WE wanted roast beef and what did we get? Bratwurst, with Black Forest Gateau for dessert.

Call me old-fashioned but isn’t international football supposed to be about one nation taking on another, with the players enjoying the ultimate honour of performing for their country?

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I know the lines have got blurred over the years — under Jack Charlton you were Irish if you liked a drop of Guinness.

But Thomas Tuchel’s appointment does really emphasise one glaring statistic… where have all the English managers gone?

And while every major nation in Europe has enjoyed some sort of tangible success and even some not-so-major ones such as Denmark and Greece, we continue to look back to 1966 when an English manager last led an English men’s team to a trophy.

That’s a bloody long time ago.

I know we have had foreign-born managers of the England team before — Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello — but they weren’t exactly a rip-roaring success.

And now we have a German in charge, who won the Champions League with Chelsea and by any measure is a fantastic manager.

We must compromise on romantic notions of an Englishman in charge of an English team.

As a result, we have a German bossing the men’s team and Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman holding court for the women’s squad.

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Whilst they are both fantastic managers, we really should be looking at ourselves and wondering how this has happened?

Why can’t we find good England coaches to manage our English teams — and what are we going to do about it?

Southgate vs Tuchel records compared

THOMAS TUCHEL

Augsburg II 2007-2008

P34 W 20 D8 L6 Win percentage: 58.82%

Mainz 05 2009-2014

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P184 W72 D46 L66 Win percentage: 39.13%

Borussia Dortmund 2015-2017

P107 W67 D23 L17 Win percentage: 62.62%

Honours: DFB Pokal

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Paris Saint Germain 2018-2020

P127 W95 D13 L16 Win percentage: 74.8%

Honours: Ligue 1 X2, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophee des Champions x2

Chelsea 2021-2022

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P100 W60 D24 L16 Win percentage: 60%

Honours: Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup

Bayern Munich 2023-2024

P61 W37 D8 L16 Win percentage: 60.66%

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Honours: Bundesliga

GARETH SOUTHGATE

Middlesbrough 2006-2009

P151 W54 D43 Win percentage: 35.76%

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England U21 2013-2016

P37 W27 D5 L5 Win percentage: 72.97%

Honours: Toulon tournament

England 2016-2024

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P102 W61 D24 L17 Win percentage: 59.8%

Honours: Euros runners up, 2020, 2024

Answers please from the FA.

Can you imagine what the boys of ’66 would have made of the England side being run by a German?

Sir Alf would have been apoplectic. That glorious Wembley day was only two decades after Ramsey’s East End of London had been flattened by the Luftwaffe.

But as I said that’s a bloody long time ago, and these days managing England is the so-called ‘impossible job’.

Some will accuse the FA of having compromised in order to win by appointing a foreign manager.

But I have sympathy for them as the last English-born manager to win the top flight was Howard Wilkinson, back when it was just the plain old First Division.

We have five English-born managers currently operating in the Premier League although two of them, Russell Martin and Kieran McKenna, played at international levels for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

It suggests the nursery is thin on the ground.

But club football is one thing, the national team is another.

And as I’m a romantic at heart, I would much prefer to see our Three Lions led by a lion.

But what are the FA meant to do when the pickings are slimmer than our goal tally in a penalty shootout.

Tuchel has won some great trophies at a variety of clubs but so had Sven and so had Capello.

The latter was a disaster who couldn’t even be bothered to learn English and enjoyed little or no connection with his players, while Sven did passably, reaching a succession of quarter-finals.

I suppose we can console ourselves with the fact that Gareth Southgate showed it can be done and although he didn’t lead us to any silverware, at least he got damned close.

I wish Tuchel the very best of luck, as every Englishman’s footballing hopes and dreams are on his shoulders, and at some point he will feel the weight of that pressure.

He has had four managerial jobs in the last seven years and an England contract which is only 18 months suggests this is not one for the long-term.

Inside FA’s thrilling chase for Tuchel

THE FA’s path to securing Thomas Tuchel’s signature was not a straightforward one.

They tried to lure Pep Guardiola from Manchester City over the summer.

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They even made contact with Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti after deciding to target trophy-laden foreign gaffers.

The FA’s determination to go international was summed up by their decision NOT to interview Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.

Initial talks with Tuchel saw him express a slight interest in replacing Gareth Southgate.

But he was waiting to see what would happen at Manchester United, with Erik ten Hag’s future under the spotlight.

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Man Utd owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe eventually decided to stick with Ten Hag – and that opened the door to the FA getting their man.

Read the full story on England’s thrilling pursuit of Thomas Tuchel.

Joselyne Edwards had another rough day at the scale.

For the third time in her UFC career, Edwards came in over the bantamweight limit, registering at 139 pounds for her fight with Tamires Vidal (135.5) on Saturday at UFC Vegas 99. That’s a miss of three pounds for Edwards (including the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight), who weighed in again after hitting 139.5 pounds on her first attempt.

