Rudderless England sailing too close to the rocks

In less than two month's time, England's Euro 2012 campaign gets underway with the opening fixture against France.

With all the excitement and intrigue being served up in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, it seems that this situation is being glossed over somewhat. The prospect of England going into the tournament without a manager however looms ever larger, and is something that the FA surely need to address in the fairly immediate term, to avoid an utter shambles.

They have had over two months to act already since Fabio Capello quite understandably reached the end of his tether, and yet from the outside it seems the England team is no nearer to a solution than it was back in February.

The mitigant that the FA can fall back on is the fact that the season is moving into it's critical phase, and many of the possible candidates are currently incumbent in a managerial role with a Premier League club. Fair enough, their preferred candidates may be otherwise engaged at present, but to my mind that is cause enough to rule them out.

The Premier League season does not finish until May 13th, at which point there will be just four weeks until that testing opener avec Les Bleus. Even if they were able to get, say, Harry Redknapp to state on May 14th that he is leaving Spurs to become the England manager, what kind of preparation will he be able to do in that short space of time? Indeed, it's actually rather less than 4 weeks given the deadline for squads to be named is May 29. Effectively he'd have two weeks in which to assemble a squad, spend time working with them, assess the fitness, form and mentality of the entire group; decide on a strategy, identify the right players to complement that strategy, and then set to work getting that across to the players.

All the new man has in terms of actual football prior to the tournament are two friendlies, against Norway and then Belgium - although the game against the Belgians comes after the squad deadline anyway.

I'll not make any bones about my dislike of Harry Redknapp, I openly admit that I don't think he's the right man for the England job, and I don't want him to get it. But all of the problems listed above are not just problems that are exclusive to Redknapp - any other candidate currently managing a club has the same constraints. Alan Pardew has been touted by some due to his incredible season with Newcastle; Roy Hodgson is another seen as a possible candidate even if just in a caretaker capacity. Neither of them would be able to give the role the necessary focus and attention until they were finished with their club duties however, and that is why I would rule out anyone currently involved in club management.

All the noises from the FA, and the media clamour following Capello's exit, suggest that the next boss will without doubt be English. This therefore rules out Rafa Benitez, currently out of work, or Marcelo Lippi - who in fairness is probably finished with management now, and would be seen as far too close to Capello anyhow.

Glenn Hoddle recently announced his willingness to be considered, which is something I find interesting. Hoddle produced some exciting football from England and had us in seemingly good shape before his ill-advised (and in my opinion space cadet mental) views on reincarnation cost him the high profile position. I won't ever forgive him for the omission of Matthew Le Tissier from the France 98 squad, but I think he is tactically astute and capable of putting out an England side with intention to play attractive football. Reappointing Hoddle may carry too much potential PR baggage and could well be a can of worms that the FA would not want to open. In spite of this, he is available, eager, and could start his preparations now without delay.

None of these candidates come without their faults though. Whether it be through prior obligations to their clubs, dodgy past or even the wrong passport, there is no clear candidate. Well, not quite...there is one.

Stuart Pearce took caretaker charge of the England team when Fabio Capello left, he presided over the Holland friendly a couple of weeks later. His managerial career is not the most stellar, granted, but he is in there right now. He knows the set-up, he knows the players, he knows the score. His 'Psycho' image from his playing days will appeal to the Ingerlund brigade who want nothing more than passion. Indeed, in my lifetime I can think of no more hair-on-the-neck-raising iconic moment to demonstrate love for the shirt and pride for the country than Pearce's celebration after his penalty against Spain in Euro 96.

His calibre as a player is without question - one of the few candidates who can look at every player in the England squad and tell them I know what it is like to play in the World Cup and European Championship semi finals for England. None of them have achieved that, and perhaps the egotistical old guard may do well to have a bit of a reality check from a manager who has done it, and done it better than them.

Pearce's detractors will rightly point to the sometimes disappointing displays from his Under 21's side when they reach major tournaments, but I'd argue that third place and runner up is not half bad, a damn sight better than anything the senior team has served up since Pearce himself was in the team. Furthermore his at times dismal record in charge of Manchester City does not inspire massive confidence. Finally, he has signed up for the role of coach of the Great Britain Olympic football team, a possible sticking point given the proximity of the two tournaments.

I don't think that Stuart Pearce is necessarily the best possible long term candidate for the England job - but I think he is by far the outstanding choice to lead us into Euro 2012. The FA should act now, announce that Pearce will be in charge for the tournament, and leave the longer term decision until after that. No 4 year contract nonsense, give him the role until the day England are eliminated, and then review it from scratch.

The longer the FA delay the decision, the more harm it is doing to England's prospects, and the greater the potential for the Three Lions to suffer another disaster of WC2010 proportions.