Wednesday, October 9, 2024

FA’s support for Lee Carsley blocked any chance of Ireland hiring him

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“I’ve not spoken to a lot of the players, I always think it is better face to face, but with Harry being the captain I thought it was important to reach out,” he said. 

“The conversation will remain private but he was very supportive and looking forward to coming on camp. He is highly motivated to keep doing well, which is brilliant for us. 

“It is really easy to be reactive in a certain period. People do have poor games, people do lack form sometimes. I am not saying he is in that category at all, but there is such an expectancy and weight on him to score the goals and be the leader. 

“I don’t see that being any different. Watching the games he’s played in so far and the condition he has come back in, obviously I’ve only seen him on the tactical cam, he looks like he is in good form and looks really fit. So, that is what I have got to judge on. What happened in the summer, in form or out of form, good tournament or bad tournament, it is gone now. It is about what we do moving forward.” 

‘My biggest strength is coaching’

Carsley will also coach youngsters at the Strachan Football Foundation while he is England manager and will use his sessions in Warwick as a test run for working with Kane and his team-mates. Carsley has been coaching once a week at the academy for students, run by Gordon Strachan, to make sure he is working with players outside the international breaks with the under-21s. 

He plans to continue his work after being appointed interim manager of the seniors, with players meeting up in the next days to prepare for Nations League matches. 

“Coaching once a week gives me the chance to practice what I’m going to do with any teams I’m working with,” he said. 

“So with two games in a window I could be practicing for two months on what I’m going to try rather than in a day. 

“It gives you a chance to try things, experiment and hopefully deliver it when the players are live. I’m going to keep going, yeah. I was there last Friday. It’s like an education and coaching ­centre and I’ve been doing that for maybe three years. 

“The biggest thing you notice when you come and work internationally is that you stop coaching. And I was adamant that wasn’t going to happen to me. My biggest strength is coaching and that is one thing I do not want to stop. 

“It’s trying to make sure I have a couple of hours every week on a Friday morning that I’m able to go out there and try things and get it wrong!”

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