The "Make it Happen" Challenge.

Time to play another special World Cup edition of "Make it Happen", the crowd-sourcing challenge to see if my big ideas can come to fruition thanks to the rich community of creatives, writers, artists, designers, inventors, scientists, architects, pharmacologists, techies, provocateurs, ethicists, military contractors, etc.

MIH Brief 012

OBJECTIVE:

Create a television show that will allow the English public to help chose the next England football manager.

Another World Cup has passed by for the hapless "Three Lions". It's now 44 years since they brought home the cup. This campaign, though, may be the most dismal yet. And much of the blame lies with manager Fabio "Don" Capello. Indeed his days look to be numbered as the "gaffer". If he does get the boot, England will be looking for their 14th manager since Sir Alf Ramsey lifted the Jules Rimet trophy back in 1966.

During this barren spell the English Football Association has been responsible for selecting the manager. They've picked native coaches, sophisticated foreign coaches, ex-players, tacticians, introverts, shameless extroverts, tall coaches, short coaches. The result though has always been the same. Failure followed by an angry backlash from a frustrated public, who are completely shut out of the decision making process.

Perhaps a drastic shift in how the manager is selected is needed. Maybe it's time to take the choice from behind the closed doors of the English FA and into the living rooms of the English public. Let them chose the next manager. This way they can personally feel connected to him, as well as make him directly accountable to them.

We do this through a "talent" show called, "So you want to be the manager of England." Talent shows are very popular. They usually arouse more audience interest and induce more participation than a parliamentary election. If the English public can be trusted to pick the next singing superstar or Britain's entry into the Eurovision song contest, why can't they chose the next England manager.

And just maybe, by connecting the public to the team in such a direct and fun way we might be able to change the attitude of the manager and players enough so that they may finally bring glory back home.
  
THOUGHT STARTERS:

  -  What should the format for the show be? Maybe it should follow traditional models like "Pop Idol" and "Strictly Come Dancing". How will the initial screening process work? How many finalists will be selected? Eleven (number of players in a football team) would seem to make sense.
  -  Perhaps the show should be centered around certain challenges that each finalist will have to face. Points are awarded for their performance. For example, they score positive points for successfully dealing with a hostile media, or negative points for failing to control an unruly WAG.
  -  How can the show root out and penalize the "character flaws" of the perspective candidates. For instance certain coaches have an annoying tendency to make ridiculously bold predictions. Yes I'm talking about you Harry Redknapp. Similarly, many coaches reflexively resort to the most pathetic excuses to explain away a poor result. Sir Alex Ferguson once blamed his team's dismal performance on the wrong color of their shirts.
  -  Should style matter? Do we want the next manger to be a snappy dresser or a slob in a tracksuit?
  -  How important is it to have a coach with pleasing facial expressions and positive body language. Surely we don't need another Capello scowl or the stiffness of Steve McClaren. Then again do we really want the tourette's syndrome of Diego Maradona?
  -  Is there a way to integrate a social media component? For instance, perhaps the initial screening process can be executed on Facebook. All perspective candidates have to submit a three-minute video explaining why they should be manager. The video should outline their achievements in football, as well as their complete disdain for 4-4-2. The top eleven are then chosen for the final elimination series on TV. Viewing and voting takes place on Facebook.
  -  Who can apply? Should it be only open to those with football experience or can we go outside the pitch. Military personnel might provide a different kind of leadership. Or perhaps Team England needs to be treated like a failing corporation. A dynamic trouble-shooting CEO might just be the answer. Sir Richard Branson, anyone?
 

MANDATORIES:

  -  Judges must included Sven Goren Erickson, Victoria Beckham and Ozzy Osborne.
  -  Only residents of England can participate. It's pretty clear that Scots will just try to sabotage the process by voting for the weakest candidates.
  -  The show must be called, "So you want to be the manager of England".

Good luck and make it happen, people!