Former first team boss calls for overhaul of FA.
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Former England national team boss Glenn Hoddle has ruled himself out of the running to take over the under-21 side but has called for a complete overhaul of the FA if the country are to compete at the top again, talkSPORT reports.
A poor showing at the European Championships this summer has seen calls for Stuart Pearce’s job with Hoddle being the bookies first choice for taking over.
However, the 55-year-old former Spurs midfielder has insisted that Pearce is not the problem and it is the FA who need to rethink their approach instead.
“It wouldn’t [interest me] unless they changed the rules,” Hoddle said.
“Why would anybody be interested in it when your better players are not going to be there with you?
“It is a difficult one for the FA. Greg Dyke is coming in now and I think his style is right at the right time. He is a very experienced man in football and he is quite bullish and I think we need a bullish chairman there.
“We need to look at the generations of players, how they are trained at eight, nine, ten. We need to change the generation of footballers that can handle the ball and that can cope with the ball first and foremost.
“Being quick and big and strong is the icing on the cake, but can they handle the ball? Can they be marked tightly and still receive the ball? If we don’t do that, I’m afraid in the next 20 years we will still be saying the same things.
“We seriously need to look at the rules and change so much of the structure. Most of those players in the Under-21s are playing in the Championship. No disrespect to the Championship, it is a tough league, but you are going further away from international football than if you are playing in the Premier League or Champions League.
“There is a much bigger question behind it all but at this moment in time the rules need to be tightened and strengthened. Then if the England Under-21 coach gets the best and strongest team we can go on to win things.”