According to David Ornstein in The Athletic, Jack Wilshere has interviewed for the vacant head coach position at MLS side Colorado Rapids.
The 31-year-old became head coach of Arsenal’s under-18s just over a year ago but is thought to be open to trying his luck at the KSE-owned franchise as he looks to move into senior management.
Given his age and relative lack of experience, a move for Wilshere definitely represents a punt on the part of the Rapids. Mind you, given they are currently bottom of the MLS Western Conference they may think they have nothing to lose.
🚨 EXCL: Colorado Rapids considering Jack Wilshere as new head coach. #Rapids96 approached Arsenal + permission granted to talk. #AFC U18 boss impressed in interview but no decision made yet. 31yo keen on senior role when right chance arises @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Py6VgOiPRW
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) October 12, 2023
Wilshere earned plaudits for leading his under-18s to the final of the FA Youth Cup last season – they eventually lost to West Ham – but his side flattered to deceive in the league, coming second bottom in the Premier League South.
To be fair, there were mitigating factors around player availability, and things have looked better this season, but his points-per-game record (1.4) is still worse than any of his four predecessors in the last decade. Perhaps Arsenal want more?
If that is the case, this is all rather convenient. If it isn’t, it’s another headache for Per Mertsacker who constantly seems to have someone at the academy to replace.
Strange one….are they hoping for a player manager? 20 or 30 minutes of Jack doing his thing would be enough to win a fair few points.
Wilshere hasn’t been good enough for the U18s. I wouldn’t think he’d be good enough in the MLS, but Rooney was there for a while so who knows.
In fairness, the only time he had a full strength side to pick from last season was in the FA youth cup and he brought them to the final. Also he’s blooded quite a number of schoolboys this season.
Rooney was at DC united, who are a notoriously underperforming side that has grander aspirations (like Everton under ancelotti), so it wasn’t about his ability, rather it was about his celebrity. Looks like Tom Brady and those idiots at Birmingham also feel the same.
Kevin Betsy left to become a manager.
Vieira and Mikel were assistant managers before their first managerial roles.
My only concern here is Jack’s age, given the MLS isn’t really a development league and more of a retirement league, he would be younger than a few of the players. Also he better hope Stan pays well because the real estate market here would give Dublin a run for its money.
Not really where you are getting your information but MLS has teams that are doing different things. Can’t really put all the teams in one basket and call them all retirement teams. Most teams are actually trying to develop their own talent and sell it on. Philadelphia, Atlanta, Austin, Seattle and LA FC for specifics. Others like Inter Miama and LA Galaxy are bringing in established stars at the end of their careers. Its kind of a mix of both. The Rapids however are just terrible and seem to be content to be terrible. I live in Denver and would… Read more »
Was the one exception your son?
Unfortunately not. I was more speaking about the one coach who won the league. Sorry for the confusion.
the youth setup in the front range is incredible. I dont know if the rapids academy is in the top five.
My concern is people believe he will leave or be chucked out yet. No matter what age.. guy has been there how long? And he sucks balls? We are not any other club .. well ok.. we’;re close cos we show very little respect for our own.
When AFC turns in to AFTV.. let me know.
Isn’t that a bit of an outdated view of the MLS? Just as glace at the current Rapids squad shows there are only 3 players older than Jack, one of whom is less than a week older.
Isn’t that a bit of an outdated view of the MLS? Just as glace at the current Rapids squad shows there are only 3 players older than Jack, one of whom is less than a week older.
31 years old, Giroud is 37.
Santi Cazorla is 38, and still playing!
I am 53.
I’m not against him trying his luck at that age, but it kind of only makes sense if he’s shown already he can really do it on a high level and I’m not sure if his “achievements” so far qualify. Would probably stay at the U18s for at least another year or two if I were him and really try to gain some confidence in himself, because if he goes to the MLS now it’ll be hard to gain the players’ respect, and if he tanks it’ll be much harder for him to recover from and get another chance again… Read more »
Even Henry suffered from his failure at Monaco where he tried tough love with a group of lazy players and it failed. Last year, Lukaku and some other players wanted him to take the position of manager of Belgium. He declined and I thought it was because of his TV contracts. Now that he took the U21 of France, it seems to me that he felt he wasn’t ready for the position of manager of the Belgian national team.
