I've no idea what the Three Lions challenge is.

The very best of luck! Being England manager usually guarantees failure, so let's see if you can reverse that trend.

Maybe in real life although I suspect I won't make it easy for myself

Am I allowed to wish you the worst of luck

Like others, I'm interested to see what, if any, restrictions that you put on yourself. I can't help but think that just managing England is too easy for a World of Football Management story.

That's true but then you forget that this is me playing CM

Maybe it's a Stoke filled English XI

I wish We don't have enough English players!

Crouchy does have a great international scoring record.

Too right he does! Cruelly overlooked since Sven quit.

Interesting new idea, I shall be keeping my eyes on this one. Good luck, with England you're gonna need it

I will!

[Mark]

Last Updated: 15th July
HENDERSON'S FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE

Dan Ashworth: Welcome everybody! As announced yesterday evening, we are delighted to appoint Mark Henderson to the role of England's new football manager. Please give him a hearty welcome!

In his first press conference after being announced as Roy Hodgson's replacement, Mark Henderson looked calm and assured as he strolled on to the stage and began to field questions from the media.

Q: Will Emile Heskey feature in your plans?
Seriously, we're starting with that?! Well, as far as I am aware, Heskey is playing at Bolton right now. If he's playing well enough and playing at a better standard than other strikers then I see no reason why he can't be selected.

Q: Mark, did you apply for the England job?
Of course! I'm not sure if the panel even had my name in consideration to begin with but I thought I had something to offer so I threw my name into the hat.

Q: Are you going to manage the Under 21's and the B Team as well?
In all honesty, I hadn't thought that far ahead. I think if I don't, it'll be a very good idea to bring some young and vibrant coaches into the set-up who can look after that side of things. I've a little time to work something out for that.

Q: How long is your contract? What are you hoping to achieve?
The terms of the contract is being kept under wraps. Everybody knows that football is a fickle world these days and a contract doesn't mean a great deal. A manager can be fired at any time and a manager can resign at any time, it doesn't mean they'll be around for that length of time.

Q: Are you keeping any of the existing coaching staff?
Well, Gary Neville and Ray Lewington have already left along with Roy so that doesn't leave me with much to work with. I also understand that Gary Lewin and Ian Beasley have left the set-up as well so there's no doubt that I'll need to bring in some replacements.



Q: What is the system you will be playing? Given this is one (of the MANY) reasons why Roy was sacked the expectation is you should know what formation and type of footie you want to play?
There's no doubt that I will try to put across a particular style of play. What that will be remains to be seen though!

Q: How do you feel about being the man tasked to save the England squad?
I don't know about saving the England squad but I'm immensely proud to sit here before you in charge of my home nation. There's no doubting that the last few tournaments have been a massive disappointment to the supporters and I sit here as one of them. I know that we need to restore the pride that we once had in the team and that's what I'm here to do.

Q: How do you expect to go about that?
Well, I have plans for how I select the teams for the matches. I'm sure there were one or two raised eyebrows when Jack Wilshere was named in the squad despite barely completing a game, that Jordan Henderson was included when he'd been out with a knee injury, that Danny Welbeck would no doubt have made it into the squad when he'd also been injured for the majority of the season and that Marcus Rashford got into the squad despite only a handful of first team appearances. There's no doubting that these guys all have the talent, I'm not saying that in the slightest, but I do believe that there are a huge number of players out there who have showed passion in their game and they were cruelly overlooked. Danny Drinkwater, part of a team that won the English title, is a prime example.

Q: So Danny can expect a bright future on the national scene under your management?
No, I'm not necessarily saying that at all. Nobody has the right to play and keep a place in the team. What happened with Wayne Rooney being pushed into midfield despite no experience there in the national team was a mistake. We know that he can play there but it disrupted the team when he has been leading the line for years. It's through no fault of his own and Wayne will play where he's asked to. I'm just saying that players need to play in their own positions and nobody can take their position for granted.

Who is your striker partnership, if you have one,or main threat for attack?
I honestly cannot say right now. As far as I'm concerned, the records of previous appearances for England are out of the window. The new season has yet to start and I'll be selecting my strikers based on their efforts once it gets underway.

Q: Have you found Harry Kane yet, who has been missing since May 2016?
*Chuckles* That's a funny one. I have a lot of respect for Harry Kane and I'm sure he's just as frustrated as the rest of us that he didn't perform at the tournament. It's a massive shame for him after two great seasons with Tottenham. I just hope he can keep that going for Spurs and then perhaps he will continue to be involved in the set-up.



Q: Will your team be based on reputation/form?
It'll definitely be based on form. Why would you pick someone who isn't performing for their club? It's certainly not going to be about their reputation.

