Jason Roberts At It Again

[MuespachRam]

There has been hundreds of black footballers but only a handful of black managers,

many black fotballers have their coaching badges,but never get their feet on the ladder.

Its racism pure and simple,and something has to be done,because it besmirches the

image of football in this country.

It simply isn't racism at all.... If the manager is toilet then he is toilet whether he be black (Barnes) White (Pearce) or alien (dowie!)

[CumbrianRam]

Carlisle have just appointed the a mixed race manager, thankfully it has just been treated like any other appointment.

[Tombo]

Carlisle have just appointed the a mixed race manager, thankfully it has just been treated like any other appointment.

Because for some reason mixed race doesn't count for anything, that's why.

[AmericanRam]

I am all for equality in football and in other sports as well.  Their is no place for racism in football as it detracts from the beauty that is the game, as well as losing support from said game as well.  Racism is not as transparent as perhaps back in the 60's and 70's but it of course is still there.  However, I feel that he is way off base for the most part in his statements.

 

Becoming a manager is not easy, and breaking through is hard regardless of what race you are.  I think this guy and others who spout about racism or prejudice actions in sport and everyday occurrences are more about getting their name in the papers, rather than really furthering their cause a majority of the time.  When a black guy is hired as a manager or something else associated closely with a team, it should not be seen as Hell froze over or a PR move as some may look at it, but rather just a good hire.

 

If a guy is not good enough to be manager, then he is not good enough; racism is not the issue.  With all this being said, I think Powell is doing fine with Huddersfield and good luck to him.

[AndyinLiverpool]

All the arguments set out here - that candidates are only chosen on merit, interviewing black candidates is reverse racism and so on - are the ones made every time something that should be representative of society shows itself to be anything but. Think of the police, parliament etc.

And so progress is inordinately slow. There are too many people who stand to lose out if they are forced to compete equally with all other candidates. Be they old, young, male, female, black, white whatever.

And no I'm not saying you're all racist but if you think this country is meritocratic, you are deluded.

In a country where we let an aristocracy exist and make laws and where we are happy to assume that those who go to fancy schools are natural-born leaders, is it any wonder we like the people who run our football clubs to be just as meritricious?

[Bris Vegas]

There is a simple solution for this:

 

Go on record and call out every black manager that has applied for a club and put forward the reasoning why he deserved the job over the manager who got selected.

 

Then the racist issue will be sorted out.

 

It's like when Michael Johnson complained he didn't get selected because he is black. Now being in the Birmingham set-up I can only imagine he went for that job, yet instead they went for Lee Clarke who guided Huddersfield to successive top six finishes and went on an incredible 30 game+ unbeaten run.

 

At that time, Clarke - widely regarded as a decent young manager at the time - was the obvious choice and Johnson and his zilch experience was not.

 

There are always questions why some managers with little experience get top jobs and it has nothing to do with colour.

 

- Roy Keane - Sunderland - Irish connections and a huge figure in football

- Tim Sherwood - Spurs - former club 'legend', Daniel Levy's good friend and promoted within

- Malky McKay - Watford - on their books, took temporary charge when Brendan Rodgers resigned.

 

This race claim is ridiculous and those who genuinely believe there is a problem are laping up something that simply isn't there. Black managers have been given chances, Terry Connor at Wolves, Paul Ince anywhere after numerous failures and of course Edgar Davids had nothing other than a very respectable reputation as a top player.

[Daz_The_Ram]

Carlisle have just appointed the a mixed race manager, thankfully it has just been treated like any other appointment.

Keith Curle - apart from anything else...is a nut job, and is crap. Carlisle are deaperate. Regardless of his background, he won't last five minutes before he falls out with just about the entire squad.

His lack of a level head couldn't be confused with an issue of race for one second.

[Boycie]

Great, another racist thread.

[GboroRam]

In a country where we let an aristocracy exist and make laws and where we are happy to assume that those who go to fancy schools are natural-born leaders, is it any wonder we like the people who run our football clubs to be just as meritricious?

Yes. I want the next monarch to be black. Who's with me?

[AndyinLiverpool]

Yes. I want the next monarch to be black. Who's with me?

No, let's give it to the oldest son regardless of suitability.

[i-Ram]

No, let's give it to the oldest son regardless of suitability.

Yeah, Villa fan. Bald tosser.

