The Tribune

FORMER Bahamas head coach Gary White is among the contenders to become coach of the England under-21 soccer team, according to a report by ESPN FC.

White, also the former Guam coach and Shanghai Shenxin manager, is up against some of the biggest names in the British game as he goes for the role vacated by new national boss Gareth Southgate.

ESPN FC understands that the relatively unknown White has been shortlisted for interview. The other candidates are former Under-21 coach and legendary England defender Stuart Pearce, ex-Manchester United utility player Phil Neville, former Aston Villa and Spurs manager Tim Sherwood, current England Under-21 caretaker boss Aidy Boothroyd and Oxford United manager Michael Appleton. There were 250 applicants.

But the Football Association sees something in White, 42, who began his career with the international teams of the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. But his biggest claim to fame was turning one-time whipping boys Guam, a tiny Pacific island, into one of the AFC’s most improved teams.

However, at a time when clubs are being criticsed for not giving jobs to English managers, as a Southampton-born recipient of the FA elite coaching award with 18 years of experience in a variety of challenging environments, White has a strong case, despite the heavyweight competition.

White was once succeeded by Andre Villas-Boas as head coach of the British Virgin Islands. The former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Porto boss’ career is evidence that starting at such a modest level should be no barrier to success.

And, for the confident White, taking on the England Under-21 role would be a logical step in his bold career aim to one day manage his country.

When interviewed last October, White - still with Shanghai Shenxin at the time - declared his ultimate ambition. “I’ve got to keep having success wherever I go. That creates a brand as an individual. Then I’d like to try to get into the European game and end up becoming England manager,” he told The Sun newspaper.

While his playing career was limited to non-league football at Bognor Regis in England and Fremantle City in Australia, White’s self-belief as a coach can be backed up by a list of impressive achievements.

In 2016, White took over at Shenxin, with the club deep in relegation trouble in China’s second tier. Drawing on his experience of making the most from limited resources, he steered the club to mid-table safety, without having any money to spend. Despite saving the club from the drop, they did not renew White’s contract. But the Englishman, who holds a UEFA Pro Licence in addition to the FA Elite Pro Licence, should not be out of work for long, having built a solid reputation over the past 18 years.

In 2012, White took on the job as head coach of Guam’s international team. He oversaw a dramatic improvement in fortunes as he helped them rise to all-time high of 157 in the FIFA rankings. The US island territory in Micronesia has an estimated population of just over 160,000. But they enjoyed an impressive series of results under White in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. In the second preliminary round, Guam pulled off a memorable victory over India - the world’s second most populous nation. There was also a win over Turkmenistan and a draw away to Oman.

Guam’s form brought White to the attention of many, but he had already demonstrated the ability to bring tangible improvements to small nations. At 24, White took on the role as head coach for the British Virgin Islands in 1998, lifting them from 187 in the FIFA world rankings to 161 in the space of a year.

This success was followed by a stint with the Bahamas from 1999 to 2006. While he did not manage immediately to lift the team’s fortunes as dramatically, White did take them to an all-time high of 146 in the rankings in 2006 - a jump of 55 places. While coaching the national team, he also worked as technical director and worked on a number of development programmes. The country was also ranked 16th in CONCACAF.

Simultaneously, the senior women were ranked as high as 101 under his watch in 2003. White established an Olympic under-23 squad, a senior women’s team, and men’s and women’s squads at under-20 and under-17 level.

The men notched wins over the higher-ranked Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers, while in the FIFA under-20 World Cup qualifiers the Bahamas drew with the US Virgin Islands and defeated the British Virgin Islands. Other highlights included a 3-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the 2004 Olympic tournament qualifiers. White returned the Bahamas to FIFA certified international competition after a 12-year hiatus and coached and managed 65 matches.

White is credited with establishing a resurgence of national team programmes and advocating for an educational campaign to better equip Bahamian coaches. His greatest impact may have come at the developmental level where, under his tutelage, several players reached minor professional league status with clubs in America and Europe. He also designed and implemented a national coaching philosophy as part of the international teams and player development strategy.