There are not too many other English coaches that are considered to be ready for the top job, but that situation could change. ‘Golden Generation’ stars Gerrard and Rooney have both dipped their toes into management – with the former savouring Scottish Premiership title glory at Rangers before flopping at Aston Villa, while the latter has endured short-lived stints in charge of Birmingham and Plymouth.
Asked if Lampard could serve as inspiration for two of his former team-mates, with the value of taking a step backwards in order to move forwards being highlighted, ex-Coventry, Sunderland and Brentford boss Butcher added: “I’ve taken many steps going backwards. I don’t seem to have taken many forward, but you hope that players will learn.
“This is a whole new generation from when they were playing, a whole new era. So you’ve got to adapt and Bobby Robson adapted brilliantly well, home and abroad. But you’ve got to learn, you’ve got to adapt and see what you’ve got, how you want to play and make sure that you are totally committed – you’re lucky in many respects and you hope that you can win games.
“I think the more successful the English managers become, then there’s more pressure on Thomas Tuchel and more pressure on the FA to appoint a future England coach who’s English. So yeah, I’d love that situation.
“We haven’t got that many at the moment. Sean Dyche, we’ve got Eddie Howe, so there’s not a lot, the pool in the Premier League is not a lot to select from. You just hope that coaches are coming through all the time from St George’s Park, from the coaching side and being the best.
“That’s what you want. There’s so many continental and foreign coaches in our leagues that you’d love to see a lot more inclusive managers as well and coaches, but also English. After all, the Premier League is an English league.”
Premier League action will return on August 21, with the 2026-27 start date being pushed back by this summer’s World Cup. Tuchel is currently strutting his stuff there, with England reaching the last-32 – where they will face DR Congo – in an ongoing bid to savour global glory and give their loyal legion of supporters something to shout about.