Watch footage of Edwards’ attempts below from Friday’s official weigh-ins, courtesy of Amy Kaplan.

It is not yet known if the bout will proceed as a catchweight and, if so, how much of Edwards’ purse will be forfeited as penalty.

Edwards previously missed weight for bouts against Lucie Pudilova and Ji Yeon Kim, though never by more than 1.5 pounds. In both of those instances, Edwards went on to win a split decision. She enters Saturday’s preliminary bout coming off of consecutive losses to Ailin Perez and Nora Cornolle.

The main event weigh-ins brought better news as middleweight contenders Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira both successfully made weight at 185.5 pounds, making use of the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight.

Check out UFC Vegas 99 official weigh-in results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez (185.5) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5)

Rob Font (135.5) vs. Kyler Phillips (135.5)

Charles Johnson (126) vs. Sumudaerji (126)

Jake Hadley (135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)

Darren Elkins (144.5) vs. Daniel Pineda (145.5)

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET)

Matheus Nicolau (125.5) vs. Asu Almabayev (125.5)

Brad Katona (135.5) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5)

Joselyne Edwards (139)* vs. Tamires Vidal (135.5)

Jessica Penne (115.5) vs. Elise Reed (115)

Melissa Martinez (115.5) vs. Alice Ardelean (115)

Austen Lane (251) vs. Robelis Despaigne (264)

*missed weight on second attempt. Weighed in over the limit at 139.5 pounds on first attempt

Is there anything more enjoyable than bonding over football with loved ones while winning some cash? 

People get to do exactly that every week with our free-to-play FOX Super 6 contest. 

With opportunities to win thousands of dollars, the Super 6 game gives fans a new reason to get excited about sports.

The contest — which has been live since the beginning of the 2023 NFL season — has already given away a ton of cash. 

This season alone, more than $79,000 in cash and prizes have been awarded.

Let’s take a look at a few of our recent winners. 

Cheesehead takes the Week 1 Wheel

Megan from Indiana kicked off the 2024 football season with some cash in her pocket, winning in NFL Week 1. 

And using her winnings for travel is the name of her game.

“I’m not sure where we’re going yet, but we have a lot to check off from our bucket list,” the Green Bay Packers fan told us.

She also explained that her husband’s love for football helped her get into winners’ circle.

“My husband is a huge NFL fan, so I’ve been watching all day Sundays, Monday and Thursday nights for the last four years, and I’ve become a fan, too.

“Then, I pick based off what I’ve watched in the most recent games.” 

Megan, whose favorite player is Jordan Love, looking forward to her squad having a successful 2024.

“I’m optimistic that this is going to be a great year for the Pack. And Love is just getting started.”

NFL Week 1 winner Megan (pictured with husband) said she’s ‘optimistic’ about the Packers’ season

The Saint goes Cashing In

“I was surprised. I thought they had made a mistake.” That’s what Ba from Mississippi said after finding out she won the FOX Super 6 NFL Week 2 contest. 

As a matter of fact, her family was also in disbelief.

“They didn’t believe me; they told me it was a lie,” she laughed.

When it comes to strategy, the New Orleans Saints fan said she doesn’t have one. 

“I just read the questions and watch the previous games of each team and players [listed in the contest].

Saints fan Ba won the Super 6 NFL Week 2 contest

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including college football. So it was only fitting that the college football Week 3 winner hailed from the Lone Star State.

Jeff from Weatherford revealed that he just “picks the best players and teams, with a little luck” when he makes his Super 6 selections.

And although the retiree makes his home in Texas, the team that has his heart is several hundred miles away.

“My favorite team is Colorado. Favorite players are [Sheduer and Shilo] Sanders.”

Jeffrey from Texas all smiles after winning the college football Week 3 contest

Welcome, Rookie

Paul from Maryland is somewhat of a Super 6 newbie. When he hit the college football Week 5 jackpot, he’d only been playing the game for three weeks.

“I just follow my gut,” Paul said about how he made his picks. “And sometimes my son gives me some tips.”

Speaking of his son, he plans to spend his prize on buying his son’s first car.

“I was super shocked. I couldn’t believe I actually won. And my family and friends had a similar reaction. Just lots of excitement.”

Here’s a summary of question analytics across the NFL & College Football Super 6 contests over the first five weeks.

Paul wants to use his prize toward a new car for his son

Perfect, Hardest, Easiest

Every week, the contest challenges its participants with fun, knowledge-oriented questions. We dug into the data to highlight a few nuggets from the first few weeks of the college football and NFL seasons.

Number of perfect entries
Across both the NFL and college football contests, there have been a total of two perfect entries. Both came in the NFL contest — one during Week 1 and one during Week 5.

