Big Sam crisis: Who will FA turn to now Allardyce has left his role as England manager?
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Updated 28/09/2016 at 06:45 GMT
Gareth Southgate is the favourite to succeed Sam Allardyce as England manager, but who else is in the frame?
Gareth Southgate during training
Image credit: Reuters
Gareth Southgate (6/4)
Now Big Sam has fallen on his sword after his controversial meeting with undercover reporters from the Daily Telegraph, Southgate, who the FA appointed on a caretaker basis, has emerged as favourite to take on the role on a full time basis.
The former Crystal Palace captain led the England U21 side to a 2-1 win over France in the final of the Toulon tournament, and is the favourite for the job because he comes from within the FA set-up (hence his appointment on a caretaker basis). It is a policy that has worked well for Germany.
Southgate has club experience after managing Middlesbrough in the Premier League and the Championship before being sacked after three years in 2009. A touch of jobs for the boys perhaps, but at least he won’t need to be introduced to expectation levels.
He had no interest in succeeding Roy Hodgson over the summer but that has not stopped his being installed as favourite by the bookmakers.
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Steve Bruce (5/2)
Bruce was interviewed for the post during the summer, but lost out to Allardyce. Since that juncture, Bruce has left Hull City over his apparent frustration at the club's owners in failing to sign new players after winning promotion back to the Premier League and has recently been linked to Aston Villa and Stoke City, but the England role would surely remain appealing to him.
Bruce would be an attractive option being a free agent, and has never hidden his desire to land the job.
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Hull City manager Steve Bruce
Image credit: Reuters
"I hope the interview went OK," said Bruce, 55, after speaking to the FA in July. "I put my case across. Let’s hope it is successful. I am up against a big pal of mine in Sam, apparently some other candidates who are there too.
"Any Englishman would be extremely proud to be the England manager."
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Alan Pardew (8/1)
Has plenty of experience to make as viable a case for the post as Bruce. Lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United at Wembley in May after the Premier League season went seriously awry. Palace were flying at Christmas with talk of European qualification even doing the rounds, but the club finished 15th in the table after a 14-match run without a win.
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Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew during a lap of honour at the end of the match
Image credit: Reuters
They have been much sharper at the outset of this season in Pardew's third season at Selhurst Park, rising to seventh in the standings after the first six matches.
Is same age as Bruce, and would probably feel he is ready for such a chance after time-served stints at Reading, West Ham United, Charlton, Southampton, Newcastle and Palace.
Would surely jump at the England job if it were put his way, but it is open to some debate if he will be presented with such an opportunity.
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Eddie Howe (10/1)
At the tender age of 38, Howe must be worth a look. Has produced a minor miracle in leading Bournemouth out of League One, the Championship and into the Premier League, retaining their status while clubs such as Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Norwich City were tumbling back into the Championship.
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Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe applauds fans after the final whistle
Image credit: Reuters
Young, charismatic and a motivator of players, Howe is a coach rather than a manager. If he can motivate Bournemouth to survive in the world's richest league, imagine when he could do for the country's elite group of players?
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Glenn Hoddle (Anywhere from 6/1 to 14/1)
Hoddle was touted by England old boys Alan Shearer and Chris Waddle as the right man to succeed Hodgson back in July, and he has been here before with the national side having led them to the World Cup in France in 1998.
Waddle felt Hoddle would have a Plan A, B and C in tournament football. Alan Shearer, also an outsider for the role, would have liked to see Southgate team up with Hoddle.
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Glenn Hoddle
Image credit: PA Sport
He was sacked before the Euro 2000 campaign not for his performance but for stating contentious beliefs relating to sins of a former life. He later said sorry for offence caused.
His lack of recent management work is the main issue: now 58, the ITV pundit has not managed since running Wolves a decade ago, but remains one of England's finest footballers of modern times.
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Gary Neville (25/1)
Maybe Gary Neville will manage England in the future, or maybe not. Now doesn’t seem like that time. Nor would he thank you for a return to football's front line.
"It could be that I’m no longer ever a coach in football but that’s not a loss. Some people might think it is, but the fact of the matter is it’s not to me," he said earlier this month.
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England head coach Roy Hodgson and coach Gary Neville
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After a wretched season in which he was hired by Valencia last December and sacked in March, Neville was party to one of the bleakest defeats in England’s football history against Iceland at Euro 2016. Keen to return to punditry, and may not want to put himself through the wringer so soon.
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Arsene Wenger (16/1)
If the Football Association are looking to return to an overseas candidate, Wenger would be the obvious choice.
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Arsene Wenger enjoyed Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
Image credit: Eurosport
He would be a dream choice for many fans and, at the age of 66, is at a time of life when he's probably suited for the less demanding gig of international football. But who is to say he would want a such a job? And who is to say he would want the England post when he may well be asked to manage France in the future?
Has already stated his support for Allardyce this morning. Probably a non-starter.
Alan Shearer (33/1)
Shearer got his fingers burned as Newcastle manager when he failed to keep the club in the Premier League during a two-month stint back in 2009, and has not been back in the technical area.
Has recently had a statue erected outside St James' Park for his record goalscoring exploits, but his lack of managerial nous is a real red light. Could be involved in a coaching set-up if Bruce gets the nod, according to some reports.
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Alan Shearer
Image credit: Reuters
Has intimated his interest to the FA before only to be told he did not have enough experience. "I'd definitely speak to them, absolutely. I would offer my experience and tournament experience,” he said after Roy Hodgson vacated the role.
Harry Redknapp (33/1)
While we're on the subject of pie-in-the-sky possibilities, why not throw Harry Redknapp into the mix as well? The ex-Tottenham boss is a fan favourite - as you can see from his position as the early leader in our poll.
Redknapp is certainly an able manager with a decent track record. His work at West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham, combined with his famous straight-talking style, turned him into something of a folk hero.
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Harry Redknapp is ready for his international mangerial challenge
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Off the pitch, however, he has been hauled over the coals several times. The BBC Panorama programme made him a target for an investigation back in 2006, and in 2012 he went through - and was exonerated by - a high-profile tax fraud trial in 2012. Redknapp was exonerated both times, but it didn't help him rid himself of the "wheeler dealer" image he has been unfairly painted with.
In the present atmosphere, however, the FA will be extremely nervous of everything and everyone. They walked away from giving him the England job in 2012 when his footballing reputation was at its highest;they are highly unlikely to change their opinion this time.
Desmond Kane
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