England manager

I HAVE my doubts about the three men being feted as the main contenders for the England job. Of Jose Mourinho, Fabi Capello and Martin O’Neill, I would plum for Jose - but even his appointment would be a gamble. Undoubtedly he is the people’s choice - but look what happened to the national team under the last unanimous man of the people...Kevin Keegan. His reign ended in dismay in the toilets at the old Wembley stadium. Not that Mourinho is naive tactically, no, his undoing would not be down to that - but would he be able to stand the long drawn-out days of doing nothing, the boredom of not having every-day work? Or would he end up like another former England chief...the late Don Revie, who walked out on the country to take the readies on offer in the United Arab Emirates. It is easy to imagine Jose getting bored and walking off to Barca, Madrid or Milan - and leaving us in the lurch. That is the worry - at least in the much-maligned Revie’s defence, he did also shuffle off to help get some much needed cash to help his poorly wife Elsie, who was suffering from Parkinson’s. That is not a known fact; Revie is usually painted as a money-grabbing traitor. As for Capello - he could do a fine job, he is the right age and has the character to make tough decisions and build a mental strength among a group of players lacking in that area. But I worry that he also threw his hat in the ring to be boss of Australia and said he would not mind working in America. It suggests he is just another mercenary - although that would not matter if he could turn the team around by 2010. As far O’Neill, his legendary prevarication is a worry - he just can’t seem to make up his mind and that could prove disastrous...he could be another McDonut, although his spell at Celtic would suggest not. Whichever man is chosen, I would like to see a role found for Steve Coppell who admits he has neared the end of the line at Reading. He is an intelligent Englishman with a good vision and could be groomed for the job full-time when either Jose, Fabio or Martin eventually walk away.