The 5 shortest tenures of England managers

SAM ALLARDYCE

After only one game in charge and a managerial spell that lasted a grand total of 67 days, Sam Allardyce was sacked by the FA after comments made to two undercover journalists posing as business men. For a man that was quick to assure the public how pleased he was to get the England job in the first place, many would think that he would have been a lot more careful about he acted while in the position. However, he does leave the job with a 100% win rate thanks to a last minute goal scored by Adam Lallana, but that won’t be the first thing to come to mind when people look back on his short time as manager.

STEVE MCCLAREN

Until Allardyce’s dismissal earlier this week, Steve McClaren held the title for the shortest spell as England manager. Although he got off to a strong start by winning his first three games, he only managed to hold onto the position for 16 months in which they played 18 matches from 2006 to 2007. His tenure came to an end after he failed to win a Euro 2008 against Croatia in which the team only needed to avoid defeat. After failing to qualify for the competition for the first time in 24 years, the FA were forced to act and relieve him of his position.

KEVIN KEEGAN

Kevin Keegan also took charge of England for 18 matches but outlasted McClaren only on the number of months that he was in charge. One of the bright spots of his time in charge came in the shape of a 2-1 win over Scotland that took England into Euro 2000. They enjoyed a bright start to the tournament and even registered a 1-0 win over the reigning champions Germany before being knocked out by Romania before they reached the knock-out stages. He kept his job after the Championships but lost his job after a 1-0 loss to Germany.

TERRY VENABLES

Terry Venables enjoyed quite a successful stint after he won 11 of his 23 games in charge and only registered one loss. During these games, he became the last man to lead England to the semi-final of a major tournament during Euro 1996, but he announced his plans to walk away from the national team before the tournament kicked off due to his upcoming court cases. A lot of speculation surrounded him and he even claimed that there was a “concerted and organised campaign” to discredit him after public reaction to his police clearance over allegations that he paid Brian Clough a £50,000 bung for the transfer of Teddy Sheringham and his public falling out with then-Spurs chairman Alan Sugar which resulted in him being banned from White Hart Lane. All of this was healed by the FA chairman Bert Millichip who showed Venables his support.

GLENN HODDLE

Like Allardyce, Hoddle’s time in charge of England ended with controversy after 28 matches in charge. He won 17 of these matches, which gave him a 60% win rate, leaving him sitting in third on the all-time list and despite a very short World Cup campaign in 1998, it looked like Hoddle would have been kept on in the position if not for a radio interview. In January 1999, he was quoted saying some derogatory comments about people with disabilities which caused outrage amongst disabled people, fans and even MPs. Hoddle claimed that his words had been misinterpreted but after it was found that he had expressed similar thoughts before, the FA were forced to let him go.

How will England do at the Euros?

Last night, England came from 2-0 behind to beat current World Champions Germany 3-2 in their friendly match ahead of the European Championships. 

Roy Hodgson has already hailed the victory as his best night as England manager after his side fought back against the two-goal deficit Germany had created. 

Throughout the match, England put on a good performance but in the first hour of the match, they conceded twice (Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez with the goals) and it looked like the match would be taking a turn that so many England fans have become accustomed to over the years. 

Then, up stepped Harry Kane. Almost one year after making his England debut and scoring after 79 seconds, the man that has proved to everyone he is a big candidate to lead the line in France pulled off a neat Cruyff turn before he drilled the ball into the back of the net at the far post. 

Harry Kane celebrating with Spurs team mate Danny Rose after pulling a goal back for England
Image from: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/germany-vs-england-roy-hodgsons-current-crop-prove-they-can-exceed-failures-of-the-golden-generation-a6954636.html

Jamie Vardy was next up. Hodgson brought him on for Danny Welbeck, who had had a quiet game, and it didn't take the Leicester forward long to make an impact. 

Nathaniel Clyne put a brilliant cross into the box and Vardy confidently flicked his back-heel behind his defender and past Manuel Neuer for his first international goal.

It was one of the new boys in Hodgson's squad that finished the match off though. In the last minute, England had a corner and it was whipped in to Eric Dier who towered above his defender to head the ball past Neuer and claim the victory for England. 

Now, given that Hodgson has claimed he has never been happier with his team, this has just boosted the hopes of many England fans as they carry on their preparation for the Euros. 

A lot of the new players that Hodgson is bringing into the squad look exciting and are giving their manager a lot to think about in the near future. 

One player that certainly showed his worth against Germany was Deli Alli.

The youngster was in the mix throughout the night and for a long time looked like he would be England's biggest threat when going forward.

With the score line at 2-2, Alli had a golden opportunity to get England's third goal, which Dier eventually took. Vardy set him up brilliantly and with an open net in front of him, he hit his shot high over the bar.