Overall hardest (most incorrect) question through the first five weeks
College football Week 6, Question No. 2: 
“Order the teams by who will score the MOST POINTS (highest to lowest):” with only 0.16% of entries correctly ordering them correctly as: Texas Tech Red Raiders > Arizona Wildcats > Arkansas Razorbacks > Tennessee Volunteers, driven by the Arkansas upset of Tennessee

Overall hardest (most incorrect) non-ranker question through the first five weeks
College football Week 3, Question No. 3: 
“Who will have the most RUSHING YARDS?,” with only 8.88% of entries correctly selecting RJ Harvey

Overall hardest (most incorrect) non-ranker NFL question through the first five weeks
NFL Week 3, Question No. 5: 
“Which team will have the MOST TOTAL YARDS from scrimmage?,” with only 13.39% of entries correctly selecting the Eagles.

Overall easiest (most correct) question through the first five weeks
College football Week 5, Question No. 6: 
“What will be the outcome of this game? Colorado Buffaloes: Win, or lose by 15 points or fewer or UCF Knights: Win by 16 points or more,” with 82.96% of entries correctly picking Colorado.

Biggest upset on Question No. 6 to pick the outcome of the Featured Game of the Week
NFL Week 5, Question No. 6: 
“What will be the outcome of this game? Arizona Cardinals (15 pts): Win, Tie, or Lose by 7 points or fewer or San Francisco 49ers (15 pts): Win by 8 or more points,” with only 25.21% of entries correctly picking the Cardinals.

So, how can you join in on the fun?

It’s simple. 

Just look out for our next FOX Super 6 contest, and when it goes live, try your hand to see if you can win.

The best part? Yes, it gets better.

It’s free!

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

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In a World Cup full of surprises, including neither England or India making it out of the group stage and Australia falling short in their semi-final, New Zealand’s place in the final is arguably the biggest shock of all.

They were placed in what was considered the tougher group with India and Australia, and had lost their 10 previous T20s in the build-up to the tournament.

But, eight of those coming against England and defending champions Australia seems to have worked in their favour because they had been put under plenty of pressure and tested significantly, so that they could handle the crunch moments when they came.

The overall feeling was that 128-9 was below-par against West Indies, with their batters attempting to accelerate but both the pitch and the accurate bowling did not allow a free-flowing style of play.

With the benefit of knowing the surface’s condition when it came to defence, their spinners twirled away relentlessly with Kerr continuing her impressive tournament, taking her tally to 12 and to the top of the wicket-taking charts so far.

Carson ensured their perfect start, bowling the one-dimensional Joseph, who swiped across the line, Shemaine Campbell then chipped to Bates at cover for three before Taylor, struggling with a sore knee, missed a sweep.

When Matthews fell to Lea Tahuhu in the 11th over to leave West Indies 51-4, their hopes lay solely on Dottin’s shoulders and she seemed fully prepared to accept the responsibility, clubbing 23 from Tahuhu in the 16th over.

But Kerr and Bates, who so often carry New Zealand alongside Devine, handled the pressure expertly to close out the victory despite the first ball of the final over being beautifully driven for four by Zaida James to send a few shockwaves through the White Ferns’ camp.

Many of the players could not hold in their tears of joy at the final ball, as they take one step closer to history against all odds.

Dylan Medler won Race 2 of the Ferrari Challenge North America, triumphing in the final event of the day held at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola.

Thanks to this success, the driver of the team The Collection also won the title of the Pro class. In Coppa Shell NA, the title went to Eric Marsten despite him being shoved into the gravel, while Brian Cook was crowned Pro-Am champion and Roger Monteforte secured the Shell-AM category title.

Medler got off to a great start, taking the lead from Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle), second, and Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida), third. In the early stages of the race, there was a terrific scrap between Medler and Perrina for the lead. Perez Companc, on the other hand, immediately lost ground to the leading duo.

Brian Cook, on the other hand, took the lead in the Pro-Am class ahead of Frank Szczesniak. In Coppa Shell, Rey Acosta was leading with a large margin over his direct rivals, even moving up to seventh overall, while Jeffrey Nunberg immediately took the lead in the Shell-AM class.

With 10 minutes to go, Race Direction imposed the entry of the Safety Car due to an off-track exit by Al Hegyi (Ferrari of Newport), thus freezing the positions, but eliminating the gaps. This led to a much more interesting final part of the race.

With five minutes to go, the Safety Car returned to the pits, thus leaving the drivers with the final skirmishes to try to win the race and the titles of their respective categories.

The Safety Car, however, returned to the track immediately due to a contact in which Marston came off the worst, ending up off the track and beached in the gravel. Bernier ended up ahead of the Ferrari of Westlake driver, but at the end of the race, Marston was classified and scored enough points to clinch the category title.

Ferrari Challenge North America – Imola – Race 2