This time will be different. I promise.

Obviously it should be Redknapp. I mean, it’s not like the FA have made rash decisions in the past, pressured by public opinion or overly reflexive in response to previous failures in managerial choices.

Clearly such mistakes are a thing of the past. Clearly there will be no knee-jerk transition from the ice-cool Sven to the pally Maclaren. Clearly the disciplinary deficiencies of the latter will not be superseded by an authoritarian Italian.

For one thing, a ‘shortlist’ is being considered. Imagine that: a list of names. Real names. Of people. (Hopefully this list isn’t as short as the last one, Fabio the sole feature).

To be sure, Harry has plenty going for him. He’s not a crook, as the media are suddenly at pains to tell us. He also isn’t a hamster. Or a dog. Or a long list of other, equally unemployable, organisms.

It helps that he’s likeable, earning him a healthy dose of media good-will. His competency at Spurs probably wouldn’t harm his CV either. But let’s face it, he’s not a stand-out candidate, and he’d be assuming a poisoned chalice – one which no sane or ambitious type would ever contemplate.

You see, part of the problem is the national psyche. There has long been a belief – perhaps dating back as far as 1966 – that the time will come again. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But the public expects, and all players since have been shouldered with that expectation.

Fat Les and the crowd that sung Vindaloo are guilty of a fatal error: they wrongly assume that nationalistic devotion to an all-but-hopeless cause can militate against the failures that will invariably arise from a sub-optimally managed and less-than-talented squad.

But history cruelly demonstrates that shouting loudly is no indication as to the validity of those claims. Just ask Balotelli for futher information about that one.

Ultimately, while 14K per day is a big number, I don’t envy Fabio’s successor, because only a world cup will satisfy the fans. And winning a world cup, well, it ain’t easy.

http://cambridgetab.co.uk/sport/capellos-successor-in-for-a-rough-ride

No thanks, Alan. Redknapp's better.

In an attempt to shake off the media circus ensconced outside his home, Peter Alfie Roland Dilon Edwin William (P.A.R.D.E.W.), my pet dog, has joined the list of sentient beings ruling himself out of the race to be the next England manager.

The three-year-old reaffirmed his commitment to the Cambridge Kennels but admits he would like to see the job go to an English breed, hoping a deal can be agreed to appoint Harrier.

Although Durham boss Harrier is the clear favourite to take the job, PARDEW has enjoyed a strong season at Kennelside, guiding the Hounds to fifth place in the Canine League.

His previous achievements include reaching the KA (Kennel Association) Cup final with unfancied Hull but, despite an impressive CV, which could see him considered, the former Terriers United boss does not wish to abandon what he has started with the Hounds.

"Firstly, as an English dog, I'm proud to be in that sort of frame, but it's not for me and I'll make that quite clear," he barked to reporters. "I'm not even in the running as far as I'm concerned.

"I'm very, very happy here at Cambridge, we're on a little project here that's going really well and I want to see it through. And the passion and everything about this place is why I want to stay here."

"I do want it to go to an English dog, just on a personal level," PARDEW said. "That's important this time. I really, really hope Harrier and club themselves out and can do it in a manner that it works for everybody."