Skysports
Joey Barton does not believe England have had a ‘golden generation’ and also used Sir Alex Ferguson as an example of the difference between a coach and a manager.
England have won just one major international tournament – the 1966 World Cup on home soil – and have only reached the semi-finals of a World Cup or European Championship twice since.
The past decade or so has seen the group of players that contained the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney branded as the ‘golden generation’.
However, the once-capped Barton disputed that tag in a wide-ranging discussion at the Leaders in Football conference at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
“I don’t think we’ve had great players,” said Barton. “People go on about the golden generation.
“I don’t think we’ve had it because they haven’t won anything, so they’re not a golden generation.
“Without getting side-tracked, what I was going to say is we’ve had good players who we’ve given to good coaches, which have mostly been good, foreign coaches, who’ve developed our good players to become better.”
The Queens Park Rangers midfielder also suggested that coaches require more recognition after offering his view that former Manchester United boss Ferguson was not a great coach.
He added: “We don’t honour coaches in this country, we honour managers, we love managers.
“I am not here to disrespect Fergie. He is a great manager, the icon, the pinnacle of British management.
“But he couldn’t put on a coaching session to save his life. I’ve spoken to people about him and he can barely lay out cones. This is not a coach, this is a manager.
“This is the difference – there is a big, big difference between a coach and a manager.”