 | KEY DATES 10/03 - FA meets with Curbishley for informal discussions 27/02 - Three-man team report to FA chairman Geoff Thompson 02/02 - The FA appoints three-man team to find new boss 26/01 - Barwick signals intention to appoint successor before World Cup 23/01 - Eriksson reveals he will stand down after World Cup |
The Football Association's search for a successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson is under way. The Swede will step down after the World Cup finals in Germany this summer.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick (pictured right), international committee chairman Noel White and Premier League chairman Dave Richards are the three men who have been appointed to find a new boss.
BBC Sport rounds up the latest news and speculation surrounding the vacant England job.
1 APRIL:
The papers are clear of any April Fools nonsense along the lines of David Beckham taking the hot seat in a sensational player-coach role.
Instead it is Bolton boss Sam Allardyce who is again centre stage pushing his claims.
"I have been quite bold, I suppose, but that's only because I had the okay from the chairman (Phil Gartside)," he said.
"He wouldn't really like me to take it, of course, but he appreciates that it's one of the biggest jobs in the world and I'm at the stage now when I think I'm ready.
"Some people, I suppose, still think of me as a big, ugly centre-half who doesn't know about the finer points of the game. I can't help the way I look."
And Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has championed Allardyce's cause.
"I think he has an outstanding chance - no question of that," Ferguson said.
"He has the experience and you cannot ignore the job he has done at Bolton.
"A lot of people criticise the way Bolton play, but I think they are a terrific side.
"They have been improving and progressing year after year and that's because of Sam's ability to get the best out of players who have been all over the place."
WHAT ARE THE MANAGERS SAYING?
Sam Allardyce:
1 April - "It's one of the biggest jobs in the world and I'm at the stage now when I think I'm ready."
Gerard Houllier:
29 March - "I have not put my name forward and I have not been interviewed."
Guus Hiddink:
24 March - "I've decided to stop as trainer with PSV at the end of this season, and that's about it."
Peter Taylor:
24 March - "My meeting was about the role, but I'm sure Alan Curbishley's meeting would have been for the role."
Fabio Capello:
24 March - "Within three years I will pack in coaching at club level and then I want to realise the dream I have always had inside me - England."
Luiz Felipe Scolari:
23 March - "I had an informal meeting with the English federation. I do not feel I am in a race to be the next England boss."
Alan Curbishley:
22 March - "I'm sure it will be stepped up in the next couple of weeks but I don't think anyone knows how."
Steve McClaren:
15 March - Studiously avoided answering questions about the latest speculation surrounding the England job before his Middlesbrough team beat Roma to reach the Uefa Cup quarter-finals.
Stuart Pearce:
13 March - "England is not a distraction for me, I don't take a great deal of interest in it."
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
Send us your comments about the England manager's job using the form below and we will post a selection here. Who was the last English manager to actually win anything important? The only choice for me Stuart Pearce and that's based on passion. Sven should take him to the World Cup and let him do the team talks!
Wayne Gower, England
Guus Hiddink's my man for the job. He knows how to get results from teams with limited resources (South Korea, PSV Eindhoven, Australia). But best of all he's calm, calculated and respected, all pre-requisites for surviving against the English media.
Farhan Khatri, Australia
I would offer it to Sir Alex Ferguson. Needless to say he has a good record. Tough, tactically sound and plenty of passion.
Gerard Alexander, England
I can't believe that there is even any discussion about this - Martin O'Neill is your man. He has enjoyed success in England with Leicester City and in Scotland with Celtic, is a proven motivator and is skilled at dealing with the press. I'm sure the players would respond to him and his methods. As an Irishman, I'd rather he'd taken charge of the Irish team, but I think given the chance he could lead England to the glory they crave.
Brian, Ireland
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