Jamie Vardy draaws England level at 2-2 with a beautiful back-heeled flick
Image from: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/germany-vs-england-match-report-harry-kane-and-jamie-vardy-trigger-incredible-fightback-as-eric-dier-a6954626.html

The Leicester players have also made their names known as they fight for their place in the England squad, and once again Vardy made sure to get his name in the headlines.

If he doesn't make the Euros squad, then I know a lot of people will be very shocked. For Leicester, his goals have given them many wins that have helped them to get to the top, and he has just done the same for his country.

His Leicester team mate Danny Drinkwater will most likely make his debut against the Netherlands, and if he does the same as Vardy, then fans can most likely expect him to pull off a great performance.

It isn't the midfield and the strikers that are looking to be a problem though. For England, their main concern at the minute may be their defence. 

Goalkeeper Jack Butland was forced off at the end of the first half with an injury and Fraser Forster put in a good shift when given his chance, but the players in front of him looked shaky.

The partnership between Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling is not yet solid and Germany were able to find pockets of space that exploited them throughout the game.

However, if this is the centre back pairing that Hodgson will stick with, then with time, they will surely work on the stability between the two. 

Out on the flanks, Danny Rose did extremely well on his debut and looked l ready to tackle any problem that came his way, but the shakiness was out on the right side.

On the attack, Clyne was a huge threat and provided the ball that gave England their second goal. Going towards his own net though and he looked unsure with how to deal with his attacker.

England team celebrating Eric Dier's injury time winner against the World Champions
Image from: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/germany-vs-england-roy-hodgsons-current-crop-prove-they-can-exceed-failures-of-the-golden-generation-a6954636.html

For now though, I think that England fans have every right to remain optimistic, but more information about the team will surely come out when they play the rest of the warm-up games, which will hopefully give Hodgson time to fix any problems there may be.

England's next game is against the Netherlands at Wembley on March 29.

Rooney in the Spotlight

Wayne Rooney is a name that has been spread across the back pages for around a month now and on the lips of everyone in the media when they talk about football. It hasn't exactly been good press either, most of the time with pundits and journalists wondering where his next goal is going to come from or whether he is actually good enough to play in a centre forward role anymore. He has, of course, scored goals for Manchester United in the Champions League but has come up short in the Premier League making these claims get louder by the week. 

When it came to the international break though, people were talking about him for a completely different reason. He has been so close to breaking the England goal-scoring record for quite a while now, so every time he pulls on an England shirt that is the only thing people can focus on. He's finally answered all the demands that were directed his way by not only equalling the record, but also by overtaking it to be the all-time record England goal scorer and the first man to ever score 50 goals for his country (congratulations to him).

After all the negative press surrounding him in recent weeks, it's refreshing to hear his name in a positive light. I think everyone expected him to score in the game against San Marino, which he did, but then people also expected him to get more than the one in the game. It was clear after the match that when Roy Hodgson decided to substitute him, people were questioning why he hadn't been allowed to finish the match and break the record in that game. It needs to be said as well that by equalling the record in the San Marino game, it means that he did it in as many games as Sir Bobby Charlton, which is another great achievement in itself. 

He couldn't have chosen a better stage to break the record though. Switzerland were tough opponents and it took England until midway through the first half to break the deadlock through Harry Kane. It was 6 minutes from the end when the moment everyone was waiting for came though. Raheem Sterling made a run into the penalty area and got taken down and the referee awarded a penalty almost instantly. As soon as he pointed to the spot, you could tell there was a change in the air around Wembley Stadium. For the first time as far as I can remember Rooney actually looked nervous as he stepped back in preparation for the spot kick, but the second he saw it hit the back of the net, you could see the pride and the emotion on his face. I'm pretty sure he got a standing ovation as well (a well deserved one if you ask me). 

It wasn't even just the one record that Rooney broke yesterday. He became the first England player to score in 7 consecutive competitive international games (a post-war record) and the penalty took him to his 300th goal for club and country combined. He's also been tipped by his fellow England team mates and the manager to get even more goals and has been named the talisman - all of this happened after the match. Since Saturday, the media have been raving about how Rooney is such a great goal scorer, when a week before they were complaining about some of his poorer performances at the beginning of the season.

My point is, whenever Rooney has a bad game, people are quick to jump on the bandwagon and pile more and more pressure onto him. They count down the minutes since he last got a goal, pick apart every performance he's ever done and then when he doesn't perform well in the next match, they question why. I don't think Rooney ever lets the opinions of others affect him personally, but what if he did? It would certainly explain why he struggled sometimes on the pitch. Then when he puts in a good performance one match and maybe has an off-game the next, suddenly his good performance becomes the 'one-off'. In this day and age, people are too quick to judge the players on the pitch. I'm not saying fans only call out Rooney, because that isn't true, but piling pressure onto players, young or experienced, can't be good if it gets inside their heads. Personally, I think the fans should show their support for the player instead of slating him and then making a 180 during the next match. Then again, I have a feeling that won't be happening any time soon.