[cannable]

The FA were looking to increase diversity by offering cheaper coaching courses to anybody who wasn't white. I **** you not.

Horrific way of going about it.

[G STAR RAM]

Great, another racist thread.

Well with it being such a big issue in the game it obviously deserves numerous threads.

[maydrakin]

Why should they be given priority?

Surely nobody should be given priority based purely on skin colour!

Poor choice of words on my part - I meant a fair crack of the whip...

[Boycie]

Crack of the whip!?

[G STAR RAM]

Crack of the whip!?

I didn't want to be the one to point that out!

[Boycie]

Jeez, someone will want to get down to the nitty gritty in a minute

[ilkleyram]

I'm largely with AndyinLiverpool on this - football generally operates outside acceptable employment practices that should be part of normal business practice.  It cuts both ways - people (players or managers) find it hard to just give notice to leave, for example, like the rest of us can; the process of transfers and fees is primarily an element of professional sport and football in particular; the importance of governance and transparency in company practice doesn't appear to affect football too much unlike other organisations, though that might be slowly changing and is certainly better than it used to be with the onset of more foreign owners. John Gregory (from us) and Gus Poyet (from Brighton) are the only two managers I can recall ever having been sacked after a formal disciplinary process for example, yet that is standard practice in industry.

 

It's not unreasonable for Jason Roberts and Co to be asking how you get more black/ethnic managers in the game given the greater number of black participants/employees but their cause may be better served if they had a successful role model, which so far has been significantly lacking - black footballers became more prevalent once football clubs saw that they could be good players.  It might also help them if Gordon Taylor, who is hardly the best spokesman, didn't also see this as an opportunity to put his views forward given that he's the players union rep not the managers' rep.

 

I watched football in the 60's and 70's and saw racism in the raw (and to my eternal shame was a participant, as many fans were then if we are honest with ourselves).  That it was socially acceptable and legal then is no excuse.  All Malky Mackay's alleged comments do is persuade those looking on that insidious racism continues to be alive and well within the football industry, even if it has now, thankfully, largely been stamped out on the 'terraces'

[Ramsam]

I'm largely with AndyinLiverpool on this - football generally operates outside acceptable employment practices that should be part of normal business practice.  It cuts both ways - people (players or managers) find it hard to just give notice to leave, for example, like the rest of us can; the process of transfers and fees is primarily an element of professional sport and football in particular; the importance of governance and transparency in company practice doesn't appear to affect football too much unlike other organisations, though that might be slowly changing and is certainly better than it used to be with the onset of more foreign owners. John Gregory (from us) and Gus Poyet (from Brighton) are the only two managers I can recall ever having been sacked after a formal disciplinary process for example, yet that is standard practice in industry.

 

It's not unreasonable for Jason Roberts and Co to be asking how you get more black/ethnic managers in the game given the greater number of black participants/employees but their cause may be better served if they had a successful role model, which so far has been significantly lacking - black footballers became more prevalent once football clubs saw that they could be good players.  It might also help them if Gordon Taylor, who is hardly the best spokesman, didn't also see this as an opportunity to put his views forward given that he's the players union rep not the managers' rep.

 

I watched football in the 60's and 70's and saw racism in the raw (and to my eternal shame was a participant, as many fans were then if we are honest with ourselves).  That it was socially acceptable and legal then is no excuse.  All Malky Mackay's alleged comments do is persuade those looking on that insidious racism continues to be alive and well within the football industry, even if it has now, thankfully, largely been stamped out on the 'terraces'

Good post.

I completely agree with your sentiment about the lack of role models. Michael Johnson (the sprinter) was questioned why black people are so much naturally better than white people at sprinting. He replied that they aren't, it is just that they have had truly inspiring athletes like Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens etc that has given them the belief they can achieve and driven them on to achieve greater things. In football management this hasn't happened yet and quite frankly those that have had the chance have been awful.

I look at the premiership now and see some very good black leaders of people currently playing. Just look at how well Jolean Lescott organised West Brom on Saturday in his first game for them. Vincent Company is another great example of someone who commands the respect of not only his team mates but fans of football around the world. I believe it is only a matter of time before someone like this makes the grade and then the numbers will increase.

[maydrakin]

Crack of the whip!?

Just a saying.

Nothing implicated in it, but another poor choice of words. I'll quit whilst I'm behind...