We are now just under a fortnight since that ill fated night in Nice when England were dumped out of Euro 2016 by Iceland. That result bought about the resignation of Roy Hodgson as England manager and since then a number of names have been linked as to who will be Hodgson’s successor.
The early smart money was on Gareth Southgate, the former Middlesbrough boss is currently in charge of the Under 21’s and many felt that he would be the man to fill the England void but Southgate blew the race wide open stating that he is not interested in the job at this time.
That was also the line spouted by Eddie Howe who felt that the opportunity had come around too early in his career but has Howe had a change of heart and could The F.A. be ready to appoint the 38 year old Bournemouth Manager?
Not only that but the possible appointment of Howe could allow Harry Redknapp to come into the England fold with the 69 year old being earmarked as Howe’s assistant should the F.A. decide to go down this particular route
It would be a halfway house for Redknapp and The F.A. as it seems set that they will not be prepared to offer him the job outright so this could be the closest that the former Tottenham manager gets in terms of working with England players.
Redknapp was famously overlooked in favour of Roy Hodgson back in 2012 and it’s fair to say that it still rankles somewhat with him as some of his remarks since have been less than encouraging to England’s footballing governing body,
But if Howe was appointed then Redknapp will just as quickly eat those words, although is this the right move at the right time for the current Bournemouth boss. International management is usually the preserve of the experienced, the been there done that brigade and although Eddie Howe has done nothing short of an incredible job down on The South Coast you do wonder if this may be a leap too far for someone so young
Then again perhaps that is what the England side needs someone young with fresh ideas and not only that with plenty of time on their side, someone who can not only plan a system for his side but actually see it come to fruition over a cycle of tournaments.
If inexperience is a concern then this is exactly where Redknapp will come in and earn his money, yes he may have become about of a mercenary as of late going wherever the work will take him but that in itself has bought some international management experience after he took charge of Jordan earlier in the year
But even if that wasn’t the case this is a man who has a wealth of management experience and although he won’t be able to do his wheeler dealer shtick in the international setup he will certainly be a good sounding board for Howe to bounce ideas off.
Could this be a Bournemouth based dream team that makes it way over to the England side, there’s no reason why not I guess it boils down to how brave the bigwigs at The F.A want to be and if they want to appoint arguably the hottest prospect in England coaching.
I’m certain that one day Eddie Howe will be England manager there is almost no doubt about that after what he has shown during his two spells at Bournemouth the future for him certainly seems but the future be now?