The controversial Swede and former Manchester City boss is available and has tournament experience with England, is a return as far-fetched as it sounds?
News of Fabio Capello’s resignation hit the FA like a bolt from the blue.
With four months until the nation’s first European Championship finals for eight years, England have no manager and no captain.
So what about the man who took England to their last one in 2004?
Yes its widely thought of that Harry Redknapp will be the man to take over, but lets consider an alternative for the moment.
Sven is currently free, only yesterday he was linked with an application for the Leeds United job.
He also lives in London close to the FA headquarters and no doubt is still on first name terms with many behind the scenes at the FA. He could slot in seamlessly, still knowing many of the players, and knows what to expect from an international tournament.
If Spurs chairman Daniel Levy refuses to release Redknapp to do the job as well as holding the Tottenham position, or Redknapp himself says its too much, the FA will have to look at other options.
Tottenham have a lot on their plate in the battle for Champions League football, and Redknapp is under no obligation to take the job on for the Euro’s.
He can still take over afterwards in time for the World Cup qualifying campaign after the tournament, and may not want to wreck his chances at World Cup 2014 by rushing into a Euro 2012 tournament and it ending in calamity.
Meaning the FA could be looking for a one-off caretaker boss for this summer.
Is there a better ready-made candidate than Sven?
Unlike McClaren or Hoddle before him, he did not leave disgraced.
Yes he failed at World Cup 2006, that failure was quickly put into context when McClaren could not even take that same squad past the qualifiers for the next European Championships. After 2002 and 2004 he was viewed positively, its just expectations increased.
None of Sven’s England sides quite disgraced themselves like Capello’s 2010 World Cup squad either.
His record was consistent- reaching the quarter-finals at each major tournament he took England to, and at this point that would seem like a success at Euro 2012.
He was popular among the players and respected by his peers as well as fans, and this would be an ideal chance for him to rebuild his reputation, which has suffered in the past six years, with managerial posts ranging from Manchester City to Notts County.
Let’s suppose Redknapp is declared unavailable- Would you like Sven back as a one-off for Euro 2012 or is the suggestion ridiculous? If not who else would you like to see?
image: © Doha Stadium Plus
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