So, if everything carries on as normal, and Rooney doesn't score against Liverpool at the weekend, I guess his performance and achievements over the last 5 days will soon be forgotten, and we will be back to hearing how he's losing his touch as a centre forward. If that is the case, it was nice while it lasted...

MATCH REPORT: Slovenia vs England [Euro16 Qualifier]

After last weekend's dull draw against the Republic of Ireland for England, Roy Hodgson would be expecting a lot more from his team in a game which has more at stake. England are currently 6 points clear of their opponents at the top of their group and inch closer to qualification if they win this game today. However, it wasn't going to be an easy game, as Slovenia have a lot more to play for in their bid to gain the second automatic qualification spot. England can go into the game with confidence though, as they remain unbeaten in their qualifiers and knowing that they did beat Slovenia 3-1 the last time that the two teams faced each other.

England started the game fast and kept a lot of possession in the opening minutes of the game. Within five minutes, Wayne Rooney had picked up the ball in a dangerous position up the field, and managed to play it forward before the defender took him down. His pass still managed to find Raheem Sterling who could only side foot the ball over the crossbar from a very close range. Not even two minutes later, Slovenia also proved what they could do. From a corner, Milivoje Novakovic made a good run to get in front of Phil Jones and he flicked his headed shot towards goal that only went wide because of a deflection off Jones which the referee didn't spot meaning Slovenia didn't get a second corner.

England were dominant in the first half in terms of possession and they did well to keep Slovenia off the ball, and they created a few chances for themselves. Rooney slipped in Sterling again, but this time they were further away from goal which allowed him to run at the defenders. He did well to get through the crowd and his shot at the end took a nick off the opposition player to take it just wide of the post. On the 22nd minute, Fabian Delph is allowed time and space with the ball and he plays the ball forward to Rooney. The captain took the shot with his left foot and directed it low towards the bottom far corner of the goal. The keeper got a good hand to it to tip the ball past his far post and out of play. 

After this, England lost their foothold in the game. Slovenia won a free kick before the half hour mark near the halfway line. The ball was put into a good area of the box and Branko Ilic moved away from the crowd after brushing off the two England defenders around him and glanced the ball towards goal with his head. Joe Hart was already in a good position though, and he calmly collected the ball. 

Unlike England, when Slovenia gained confidence in the game, they took the chances that they were presented with. From a throw near the corner flag in the half of the pitch that England were attacking, Jones gave the ball straight to a Slovenian player. When Josip Ilicic got the ball, he ran at the England defenders who had clearly been caught out by this, and put a great ball forward to Novakovic. He pulled away from the England defence who were holding a very high line and were calling for offside. He wasn't though, and carried on forward leaving him in a one-on-one situation with Hart, who had come off his line early and was committed to closing the player down. The keeper tried to spread himself, but Novakovic read the situation well and sent his shot low across the ground into the bottom far corner of the net. 

This goal was the first one that England had conceded from an opposition player in their qualifying campaign and for all the chances and possession they'd had in the first half, they just didn't make it count. However, if they wanted to carry on their unbeaten run, they needed to change their mentality towards this game. At the beginning of the second half, England came out full of energy once again and were pressing the ball when they didn't have it, but they just couldn't get close enough to the Slovenian goal to create any clear cut chances. Slovenia were doing extremely well to make sure the England players didn't get any space around their goal. 

However, on the hour mark, one of their players stepped up and turned the game around. Jack Wilshere, who had been good throughout the game by winning back possession and pushing the team forward, found himself in a position to change the game for his side. Ilicic gave the ball away to Sterling in his own half, who quickly passed it onto Adam Lallana, who had replaced Jones at half time. The defenders closed him down quickly and managed to crowd him out and clear the ball. The clearance was poor though and it landed at the feet of Wilshere, on the edge of the box, he hit the shot sweetly and it swerved up, and even though the keeper got his hand to the ball, he had no chance of stopping it from nestling into the top corner.

Suddenly, it was all England again. Sterling created another chance straight after the goal, this time for Rooney. From a close range, he turned the ball over the crossbar. Moments later, Rooney was set up with another opportunity that looked just as simple as the last one, but it just didn't look like it was going to be his day in front of goal as this time he turned the ball wide of the target. Andros Townsend also had a chance in the 70th minute. Using a move that he is known for, he shifted the ball from his right foot to his left and from outside the box he took on the shot, sending the ball just wide of the near post. 