Q: Who do you think are England's best players, and what is the biggest weakness in the squad?
If the right squad is picked then there are no weaknesses. I won't comment on any weaknesses in the squads that Roy Hodgson picked in the past. As for the best players, I'll challenge all English players to show me that they can be the best.

Q: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Surely it makes a sound regardless of whether there is nobody around to hear it. Move on please, it has no relevant to this press conference.

Q: And if that tree is England falling at every tournament, and no one has been able to fix it, what is your plans to ensure we can achieve better?
Ah, so that's what you were getting at... Well, I just hope to put a bit of pride back into the shirt. Defeats can happen but it's the way you are beaten that has been an issue. I think as long as the players can show that they have given their all in every game then the supporters can at least take some satisfaction out of that. Not that I expect us to be losing!

Q: Will you ensure your best set piece players will be on set pieces?
I'm sure Roy had his reasons for putting Harry Kane on corners and free-kicks. It was a bit of an odd one and I'm sure everyone agrees that Harry should be getting on the end of those deliveries.

Q: Will you be playing players in the position they excel in - another reason why the former manager failed miserably.
That's true. I've mentioned before about players being shoe-horned into the side and I don't want any of that. I don't believe in playing square pegs in round holes, it just doesn't work. I can understand managers in the past saying that there wasn't enough quality out there for certain positions and that may be so if you look across the Premiership but that doesn't mean there isn't someone who is a natural player for a particular position and can't do a job there.

Q: What can be done to bring team spirit back to England?
While I think they need to build that off the pitch, it also needs to happen on it. They need to show that they'll work for each other and if you've got that on the pitch then the rest will take care of itself.

Q: Do you feel your inexperience at international level will be a disadvantage?
I don't see why not? Do you need international experience to succeed? Look at the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Low, who did they manage before taking over the Germany squad? Exactly.

Q: How do you plan to deal with the heckling that will inevitably come from Kingsley?
Ah, I have known Kingsley for a very long time. I am sure he will respect the fact I am managing my home nation just as he did during his glory days with Scotland. I just hope I can reach the same level as his time up there.

Q: Can you please ensure you do not cripple Sturridge like Roy did!
Let's just say that if he's fit and playing well enough, he'll be in my squad. If he isn't, then he won't be involved. I won't take any chances on players who have been injured or are injured when I select my squads.



Q: Would you consider a fans ballot for players to include in the squad ? (Previous managers have taken the advice of the media which hasn't worked)
I don't think there'd be much point in my sitting before you today if we were to allow the supporters to pick the team. Hopefully they'll have faith in my abilities either way!

Q: Do you plan to bring back to "Home Nations" cup?
That's entirely down to the FA, I'm afraid. I think it'd be great to play in that sort of thing but I have no control over friendlies.

Q: Great success can be achieved from a sweeper formation and I think that Rooney would be the ideal sweeper. Is this something that you would consider ?
The sweeper system is an interesting one. I've yet to work out what system I'll be looking to adopt but if I felt happy to play the sweeper, I'd play it. But no, Rooney won't be playing there.

Dan Ashworth: Thank you everyone, I think we'll call it a day there. There were some very odd questions from the audience but it's been a pleasure either way. Now let's allow Mr. Henderson to get on with his job!

[Redknapp69]

Brilliiant stuff Mark - like the Studge photo as well

[Mark]

Just to confirm guys, I've holidayed through the first season so that the Euros are out of the way. So I'm realistically starting in July 16

[kuy]

Great press conference, nice to see a manager taking time to respond to the fans

Just to confirm guys, I've holidayed through the first season so that the Euros are out of the way. So I'm realistically starting in July 16

I was going to ask what database you were using!

[Mark]

I'm using the latest database but I tried to change the start year to 2016 in the patcher but it gave me friendlies to begin with. I then found that if I holidayed in start year 2015 for a year, it gives me a realistic set of fixtures for the WC qualifiers

[Kingsley]

I hope that we get more press conferences from Henderson

[Mark]

I will try Would be a nice touch to get you guys asking questions actually.

[AMC]

Nice start to the story and some very good and thorough answers.

FYI, The Three Lions challenge sees you manage England for 3 World Cups and 3 Euros, but you can only use players from the Championship or below.

[Vèrkûh]

Without dozens of pages to read (first), I'll follow this story with great interest.

Go Mark!

[Mark]

Nice start to the story and some very good and thorough answers.

FYI, The Three Lions challenge sees you manage England for 3 World Cups and 3 Euros, but you can only use players from the Championship or below.

I'll probably end up giving it a crack at some point!

Without dozens of pages to read (first), I'll follow this story with great interest.

Go Mark!

[Beardo]

Did you not Manage England many moons ago, with only lower division players.

[Mark]

Once upon a time, yes! It was a story on the old servers.