The 42

NEW ENGLAND BOSS Thomas Tuchel apologised for having a German passport but insisted he was ready to prove wrong the critics who are against a foreign coach taking charge.

The 51-year-old has signed an 18-month contract and stressed his focus was to get over the line in a major tournament after several near-misses under predecessor Gareth Southgate.

Tuchel, who has previously managed Borussia Dortmund, Paris St Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, is the third non-Englishman to hold the post after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

His appointment provoked a furious reaction from some sections of the English media, with the Daily Mail’s back page declaring the appointment “a dark day for England”.

“I’m sorry, I have a German passport,” Tuchel told a press conference at Wembley.

“Everyone has their opinion and I can understand when someone says ‘I would fancy an English coach for an English team’.

“All of those supporters maybe felt my passion for the English Premier League and the country and how I love to live and work here.

“I think we deserve a fair chance and the credit for having a good record in the country and never being shy of how much we love the country and love working with the players in the Premier League.

“Maybe this counts towards a British edge on my German passport. We will try to convince them with results and the way we play.

“Hopefully I can convince them and prove to them I am proud to be an England manager and do everything to show respect to this role and this country and the target for the next 18 months.”

The subject of the national anthem was raised for the second time in as many months.

Interim boss Lee Carsley, a former Ireland international with an Irish grandmother, faced similar questions when he stepped up from the U21s to take charge for the Nations League matches in September and chose not to sing.

“I understand it is a personal decision, there are managers who sing and some who don’t,” said Tuchel.

“I have not made my decision yet. No matter what decision I take I will always show my respect to the country and a very moving anthem.”

Tuchel, who will be assisted by Stephen Kenny’s former Ireland assistant Anthony Barry, will take up the role on 1 January ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Tuchel said he had no issue over the relatively short length of contract.

“It’s 18 months and then we agreed to sit together and see,” he added, before joking: “I have good experience with 18 months personally (the length of his initial contract at Chelsea) – unfortunately. I am working on my long-term game.

“In this particular case it wasn’t important for me to have a timeframe around it as it is a little bit of a step into the unknown for me.

“I am used to working with 60 to 80 people at a training ground on a daily basis. This will be different.

“The timeframe of 18 months demands from myself not to lose the focus for all of us. It will help us to focus on the qualification for the World Cup and the World Cup.

“It will help with the communication process, it is now streamlined and easy to explain, and we are here to work on the best possible outcome for World Cup 2026 and whatever comes, comes.”

Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.