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 waiting outside the door at Soho Square.
‘You’ve insulted the English — red card,’ was the message written on the placard.
For Thomas Tuchel, there was none of that. At Wembley on Wednesday afternoon, the only footfall came from the students who inhabit this part of London these days.
Had he put on his trademark cap and pulled up his collar, the man with whom English World Cup hopes now rest could have wandered along from the Tube pretty much unmolested.
There the comfort begins and ends, however. Tuchel has just taken on one of the most challenging roles in world football, and the fact he is not an Englishman won’t make what comes next any easier.
Having Thomas Tuchel start in January is either a mistake by the FA or a troubling call by him
He needs as many opportunities as he can get to learn about this team – and the delayed start feels like an own goal
Respectfully to Lee Carsley, England’s stars would rather start work with Tuchel immediately
We thought we finally had it cracked in England. Eight years of Gareth Southgate provided us with a template for what works. An English coach for an English sporting environment populated by English players.
Whatever your outlook, it does make sense.
But as the FA’s chief executive Mark Bullingham pointed out succinctly on Wednesday, the English domestic landscape has not provided a platform on which our own coaches can survive and thrive. There are not enough of them in big jobs, he said, and he has a point.
And so here we are, back where we were that day in late 2000, trying to take a shortcut to success, trophies and glory. And it will be OK, as long as it works.
In terms of his club achievements, his understanding of the English game and its unique and sometimes peculiar rhythms, Tuchel comes with some calibre.
Tuchel has done the easy part – now he meets one of world football’s most demanding roles
We shouldn’t judge Tuchel if he doesn’t sing the national anthem like Gareth Southgate
He is also a man who carries the stresses and strains of management lightly. That will be useful and, moving forward, the only remaining questions concern the finer details of this new arrangement.
Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract that takes him only as far as the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That in itself is unusual. More baffling, however, is the fact Tuchel will not start until January 1 and will therefore not take charge of a game or indeed meet the England players until the March international break.
Given England have Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month, it seems incredible that Tuchel will not be in charge for those matches. He said several times here that he is concerned about the transition from club to international football. He is acutely aware of how little time he will get with his players on the coaching field.
So why waste valuable time and match experience now? Life moves fast when you are the England manager and lessons are learned quickly. Interim boss Lee Carsley has already discovered that.
Asked about this on Wednesday, Bullingham could not have been less convincing. ‘We always said to Lee that he would have three camps and we were very clear he would run the Nations League campaign,’ said Bullingham.
Mark Bullingham was unconvincing when explaining why Tuchel would start in January
His stellar record and understanding of English footballing culture deserve recognition
‘When we first spoke to Thomas he wanted to have a singular focus on the World Cup, so it made sense on both sides for him to start on January 1.
‘We’re very comfortable where we are and that’s what we will be doing.’
For all that they have taken to Carsley, there is not an England player currently who, given the choice, would not wish to work with Tuchel as soon as possible.
If the FA have made this decision out of deference to Carsley, then they have made a mistake. If it is at the behest 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 a chunk of his Bayern Munich severance pay if he starts work before January. Tuchel left Bayern at the end of last season and has been on gardening leave.
As it stands, it seems Tuchel will not be at the World Cup qualifying draw in Geneva on December 13 and it seems unlikely he will be in Athens when England play Greece on November 14. It feels like an own goal before Tuchel has even been handed his training kit.
Tuchel, 51, will be joined in the dugout by new assistant manager Anthony Barry
His nationality will always count against him and he will have to adapt to new pressures
That apart, Tuchel handled the questions here — some of them clear curveballs — with the same aplomb he displayed when he was navigating the choppy waters of Chelsea 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 should not judge him on that. He is German, after all.
He was also quick to reference the ‘Three Lions’ and the ‘second star’ he would like to add to English football history (a second World Cup). He even began by talking of the allure of Wembley, taking his cue from a Pele quote written on the wall of one of the stadium’s hospitality boxes.
It was a far cry from that day back in 2000 when Eriksson was asked to name the Sunderland left back and failed.
A few rows away, next to his incoming assistant Anthony Barry, sat Tuchel’s agent, Olaf Meinking, who does much of his client’s PR. It seems he has been hard at work already.
This, though, was the easy bit. Some football coaches are natural and confident orators, and Tuchel is one of them.
There is cause to be hopeful, with Tuchel’s singular World Cup ambition an excellent start
It should serve him well but only up to a point. From here, he must meet the challenge of an unfamiliar role and schedule, the pressures of carrying a nation’s desperation towards America and accept the fact that, for some, his nationality will always count against him.
Tuchel knows, like we all know, that opportunity presents itself to him now. With clubs such as Manchester United circling, he was clear on Wednesday he would not have taken this job were it not for the quality of the players and the pathway to major finals recently walked by Southgate and his England teams. Tuchel has accepted this role because he thinks he can lift the World Cup.
The contrast between Tuchel and his predecessor could not be greater. The FA have swapped 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 mouthed: ‘Wow.’
One day we will be able to ask him what he meant. It’s just a shame we will have to wait so long for the opportunity.
