Sam Allardyce Named England Manager

Following Roy Hodgson's resignation as England manager on June 28 after their disastrous exit from UEFA Euro 2016, the Football Association's search for a new Three Lions boss has come to an end.

Continue for updates.

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Allardyce Named England Manager

Friday, July 22

The FA announced that Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has been named as the national team manager.

"FA Chairman Greg Dyke confirms three-man panel will recommend Allardyce as next England manager," tweeted Sky Sports News HQ.

James Olley of the London Evening Standard reported on Wednesday that Allardyce was set to be appointed England's new manager "in the next few days."

"The Football Association contacted Sunderland AFC to seek permission to speak with our manager as part of what was supposed to be a confidential discussion process with potential candidates for the position of England manager," read an official statement from the Black Cats on July 13, which noted that the club agreed to let their boss talk at his own request.

The release continued:

"

Sam is very much key to our plans. After what was an extremely challenging season, we are keen to see a period of stability, both on and off the field, and we want him to remain as manager of our football club.

The ongoing speculation over Sam’s position is extremely damaging to Sunderland AFC, particularly at this crucial time of the season and we urge the FA to respect the disruption that this process is causing and bring about a swift resolution to the matter.

"

On July 6, Neil Ashton of the Sun reported that Allardyce "held preliminary talks with the FA."

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FA Interview 'Mystery' Candidate

Wednesday, July 20

"The Daily Telegraph understands that the search has been wider than the names made public and that at least one candidate, who has remained out of the spotlight, has been interviewed in the past 48 hours," reported Matt Law of the Telegraph.

"Sources would not reveal the identity of the mystery interviewee, but hinted it was not an Englishman. The FA's No.  1 choice, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, turned down the job early in the process," the report continued.

The selection board are expected to present their favoured candidate to the FA on Thursday, per Law.

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Hull Confirm Bruce Meeting

Tuesday, July 19

"The club can confirm that [Bruce] has held informal discussions regarding the England vacancy, although no official approach has been received from the FA," read an official statement from Hull City.

"We would hope to see the FA conclude their business quickly in order to avoid further speculation regarding Steve ahead of what is a season of huge importance for the club following our return to the Premier League," the statement concluded.

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Bierhoff Hints at Potential Klinsmann Talks

Saturday, July 9

“Perhaps it is an advantage that good players go to England and other countries, so our clubs have to bring other players through," Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff said, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian. "But since the arrival of Jurgen Klinsmann—who I think is in discussions with England—we have also given the national team a certain pride, atmosphere and organisation."

Bierhoff added that Klinsmann would be a "good fit" and that "he has the courage to make difficult decisions and, perhaps, you need something like this.”

On June 29, Alexi Lalas of Fox Sports, citing a U.S. Soccer source, reported that the FA had not contacted the United States Soccer Federation regarding Klinsmann.

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Redknapp Reportedly in England Running

Thursday, July 7

"FA head of elite development Dan Ashworth will meet Redknapp after it emerged that the former Tottenham and [Queens Park Rangers] manager is interested in the position," noted Ashton, who also said Allardyce's Sunderland contract includes a release clause.

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England Looking for Managers with Domestic Experience

Monday, July 4

John Cross of the Daily Mirror reported: "Football Association chiefs will demand that any foreign manager wanting the England job speaks clear English and has previous experience of the Premier League."

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Southgate Reportedly Not Interested in Job

Wednesday, June 29

Fifield of the Guardian reported that Southgate "has no interest" in succeeding Hodgson and "would be reluctant even to consider accepting the position on an interim basis."

Fifield also noted Southgate's reservations regarding the position:

"

Southgate, who has spoken about the issue with the technical director, Dan Ashworth, in the past, apparently harbours concerns over how taking on the role, even in the short term, could benefit his future career. He is aware that, if successful in the qualifiers, he would merely end up handing over the reins to the FA’s “first-choice” candidate given he is clearly not considered a contender for the permanent position at present. Alternatively, if those competitive matches went poorly, his reputation could be damaged beyond repair.

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Shearer Expresses Interest in Succeeding Hodgson

Tuesday, June 28

England legend Alan Shearer said he would like to speak with the FA about the possibility of taking over as Three Lions manager or working with Southgate if he's promoted from under-21 boss to the senior side.

According to the BBC (h/t Sky Sports' Jefferson Lake), the former England captain said:

"

I went to see the FA four or five years ago and I said, 'I want it, I'll have that job.' 

They looked at me and said, 'No, it's a lack of experience'. And I said, 'You've hired experienced guys, you've paid them an absolute fortune, I could not have done any worse than those guys'.

I'd definitely speak to them, absolutely. I would offer my experience and tournament experience.

Even if [Southgate] got it, for him to take players in with experience who've been there and done it, then that has to be of benefit also.

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Shearer's only previous managerial experience was a brief spell in charge of boyhood club Newcastle United in 2009, but he was unable to save them from relegation when he took over for the final two months of the season.

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England Lack an Obvious Choice for Homegrown Manager

The only English managers in the Premier League are Allardyce, Alan Pardew, Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche and Bruce—not one of whom has won a major honour as a manager or achieved anything significant in the top flight beyond survival or qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

Further, no Englishmen are in the hot seat at a club in any of the other four top leagues in Europe.

As for Southgate, he has been in charge of England's under-21 team since 2013 and won the 2016 Toulon Tournament in May. England won all five of their matches there, scoring 15 goals and conceding just twice in the process.

If the FA is prepared to look slightly further afield, Welshman Mark Sampson guided the England women's team to third place at the World Cup last year.

Aside from the likes of captain Wayne Rooney, the Three Lions are a young side with plenty of potential to grow.