The England Manager. Is it REALLY a done deal?

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ALLARDYCE WAITS FOR FA CALL

By Simon Stone, PA Sport

 

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce does not expect to find out whether or not he will succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson as England coach by reading it in a newspaper.

 

Allardyce jetted back into the north-west from Barcelona this lunchtime to be greeted by a mass of headlines proclaiming Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new national team boss.

 

Many of Allardyce's Barclays Premiership counterparts have been quick to offer varying opinions on the merits of the Brazilian.

 

Allardyce, however, is remaining tight-lipped.

 

Having produced what informed pundits claim as the best interview among the competing candidates, Allardyce has yet to discover whether he has landed the dream job.

 

And, rather than get carried away by media headlines, he prefers to wait for FA chief executive Brian Barwick to get in touch before giving up on his prospects of landing the cherished role.

 

"One way or the other, you would hope to be told by the FA," he said.

 

"You would not want to find out you either had, or had not, got the job by picking up the papers.

 

"I have no reaction to what has been reported because there has been no official statement. Until I get that official call from Brian Barwick or whoever, I am not at liberty to comment."

 

Although the FA have insisted all along they would take as much time as necessary to appoint the right man, many observers now believe a process which has been bubbling away for two months since it was officially launched following England's win over Uruguay at Anfield needs to be brought to a swift conclusion, especially given the mass of rumours which have filled the void left by the absence of genuine fact.

 

It is not a position Allardyce disagrees with, although he is equally happy enough to let the search for Eriksson's replacement run its course, insisting it is not affecting the day-to-day demands of his work at Bolton.

 

"We all want a final, definitive decision to be made but, as the FA have said, the process is still progressing," he said.

 

"They are still finding out the way they want to go and who they want to select.

 

"As far as I am concerned, all those who have been interviewed for a second time should all feel as though they are still in with a shout.

 

"Either way, I do not believe what has happened will make me a better manager.

 

"We are only talking about a couple of interviews. They were a good experience and they have never really been a problem."

[Boney Crisp]

There is a key element in that post, which is 'i read in the paper,' it is not often when a paper says something it is true, especially when it has not been said anywhere else. Allardyce will do the same with England as what he has done with Bolton.