The first time the FA appointed a foreigner as national coach a quarter of a century ago, Sven-Goran Eriksson arrived for his unveiling to find a man dressed as John Bull outside the door in Soho Square.
“You have insulted the English red card,” was written on the sign.
None of that was the case for Thomas Tuchel. At Wembley on Wednesday afternoon the only attendance came from the students who now live in this part of London.
Had he donned his trademark cap and pulled up his collar, the man with whom England’s World Cup now hopes to rest could have wandered out of the Underground virtually unhindered.
However, that’s where the comfort begins and ends. Tuchel has just taken on one of the most challenging roles in world football, and the fact that he is not English will not make the future any easier.
Thomas Tuchel starting in January is either a mistake by the FA or a worrying decision on his part
He needs as many opportunities as possible to get to know this team, and the delayed start feels like an own goal
With respect to Lee Carsley: the English stars would prefer to start working with Tuchel immediately
We thought we had finally solved it in England. Eight years of Gareth Southgate has given us a template for what works. An English coach for an English sporting environment populated by English players.
Whatever your view, it makes sense.
But as Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, succinctly noted on Wednesday, the English domestic landscape has not provided a platform for our own coaches to survive and thrive. There aren’t enough of them in big jobs, he said, and he has a point.
And here we are, back where we were that day in late 2000, trying to take a shortcut to success, trophies and glory. And that will be fine, as long as it works.
In terms of his club achievements, his understanding of the English game and his unique and sometimes idiosyncratic rhythms, Tuchel is of some caliber.
Tuchel has done the easy part: now he fills one of the most demanding roles in the world
We shouldn’t judge Tuchel if he doesn’t sing the national anthem like Gareth Southgate
He is also a man who can bear the stresses and strains of management lightly. That will be helpful, and going forward the only remaining questions concern the finer details of this new arrangement.
Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract that will only take him until the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That in itself is unusual. Even more baffling, however, is the fact that Tuchel will not start until January 1 and will therefore not take charge of a match or meet the England players until the March international break.
With England having Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month, it seems incredible that Tuchel will not be in charge of those matches. He said here several times that he is concerned about the transition from club to international football. He is well aware of how little time he will get on the coaching field with his players.
So why waste valuable time and competition experience now? Life moves fast when you’re England manager and lessons are learned quickly. Interim boss Lee Carsley has now discovered this.
When Bullingham was asked about this on Wednesday, he couldn’t have been less convincing. “We always said to Lee that he would have three sides and we were very clear that he would lead the Nations League campaign,” Bullingham said.
Mark Bullingham was unconvincing when explaining why Tuchel would start in January
His great record and understanding of English football culture deserve recognition
“When we first spoke to Thomas, he wanted to focus specifically on the World Cup, so it made sense for both parties for him to start on January 1.
“We feel very comfortable where we are and that’s what we’re going to do.”
For all they have brought to Carsley, there isn’t an English player at the moment who, given the choice, wouldn’t want to work with Tuchel as soon as possible.
If the FA made this decision out of respect for Carsley then they made a mistake. If it’s at the insistence of their new manager, what does that say about him?
Bullingham denied there was any other reason behind the delay, despite suggestions in Germany that Tuchel would lose part of his severance package at Bayern Munich if he started work before January. Tuchel left Bayern at the end of last season and is on garden leave.
As it stands, it appears that Tuchel will not be present for the World Cup qualifying draw in Geneva on December 13 and it seems unlikely that he will be in Athens when England play Greece on November 14. It feels like an own goal before Tuchel has even been awarded. his tracksuit.
Tuchel, 51, will be joined in the dugout by new assistant manager Anthony Barry
His nationality will always be to his disadvantage and he will have to adapt to the new pressures
That aside, Tuchel handled the questions here – some of which were obvious curveballs – with the same aplomb he showed when navigating Chelsea’s choppy waters a few years ago.
The 51-year-old will live in England, he said, and has not yet made a decision on whether he will sing the national anthem. We shouldn’t judge him on that. He is German after all.
He was also quick to refer to the ‘Three Lions’ and the ‘second star’ he would like to add to English football history (a second World Cup). He even started by talking about the appeal of Wembley, drawing on a Pele quote written on the wall of one of the stadium’s hospitality boxes.
It was a far cry from that day in 2000 when Eriksson was asked to appoint Sunderland’s left-back but failed.
A few rows away, next to his new assistant Anthony Barry, sat Tuchel’s agent, Olaf Meinking, who does much of his client’s PR. It looks like he’s already been hard at work.
This was the easy part though. Some football coaches are natural and confident orators, and Tuchel is one of them.
There is reason to be hopeful with Tuchel’s unique World Cup ambition off to an excellent start
It should serve him well, but only up to a point. From here, he must face the challenge of an unfamiliar role and schedule, the pressures of bringing a nation’s desperation to America, and come to terms with the fact that his nationality will always be held against him by some.
Tuchel knows, as we all know, that this opportunity has now presented itself to him. With clubs like Manchester United in his vicinity, it was clear to him on Wednesday that he would not have taken this job if Southgate and his English teams had not had the quality of players and the path to the grand finals recently provided by Southgate and his English teams was walked. Tuchel has taken on this role because he thinks he can win the World Cup.
The contrast between Tuchel and his predecessor could not be greater. The FA have traded an ambassador for a winner, or so they hope. As he stood to leave Wembley’s media auditorium, Tuchel looked at Barry and Meinking and said: “Wow.”
One day we will be able to ask him what he meant. It’s just a shame that we have to wait so long for this opportunity.