Top 10 Tasks on the New Manager of England's To-Do List Before Euro 2012

Following Fabio Capello's resignation a fortnight ago, we are still no closer to knowing who the next England manager will be.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp is undeniably the favourite, and in the eyes of many heads an FA shortlist of one.

Stuart Pearce has been given the reins for next week's friendly against Netherlands at Wembley, and as such, Capello's former assistant has an outside chance of continuing in that role right through to the finals of the European Championships this summer.

But whoever ends up leading England's campaign in Poland and Ukraine come June, there are several things the man in the hot seat has to get right.

Captaincy

John Terry has captained England 34 times in his international career, but never at a major tournament.

The Chelsea defender missed out on Euro 2008 after Steve McClaren's England failed to qualify, while he was stripped of the armband for the 2010 World Cup after a tabloid sex scandal which overshadowed the team's preparations for South Africa.

The FA's decision to remove Terry from the role for a second time, at least until his trial over alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand, ultimately led to Capello's resignation.

The first job of the new England boss should be to give the armband to whoever he sees fit with the minimum of fuss and then keep his fingers crossed that the issue does not flare up again before the autumn at least.

Fresh Faces

It is something of an unofficial tradition that one young player will burst into the England squad on the eve of an international tournament.

From Paul Gascoigne in 1990 through Michael Owen in 1998 to Theo Walcott in 2006, there is often an exciting tyro who hits form at just the right time.

This season, that spot could go to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while young attackers such as Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley have all had call-ups from Capello over the past year or so and will each fancy their chances of being on the plane come June.

The man leading England into Euro 2012 may well have such a youngster in mind, a pet favourite whom they feel has been overlooked. Should they decide to pick them, it could turn out to be a managerial masterstroke or a horrendous error of judgement.

The Old Guard

The crop of English players dubbed "The Golden Generation" a decade or so ago never really lived up to such a glowing moniker. But then, whenever a young group from any country is named as such, underachievement is almost bound to follow.

The likes of Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand are not getting any younger, and the new manager needs to be decisive about which of the older players has a place in his brave new world and which should be sent on their way.

In spite of that, there is a decision to be made about bringing someone out of international retirement rather than ushering them into it: Paul Scholes. 

Harry Redknapp, for one, has said he would love to see the 37-year-old Manchester United midfielder—who came out of the mothballs for his club in January—back in an England shirt, while Scholes himself admitted that he may have returned for the 2010 World Cup had Fabio Capello asked him sooner.

No Other Distractions 

The Terry scandal was not the only negative England story to hit the back pages in the build-up to the 2010 World Cup campaign.

The ill-fated Capello Index—a website rating players in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Champions League which was endorsed by the England manager at the time—drew criticism from the media.

It was perceived that the England manager should not be pursuing any commercial interests such as this while preparing for a major tournament, especially one which supposedly came so close to revealing his selection methods.

Whatever the depth of Capello's involvement in the site, it was a PR own-goal and his involvement was greatly scaled back.

The new England boss must avoid taking on any such distractions, no matter how lucrative. The salary from the FA should be more than enough to keep a roof over their heads in any case. 

Relationship with Players

Striking the right balance in dealing with the squad is tough for any manager, especially one who is brought in late in the day to take the reins at a crucial time.

Fabio Capello was seen as the man to bring discipline and order to the squad while his predecessor Steve McClaren was hired because he supposedly enjoyed a friendly rapport with many of his players. Both approaches ultimately failed to yield any success.

The next incumbent must be able to keep his players in check and focused on the task at hand, but without either the iron fist which frustrated the squad in South Africa or the cosy chumminess which bred complacency among the ranks and led to them missing out in 2008.

Relationship with Press

Another tightrope for any coach taking on what has become known as the impossible job and a poisoned chalice is their relationship with the press.

The British football press are notorious for their ability to make or break an England manager. Any boss in the employ of the FA is only one Photoshopped image of their face on the front of a root vegetable or with the ears of a donkey away from their position becoming untenable.

A coach cannot reasonably hope that their good relationships built up with the press pack over the years will keep them immune from criticism, but neither can they expect to wage war in the press conference room and come out victorious.

It is a difficult path to tread and one which will be abruptly blocked if they have any skeletons in their closet they do not wish to have unearthed.

Play Down Expectations

This should a be a given, really, considering the tumultuous way in which the year has started. 

The manager leading England into Euro 2012 would hope that they will be cut some slack, having only just got their feet under the desk before either face France in their opening Group-D fixture.

However, England did reach the finals as group winners in qualifying (unbeaten, to boot). Any extenuating circumstances will be quickly forgotten if the team puts in another listless performance of the sort seen in South Africa.

The best tactic will be to try and lower expectations as much as possible beforehand, but to do so without waving the white flag and declaring England as no-hopers, even if that is widely held to be the case.

Wayne Rooney

Not content with being without a manager just months before a major finals match, England also has another pre-tournament handicap in the form of their best player banned for the first two games.

Wayne Rooney is suspended for the group matches against France and Sweden following his petulant and pointless kick at a Montenegrin opponent in England's final qualifying match. As such, he will not be able to spearhead England's attack until a point at which they could already be eliminated from the tournament.

Does the new manager play him in the warmup games, use those friendlies to nurture an alternative attacking unit or leave England's star man at home altogether?

Jack Wilshere

Another selection conundrum comes in the form of Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere.

Last season was undoubtedly an exceptional one for the youngster as he became a first-team fixture for the Gunners and broke into the England set-up.

But the weeks before the final squad must be submitted are flying by and Scott Parker has made himself indispensable in midfield alongside captain elect Steven Gerrard.

If Wilshere does not recapture his previous form before the end of the season, then the new man in charge may have a difficult choice to make over how to set up his central unit.

Centre-Backs

Questions, so many questions for the next manager to consider at the very foundations of his team so close to embarking on a foreign campaign.

Even if John Terry is still available despite having the captain's armband taken from him, is he really equipped to face top opposition? Will everyone not remember his floundering against Germany's Miroslav Klose two years ago?

Will Rio Ferdinand be fit enough to be named in the squad only to promptly take his place on the treatment table for the duration? 

Is Ledley King, England's most naturally talented defender, worth risking again when he didn't even make it through the first match in South Africa?

Where do Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Michael Dawson or even Ryan Shawcross fit in the scheme of things? 

Questions, so many questions. But they all need answering.