Quote Originally Posted by Tuerto View Post
Sol Campbell, one of the greatest central defenders to come out of England, world class at one point, ahead of the game by 15 years, got the Macclesfield gig on his 4th attempt at interview process. Macclesfield couldn't even afford a box of tea bags at the time. Could you imagine Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson, John Terry, Frank lampard, Steven Gerrard, Paul Merson, Terry butcher, Gareth Southgate, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, etc, starting at the same level? Neither can I, because they didn't. There's still a mis trust towards black people in positions of power.
I agree that there was a period of time where Sol was world class, appreciate some here don’t think so, but I do.

However the reason he’s not got the jobs you think he deserves is not because he is black, he’s just not a very credible candidate.

Why great players should automatically become great managers is a view that always mystifies me, should great carpenters become great managers of carpenters? Just because they understand what carpenters do, doesn’t make them great managers - most of us can relate to a time where we have worked for someone who understands the mechanics of a role, but they are not great managers - it’s a different skill set.

Sol talks gibberish and does not come across well in the media at all. Two contemporaries of his, off the top of my head that could have made it would be Mark Bright & Les Ferdinand, but they chose ‘upstairs’ roles.

Don’t always agree with Hartley, but I don’t think there has ever been a better time to be a black manager, if that’s what you want and your credible.