The big talking point of the last 15 minutes in the match? Goals. Wilshere stepped up to the plate again after brilliant build up play by England. It started from a defensive position where Townsend flicked the ball onto Jordan Henderson who was allowed to make a run down the right wing due to the Slovenian players being drawn towards Townsend. He crossed the ball across to Lallana early, who deftly flicked the ball behind him onto Wilshere. He shifted the ball onto his left foot and fired it directly over the keeper and let it nestle in the same top corner as his last goal. 

Slovenia weren't ready to give up yet. England seemed to sit back a little after the second goal, which allowed them to push forward one again. None of the England players went to close down the player as they put the ball into the box. Kieran Gibbs was also at fault as he didn't try and challenge Nejc Pecnik for the ball in the air, so the midfielder was allowed to get a good leap and head to the ball before he powered it past Hart in the goal. 

It wasn't over yet though. Henderson tried to play his original pass forward to Theo Walcott, but the defender cleared it. Rooney latched onto the clearance easily though and he kept running at the keeper, and calmly slots the ball into the far bottom corner of the net when the keeper stepped off his line. He had had a terrible day in front of goal, but he managed to round off his performance with a goal that took him within one of levelling Bobby Charlton's record. This was the final blow for Slovenia, and the goal was scored so close to full time that they didn't have enough time to try and push forward for another equaliser.

This leaves England just one win from winning their group. As their next game is against San Marino, a game they are expected to win, it is likely that they will be crowned winners of the group with three games still left to play. Slovenia started the afternoon in second, but due to Switzerland's win later in the evening, the dropped into third place, which leaves them with a lot of work still to go before qualifying for the competition. This result for England also confirmed a whole season of going unbeaten, which no England team has done since the 1990/91 season, and it is a record that they hope sends out a message to their future opponents at the competition.

The Harry Kane Effect

Now, this isn't going to be one of those posts where I sit and gush about this particular player like he owns the world. But unless you've been living under a rock, it's hard to not know anything about the young player that is taking England by storm.

The obvious place to start is that he has only been a part of the Spurs set up for less than 6 months and he got his first England full team call up at the beginning of the week. Everyone was expecting him to start the match, and he probably should have due to the season that he's having, but had to wait to make his full debut. Plus, to top all of this off, I don't think any other substitution has had such an anticipated entrance or a bigger ovation as they walked onto the pitch. 

He has already scored 34 goals this season, 29 of those being for Spurs and the other 5 for the England under 21's, but that isn't the only ability that he relies on. His hold up play and his pressing of the defenders is everything that an opposition defender hates in a player. It has been said that he has worked extremely hard on his game by a lot of people who he works with, and it is paying off greatly for him, much to the excitement of England fans around the country.

However, people may be calling for his full team debut to happen in the game against Lithuania, but it's almost as if they forget who else is in the team. He has to battle against Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott for his starting place, but I'm sure he's relishing this challenge, just as much as the rest of the dream. Rooney is chasing down a record of most goals scored in an England shirt (47 goals now, after he scored against Lithuania) and he is also the captain of the team, but a partnership between the two would look to be deadly to their oppositions. 

In the build-up to the game, he was the first name on everybody's lips and audiences all around the country were ready to see the man in action on the international stage. People were predicting at which point during the game he would come on and what kind of impact he would have when he finally pulled on that England shirt for the first time. Still, at half time with the home team 2-0 up, it only made the anticipation higher as England were in control and he would have the chance to build upon the success that his team was experiencing. 

Then, finally, he was ready. The only thing holding him back now was the fact that the ball didn't come off the pitch for 7 minutes after he was ready to enter the field. And the impact everyone had been waiting for since the team sheet was announced? Well, that arrived within the first 80 seconds of his game, after he'd taken just 3 touches...

Sterling's assist came down perfectly for Kane, who put just enough power behind his header to get it over the line, despite the best efforts of the keeper. His movement off the ball during the build-up to the goal was what caught out the defender that he was tracking. He hovered along the left side of the 6 yard box for quite a long time before the ball was ever crossed into the box, but the defender didn't get close to him even when the ball did finally come towards. Nothing can be taken away from Kane though, and after the season he's having, I don't think anyone will be surprised by what happened for him. 

Everything that he touches at the minute seems to turn to gold without him having to try too hard. Roy Hodgson did say after the game that he didn't want to put too much pressure on Kane by saying that he was going to be a true England player and an important one for them in the future, and he possibly has a point. If people truly want to see the best of him in the upcoming games, for both club and country, people should just enjoy watching his talents instead of piling pressure onto his performance. After the season he's had, it looks like he's going to be comfortable no matter where he is performing.