'Filling, unimaginative but no Michelin stars' - Quinn compares English managers to Greggs'

Niall Quinn fears for the future of English coaches in the Premier League, with too many clubs looking to ‘well-presented foreign managers’ for inspiration.

There has been a move away from home-grown talent in recent times, with the riches on offer in England allowing top sides to cherry-pick the best in the business.

Of those considered to occupy a standing among the global elite, the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp are all now at the helm of Premier League teams.

Arsene Wenger has also proven himself over a number of years, while Mauricio Pochettino has displayed plenty of promise and is highly regarded within coaching circles.

Their antics on the touchline, combined with their tactical nous, has helped to raise their respective profiles and endear them to demanding fan bases craving success.

They are, however, continuing to nudge competition down the pecking order, with Quinn suggesting that English bosses are no longer considered fashionable enough on the footballing menu – with Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe the only exception to that rule.

He wrote in a column for Sky Sports: “What is interesting about the fascination with well-presented foreign managers is that English managers have become the equivalent of Greggs. Filling, unimaginative but no Michelin stars. Poor Eddie Howe has alone become the future of English management in the Premier League.

“It is certainly entertaining to watch the new era of management and if there is one obvious positive it is that clubs seem at last to be beginning to appreciate that when they have a decent manager he is worth sticking with. So far this year, the casualties in the Premier League are at an all time low with [Francesco] Guidolin being the only boss forced to walk the plank. 

“The down side is that accomplished home nations and Republic of Ireland players are becoming an endangered species. The Premier League doesn't have a club like Bayern or Juve or Sporting Lisbon or the Spanish giants who like to embody the football of the country they come from, so English managers and players head off to major championships looking very confused about their identity.”

Tony Pulis is the top-performing British boss in the Premier League at present, with West Brom sitting eighth, while Howe’s Bournemouth are 10th and Mark Hughes’ Stoke City 11th.

Four of the bottom five are also under home-grown control, with Sean Dyche at Burnley, Alan Pardew guiding Crystal Palace, David Moyes with Sunderland and Mike Phelan in charge of Hull City.