Lee Carsley has attempted to explain why he is so reluctant to say whether or not he wants the England manager job on a permanent basis, insisting that it comes down to professional focus.
The interim manager has held the same caretaker position previously at Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham and admits that he spent so much energy thinking about what might happen to him in the longer term at those clubs that he forgot to do the job in hand.
Carsley spoke after his England team had won 3-1 in the Nations League against Finland in Helsinki, a riposte of sorts after the chaotic 2-1 Wembley defeat against Greece last Thursday.
“I’m definitely reluctant because in the past when I have done this caretaker or interim role, I have gone so far down the ‘I don’t want the job [or otherwise]’, I’ve actually not done the job,” Carsley said. “It’s important that I keep an open mind because in that case I’m not being reckless with my decisions [in terms of the team]. I’m thinking thoroughly about how the team should play, the squad I should pick, which is a challenge.”
Carsley is expected to return to his role as the England Under-21 manager when his interim spell ends with the seniors after the third and final set of Nations League group ties in November. Serious doubts have emerged in recent days over whether he wants the main job permanently. The truth is that Carsley did little to clarify his feelings on Sunday, his attempts to steer a steady course seeing him veer between the two poles.
“People are always going to try and put their chips on one side,” Carsley told ITV. “I’m in the middle. My bosses have made it totally clear what they need from me. This job deserves a world-class coach that has won trophies and been there and done it and I’m still on the path to doing that.”
Carsley was asked to explain what he meant by this, because he would not appear to be a world-class coach yet. Did he feel that the permanent job might be too soon for him?
“Definitely not,” he said. “I tried to make it as clear as I could. My remit was for three camps [as the interim]. The point I was trying to make is it is one of the top jobs in the world. I’m not a part of the process [to make the appointment] but it deserves a top coach.”
It was also put to Carsley that people might have interpreted his comments to ITV as ruling himself out. Was that the wrong assessment? “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “Like I say, it’s important that I do the best that I can. It’s a privilege to do this job. I feel well trusted. It’s a great job and whoever gets it will be fully deserving.”
Carsley made it clear that the constant talk about what might happen was not wearing him down. “No, no. I can definitely understand why you [in the media] would be frustrated by it. Definitely I can understand that because, like everyone, clarity is what everyone’s looking for in this process.
“I think my remit was really clear in terms of the three camps. I’m not someone that’s constantly saying to John [McDermott, the Football Association’s technical director]: ‘Can I have an update?’ Because the job is difficult enough as it is in terms of currently, so … yeah, I’m quite comfortable in that respect. But, yeah [I can understand] why you would be frustrated.”