Wow, look at you be kind to an AFC player. You ok? Have I mistaken uou for someone else.. my bad if so.
Wait,., is it the booze.. or you supporting Kai? You supporting any AFC player.. fuck. must me the booze cos sure as shit youre one of the guys who shits on our players like you know it all and our players do not matter.. or need our support
.
Oh.. thank you away fans.. and fuck you fans who buy in to internet drivel memes.
That would be smart on his parr.and also maybe that he’s French and not Belgian..? It’s one thing for some relative unknown to coach a different nation’s national team but TH is an absolute icon and one of the most famous French people ever, would’ve been weird (especially for French people) to see him coach Belgium.
Yeah it’s the same in the film industry. If you direct your first feature too early and it flops, its very hard to ever come back. Definitely pays to learn your craft well before trying your hand.
Who knows what the players will think. Looking at his career he was an extremely gifted technical player who, let’s not forget, once completely showed up Xavi and Iniesta, he’s played in the Champions League and won the FA Cup. He speaks well too. His insight could be valued because of his experience despite his age. People were saying this about Arteta too to some extent. “He’s not experienced enough to manage a big club”. I think let him cut his teeth in the MLS. If he sinks then he can come back and be a youth level coach and… Read more »
Probably a step to early in young Jacks career path to be head coach as they call them over there for a senior team, Rooney wasn’t successful and Phil Neville was a failure in US, as well as Vieira and Henry, Steve Nicol and Adrian Heath are the only two English coaches that have had reasonable success there, obviously BFG is happy at what he’s doing not to be in the frame.
It doesn’t feel like a good move to me.
Can we bring back Freddie if Wilshire leaves?
It is unlikely.. but good times!! For us to be back to almost where we were with days with Freddie.. wow.. insane and beautiful. So many now think that is a given when our club.. we compete with boys who have billions.. we spent.. but we have not spent like them and we are limited.. we punch about any weight class.. we are what Wenger built.. and we still own that. Most people see last year as a failure.. go on then. We pushed the biggest club,., the treble fuckers.. they strolled it all.. we pushed them. People push the… Read more »
oh sorry.. my bad., I over did it 😉 Yeah sure.. bring him back.. yayy
I wonder if him and Arteta didn’t get on great?
Like Martinelli? Arteta wanted him out. Same with Saliba. Thank god they both left, eh?
That’s Club politics. Can’t be avoided. Every coach want his own people.
If I was Jack’s friend, I would tell him it might be wiser to stay and learn your trade at Arsenal with Mikel until there is an age gap between you and the senior players at the squad you’ll manage.
Excellent advice. I think jack wilshire will be quite worldly wise for a 31 year old in the football industry – he has seen the highs and lows – but there is an interview with Per Mertesacker that always comes back to me when I think about players and professionals making questionable decisions. Per said in an interview that he had to national service in Germany when he was a late teen – he worked with the elderly as a support worker for a year whilst our equivalent are probably earning £100k a week and are up to all sorts..… Read more »
A little impatient I think. Hope he succeed, but don’t come running back to Arsenal again with a sob story if he fails.
Only 31! His career was truly ravaged by injuries.
I hope he gets the job
an interesting fact about the rapids and their academy and facilities is when built it was the largest soccer training facility in the world in terms of fields.a few years laterMiddlesbrough replaced them at the top.
or so I read.
It is very large and the youth clubs should be at the top in Colorado. I don’t think they are close
“Rapids approached Arsenal + permission granted to talk.”
Something like this:
Josh Kronke: “Hi, Josh. It’s Josh. Is it okay if I speak to Wilshere?”
Josh Kronke: “Well, let me think about that. Yeah, okay, but let me know how it goes.”
Josh Kronke: “Sure will, Josh. I have your number.”