Whelan - No Foreign Manager For Me

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan is quoted in today`s Sunday Mirror as saying that he would never appoint a non-British manager at the Latics.

Speaking ahead of this afternoons game at Goodison Park Whelan was full of praise for Latics boss Steve Bruce and his Everton counterpart David Moyes and he also cited Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Aston Villa`s Martin O`Neill as examples of good practice.

Whelan was also critical of the fact that England have a manager not of these shores and says that being the home of football we don`t need foreign managers, he says:

'I don't just think British managers are the equals of their foreign counterparts, they are better - and what Steve and David are doing for their clubs proves that.

'Then there's Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Martin O'Neill at Aston Villa.

'We've got the best managers in the world here - English, Welsh, Irish and Scots.

'I'd never entertain a foreign manager for Wigan and I don't think it's right that England have a foreign manager either.

'We're the home of football. I can't believe that we need foreign managers

'I wouldn't go anywhere near one because I don't accept you must go abroad for your boss.

'Steve Bruce is too good for England - I am deadly serious.'

Now to turn your back on 'others` just because they aren`t from where you are is very narrow minded and I believe dangerous, to think that we cant learn from as Whelan puts it 'foreign managers` is ridiculous, some of the worlds best tacticians are not from the British Isles, indeed three of the top four clubs in the Premier League are managed by non-Britons

Whelan spoke fondly of Roberto Martinez, the current Swansea City boss, recently and I know the majority of Latics fans would love to see Martinez lead the club at some point in the future, does Whelans comments mean that this could never happen or does he make an exception because Bob was 'coached` in coaching on these shores and he is a mate of his?

To say we don`t need foreign bosses is touching on becoming a little xenophobic and with the number of players from outside the UK on the Latics books Whelans comments smack of hypocrisy to me.




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