Management isn’t skin deep

The subject of racism – or should that be perceived racism – in British football is refusing to go away at the moment.

Following on from the Neymar row last week in which the Brazilian star wrongly accused Scottish fans of being racist, there is now a debate raging about whether there should be more black managers in the English game.

Seven days ago, out of the 92 managers in the English leagues, only two were black. That figure is now down to one, following Paul Ince’s departure from Notts County.

This had led some people to wonder why this is and question whether or not enough is being done to encourage black players to move into management.

Personally I find it very surprising that there aren’t more black managers in English football. After all there are plenty of black players in the game (roughly 20 per cent apparently) and we all know that the vast majority of managers grow out of former players.

But I don’t subscribe to the point of view that potential black managers are in some way being discriminated against. I think it is merely a process of natural selection and that we haven’t yet seen enough talented former players of ethnic origin competing for what is, after all, a very limited number of managerial positions.

And I certainly don’t agree with the idea that it’s all the Football Association’s fault for not doing more to encourage black players to move into management. They do plenty from what I hear.

Charlton manager Chris Powell – now the only black boss in the top four leagues – seems to agree.

“People will always look for someone to blame. I’ve come through courses run in conjunction with the FA, but I still feel it’s up to the individual,” he said last week.

“The FA obviously wants more players of ethnic backgrounds to apply for jobs but it will take time.”

And that’s the reality. It will take time.

That’s not to say things shouldn’t be done to encourage retiring black players to move into management. They should. But just as much as retiring white players and retiring English players in general should be encouraged to give it a go.

It’s not about highlighting people on the basis of nationality, skin colour or some other distinguishing feature. It’s about encouraging players from all walks of life to stay in the game and hone their skills. It’s about pinpointing talent in general and nurturing it as far as possible.

I don’t, for example, subscribe to the point of view that introducing positive discrimination will help black managers make the breakthrough. I think that is a concept that is almost as bad as discrimination itself.

Some have suggested, including Professional Footballers Association head Graham Turner, that England should adopt the system used by American football.

Over there, teams are legally obliged to interview at least one ethnic minority candidate for their coaching vacancies.

But that is just ludicrous. If there are no black managers currently up to the task of managing football teams, why force clubs to consider them for such an important role?

In fact, I would argue that doesn’t work in their favour in the slightest and almost certainly works against them. When you are made to interview someone for a job, that person starts off at a natural disadvantage over those candidates that you actually want to speak to.

Ultimately, there will come a time when black managers are as common in English football as black players. But that will only happen through natural selection. As more make it into the game, more will be encouraged to do so.

Yes, things should be done to speed the process along but not at the expense of allowing black managers to gain credibility by making their way up the managerial ladder in the same way everybody else does.

Everybody loves Lionel Messi

I tell you what, that Lionel Messi is a popular little chap isn’t he?

The Barcelona and Argentina star decided to launch his own Facebook page last Wednesday afternoon. (Or, more likely, his marketing people decided it would be a good idea.)

By that same evening the diminutive striker had already amassed a quite staggering 6.5 million followers. And the number was still growing by several thousand an hour.

To put that in perspective, Wayne Rooney, who has had an official page on Facebook for years, has only got 4.5 million fans or ‘likes’, to use the correct terminology.

It all kind of makes my 500 friends seem a little bit sad…

Last week saw the unveiling of the infamous Michael Jackson statue outside Fulham’s stadium.

Fans at Craven Cottage were not too pleased with the new addition to their ground, and understandably so – the American singer had almost entirely nothing to do with the London club.

The supporters’ anger at the entirely irrelevant addition to the ground can’t have been helped when owner Mohammed Al Fayed said at the unveiling that anybody who doesn’t like it can “go to hell”. A fine diplomatic approach and great PR for the former Harrods owner, it has to be said.

But for all the complaints and murmurings there is one consolation that Fulham fans can enjoy. At least it cost the club next to nothing.

They are in a far worse situation just a few miles down the road; Chelsea paid £50 million for their statue…

Out of sync

Here’s a little plea to those nice people at Melita: can you please sort out the synchronisation between the sound and the picture on HD.

With the kids asleep, I settled down to watch the Chelsea vs Manchester United match last Wednesday night in glorious high definition.

And the definition was, indeed, glorious. Unfortunately, however, the sound wasn’t. In fact it was about two or three seconds ahead of the picture. That meant that every time someone was about to do something exciting on the pitch I already knew the conclusion of the move before it actually happened.

As Michael Essien shaped up to shoot, for example, the commentator was already telling me he had missed.

In fact, after 10 minutes or so of trying my best to cope with it, I was forced to downgrade my viewing experience to regular definition. And that’s the equivalent of telling someone who wears thick specs to take them off and keep watching.

I passionately love football in HD. It adds a whole new dimension to being an armchair fan. You can see every blade of grass, every facial grimace. You can even see the reflection of the floodlights in the beads of sweat on Wayne Rooney’s head.

But there’s little point in having such a gorgeous visual experience when sound issues make it practically unwatchable.

Please get it sorted for the return legs chaps.

* Before Chelsea fans write in to complain about my comments, please note that the mere act of me writing those words has ensured Fernando Torres will start scoring for fun from now on. Possibly starting with yesterday’s match against Wigan Athletic. You should be thanking me.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com