The "Rooney Rule" and lack of black managers

[Garawa]

I somehow got linked through to this article on the BBC Sport website from January http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30850026. It asks if there would be more black managers in the game if we introduced a Rooney rule which in America requires the potential hiring club to interview at least one candidate from an ethnic minority. Am I naive in not feeling that there is a problem with the number in managerial positions in the game? I genuinely do not believe clubs welcome them with open arms as players then shut the door when they wish to return as managers. I would happily state that I feel many of the best players in recent years have possibly been from the black community and therefore will have become very popular. They could easily make a better living after football as pundits or even earn enough during their career to not need to go into the cut-throat world of football management! How many managers in this country RIGHT NOW have become managers on the back of a very lucrative playing career over the past 10 years or so. Hardly any!

It annoys me when people try to average these things out. We get the same with stating women in big business are under-represented. Well perhaps they don't want that role in the main? Has anyone looked at the numbers of women that are teachers or in childcare / nursery / caring positions as I bet they will find plenty. Has anyone said men are under-represented in these sectors?

I will take it all back if I see that black managers are being consistently over-looked when they apply but I honestly feel many just don't need the hassle as it is predominantly those who never made millions as players that take the spots.

[CadburyMan]

Not sure that race/colour should enter the equation - it has to be about the BEST person for the job

[Garawa]

I agree. I also think it could work the other way. If you say you have to find a candidate could they end being discriminated against because they weren't there on merit so to speak when before they may not have been selected for interview at one club but get a job at another? I genuinely think if they want and they are good enough there would be no problem. I admire Chris Hughton and Chris Ramsey at QPR seems to be doing a good job and you can't tell me that if Pep Guardiola was blank he wouldn't be where he is?! There is no reason why a black footballer could command some of the highest salaries as a player and then get ignored as a manager.

[fan_of_mulligan]

I think The Rooney Rule should come in so that black and ethnic minority coaches are at least getting interviewed for Managerial Position's, but The Rooney Rule for me is the tip of the iceberg.

I think Black and Ethnic Minority coaches need to get there coaching badges and your working your way up to a UEFA A Coaching Badge, your gaining experience by being a coach at a Premier League / Football League Club and you might be A Reserve Team Manager to start with, then your promoted to First Team Coach, then Assistant Manager and then Manager, look at how many roles Tim Sherwood has had at Tottenham before he got his chance to cut into his teeth into management.

Looking at our own Manager, Justin Edinburgh started off as Player / Manager at Billericay Town, before moving on to, Fisher Athletic, Grays Athletic, Rushden & Diamonds, Newport County before being appointed as Gillingham Manager at the start of the year, perhaps Black and Ethnic Minority Coaches need to do the same apprenticeship and cut your teeth into management at the lowest levels of Non League Football and work there way up to a Conference National Club and then do well there and your managering in The Football League.

The Number of qualified coaches in England compared to Spain and Germany is alarming, The FA Coaching Course's are also that much expensive then our German and Spanish Counter-Part's and I think this is probably one of the things that needs to be addressed - http://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jun/01/football-coach-shortage-england - This article may well be five year's old, but the number of coaches England has compared to Germany, Spain and Italy is alarming.

If Black and Ethnic Minority coaches are getting there coaching badges, there in coaching positions at Football League Clubs and there still getting over-looked for managerial position's then there is defiantly more to this then meet's the eye, but I would still bring The Rooney Rule in, those who are appointed will still be the best manager for the job, but there will be progress and Black and Ethnic Minority coaches will feel that The English Game is going in the right direction.

I also think that British Coaches are being over-looked by Premier League Clubs who have foreign owner's, foreign players, foreign coaches and foreign investor's, can you see someone like Alan Pardew, Steve Bruce, Gary Monk or Sam Allardyce getting the top job at Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or Tottenham ???

[Garawa]

It would be interesting to know what the average pay of a top black player would be in England compared with these other countries, I bet they earn more in England and therefore not need to. Not many players would earn millions then drop down to a yearly salary that was a similar amount to their DAILY salary when they were playing especially if they got more do guest appearances etc with more security!

Many of the top players are black. Forbes listed Ya ya Toure as earning $22m last year (not sure what that is in £) and he clearly won't need to find a job when he retires! This might be given credence by the fact lower down the divisions there are fewer black players in comparison so will likely to see fewer managers coming from them but this section has players that WOULD need a job after they retire.

[Rimshot]

Does that £22m include birthday cakes ? The story about him, the cake and 'disrespect' was probably the lowest point of my personal respect (or otherwise) for EPL.

[Garawa]

I took it with a pinch of salt but then saw later it looked worse when they tried to laugh it off. Looks like is getting argumentative again. Still money no object so double his wages, sorted. If I was on [newly calculated conversion] £14.6 MILLION A YEAR I would buy everyone in the country their own cake! Disgusting, get shot and let him take a pay cut elsewhere. By his standards he has been rubbish this season and should have a performance improvement plan in place like anyone else on £14.6 thousand A YEAR!

[gillsfan1066]

Rooney Rule is a joke, each team has to drag in a couple black gentleman , wine and dine them, interview them, then send them away, there normally some sort of fairly minor assistant at either a collage or pro team,no real chance of getting the job, and then they hire the guy they wanted in the first place, who of course is normally a white guy.
I think there is only one black head coach in the NFL and maybe there has been a total of say 7 all time divided between the 32 teams , and out of intrest 67% of all NFL players are black, but only like 5% of quarterbacks (team leader and most important player) have been non white.

[Garawa]

But again I bet they earn a heck of a lot to warrant not needing to go through all the stress when they retire?!