Roy Hodgson appears to have been identified by the Football Association as the man to take England to Euro 2012 and beyond.
The 64-year-old is currently locked in talks with FA officials after West Bromwich Albion yesterday granted their manager permission to discuss the vacancy.
Hodgson's anticipated appointment has been met with scepticism from a number of people, including the likes of Sir Geoff Hurst and Matt Le Tissier.
However, Sports Mole brings you six reasons why Hodgson is the right man to take charge of the Three Lions.
1. Previous international experience
Unlike the other reported contender for the job, Harry Redknapp, Hodgson has a wealth of managerial experience at international level. Hodgson has previously taken charge of Finland, UAE and Switzerland, who he took to the last 16 of the World Cup in 1994.
2. Managed big players
Those that favoured Redknapp for the job pointed to the fact that he had managed the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Emmanuel Adebayor. However, Hodgson is no stranger to taking charge of the biggest names in the game. During his two stints with Inter, he guided players such as Javier Zanetti, Youri Djorkaeff and Paul Ince.
3. Making the most of what he's got
In 2010, Hodgson took unfancied Fulham all the way to the final of the Europa League, where they were eventually beaten by Atletico Madrid. Despite a lack of top class players at his disposal, Hodgson masterminded a run to the showpiece event that saw the Whites eliminate the likes of Juventus and Wolfsburg. Such managerial ability could prove crucial to England at a major tournament.
4. Been there, done it
Quite frankly, is there an English manager that has been in the game longer? Hodgson took his first job in coaching back in 1976 with Halmstad, the first of his 16 clubs. Having controlled teams in Scandinavia, Italy and England, his knowledge of different coaching methods appears to be without comparison.
5. Forget Liverpool stint
Granted Hodgson's time in charge of Liverpool was memorable for all the wrong reasons, but one bad experience doesn't make a bad manager! On reflection, were Hodgson's results any worse than the ones currently being achieved by Kenny Dalglish? Barring a Carling Cup final victory on penalties over Cardiff City, arguably not. Hodgson has since shown at West Brom that his time at Anfield was a mere blip.
6. Third time lucky
David Davies revealed earlier today that Hodgson had been considered for the role on two previous occasions, where it is believed that he lost out to Kevin Keegan and then Sven-Goran Eriksson. It would be fair to say that neither of those made a success of their opportunity. Perhaps the disappointment of missing out in the past will spur Hodgson to achieve positive results.
Liam Apicella
