[St Charles Owl]

Women as football managers are in the same position as the black ones. Someone has to give them the chance. But instead we have the same old same old on the merry go round. Eventually it will happen. But when it goes wrong it will be because she's a woman.

It doesn't matter what sex they are for a football manager. Some Women know more about football than some managers. Its certain clubs don't want to give young managers or Women a chance because it might go wrong and if it does it does, can always get rid and bring in someone else because that's what happens already sacking managers every 5 minutes because they might go on a poor run of form.

It shouldn't matter what sex they are but if we go back to the premise of experience and ability irrespective of sex, then so far there isn't a woman alive who has top tier playing/coaching experience, certainly not in the UK!! The Special one at Chelski is the only top manager I am aware of that played virtually no professional football, but he did work his way up the ranks under Bobby Robson at Porto and gained his experience that way. In reality, it will need a non-league or lower league team to take the plunge and give a woman a chance, if she is successful then she will rise through the league, but it must be based on success only!!

The danger is a woman getting a job as a publicity stunt by a wacky chairman, that will be a disaster for women in the game!! We also should be careful of progressing an under experienced woman at the expense of a male ex-player who has worked hard to get his coaching badges and been a coach in the professional game somewhere. Positive discrimination does not work in my opinion, particularly in the case where the job is a fairly unique one.