FA adopt similar approach in England manager search but back Gareth Southgate for short-term success

Vaishali Bhardwaj28 September 2016

The FA will not change the criteria they have for the England managerial job as they begin the "challenging" process of finding a long-term successor to Sam Allardyce, chief executive Martin Glenn has revealed.

Allardyce's contract as England coach was terminated by mutual consent on Tuesday after a newspaper investigation showed the 61-year-old appearing to advise reporters posing as businessmen about how to get around transfer rules while negotiating a £400,000 deal to represent the fictitious Far East firm abroad.

Despite Allardyce being in the role for just 67 days, FA CEO Glenn revealed that the organisation had taken the "painful" and "difficult" decision to part ways with the former West Ham, Sunderland and Bolton manager before announcing that England Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate will replace him in the short term.

Southgate will be in charge of the Three Lions' next four games against Malta, Slovenia, Scotland and Spain as the FA begin their search for a long-term successor to Allardyce.

In Pictures: Sam Allardyce's managerial career

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Glenn insisted the senior team will be in "good hands" under Southgate, but admitted the search for a permanent England manager will be challenging.

"We're in good hands. Gareth Southgate, the under-21 coach who has got really good international experience and Premier League experience, will take charge of the team for the next four games, from Malta through to the friendly against Spain," Glenn told FATV.

"He's got good back-office support and we'll be having a planning meeting with him later on this week, and we plan to go and win those games."

Speaking about the search for Allardyce's successor, he said: "It's been a busy 24 hours, so you might imagine that we haven't got a process in place but job one is to secure the England team, which with Gareth we are doing.

"Job two is to reflect on what lessons need to be learned from what we've just gone through and how that might approach a new search – but I think the criteria of the person we're looking for will stay the same.

"The challenge is, with a very talented group of England players, how do you get the best out of them in tournaments? That's still the job to be done."

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