ENGLAND'S premature exit from Euro 2008 represents a chance for change on the pitch as well as in the dug-out.
And Steve McClaren's successor, whoever that will be, must start building a squad capable of launching a serious challenge for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
One thing became clear as England frittered away their unexpected second stab at qualification against Croatia on Wednesday: For the Golden Generation of 2006, the game is over.
That doesn't mean wholesale changes, as England have a useful forward line when Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen are both fit, while Steven Gerrard certainly looks capable of patrolling an international midfield for a few years yet.
But it does mean that some of the youngsters in Stuart Pearce's Under-21 squad must be given a chance to show what they can do at senior level when England play their next match, a friendly against France in Paris in March.
McClaren's successor should take the chance to experiment a little, and give a few youngsters some international experience on the big stage at the Stade de France.
The new man's first task will be to find another goalkeeper. Paul Robinson is short on confidence, David James will be pushing 40 by the 2010 World Cup finals, and Scott Carson - not for the first time, as any Liverpool fan will tell you - has shown himself liable to make blunders in the games that really matter.
It would be a good time to give Joe Hart a go. The 20-year-old goalkeeper has been good enough to keep Sweden No 1 Andreas Isaksson out of the City side over the last two months.
Just as importantly, Hart has shown he has tremendous mental strength, bouncing back from the humiliation of conceding six goals at Chelsea last month to turn in an outstanding display in the Blues' last game at Portsmouth.
Defence is a trickier one for the new boss. Joleon Lescott proved beyond doubt on Wednesday that he is not an international centre-back. Sol Campbell, at 33, looks as if his best days are behind him. The France game would be a good chance to give Micah Richards a run at centre-back.
Sven-Goran Eriksson feels that Richards is more at home in the middle, and the City youngster's tough night on Wednesday perhaps proves him right.
Newcastle full-back Steven Taylor has played enough games at Under-21 level to suggest he can slot in on the right. Ashley Cole should return on the left, with John Terry in the centre.
Taylor's Newcastle team-mate James Milner should be given a chance on the left of midfield. And it would be fascinating to see how City's classy teenager Michael Johnson would perform in central midfield alongside Gerrard.
Perhaps it's time, too, to see how well Arsenal's Theo Walcott has matured after struggling under the weight of all the hype piled on him when Eriksson first picked him.
Up front, a fully-fit Rooney and Owen have to be first choices. But if either are injured, then Blackburn's young striker Matt Derbyshire is well worth a shout, having made a good impression on Pearce with the Under-21s.
Mike Whalley's team: Hart; A Cole, Terry, Richards, Taylor; Milner, Gerrard, Johnson, Walcott; Rooney, Owen.
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KEANO WAS SPOT ON WHEN HE SAID TO MANY BIG EGOS IN ENGLAND TEAM .GET PAID TO MUCH DID NOT SHOW ANY FIGHT HAD NOT GOT A CLUE WHAT THEY WHERE DOING APART FROM BECKHAM & CROUCH THE OTHERS SHOULD GIVE THERE WAGES TO CHARITY .AS FOR STEVE McCLAREN WALKING AWAY WITH 2 MILLION IF i GOT SACKED FOR NOT DOING JOB I WOULD NOT GET ANYTHING .THE WHOLE BOARD SHOULD GO MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP OF THINGS .SHOULD ALSO LIMIT 2 FOREIGN PLAYERS ONLY TO PLAY IN OUR CLUBS THEN WE WILL SEE MORE YOUNG ENGISH PLAYERS COME THROUGH THE RANKS
what ever happens we should not give mourino the managers job,with england.he is a bottler as he shown when the bad results came at chelsea.he left as soon as it went against him for a few games.he is also arrogant beyond belief,and as keano said there are already too many big heads.i will not watch another england game if he became manager.
i actually find it disgusting to even think of giving the job to a non englishman.look what happened to scotland. one of the main reasons we lost out was not the manager but the goalkeepers.i know he chose them but they and not he made the mistakes,yet he got the ultimate blame for them.
Spot on Pauline, what a disaster of a team, and it's not just them, the bloody board that picked Sven and Steve and the whole team are still in their warm little positions and their fat salaries !!!, it's the whole "old boys club" that has to change.
As for Rooney and Owen ???, wouldn't pay them in bottle tops, to fond of sick days !, how would they fare if they were brickies in the winter?, wouldn't last a day, poor babies.
Norman,
Perth West Australia
This guy is clearly a City fan and an ABU. I just hope the next manager plays this team, but excludes Rooney. Then our (United) players will stay fit to bring yet more success to OT.
Mike Whalley is right and copied some of my team Richards, Johnson and Hart are a must but the biggest ommission is Anuoha who has to be a future England Captain! Happy to see no M U and Liverpool players apart from Rooney & Gerrard in the line-up. Long overdue perhaps both managers of these two clubs need to retire? Benitez will probably get the boot anyyway shortly.
Having checked out Mikes team,I feel even more depressed.We can all put down our opinion of the best 11, we have 340 english players who play in the Premiership to chose from.Cloning human beings is supposed to be illegal yet the FA couching system is producing too many players who have the same type of ability.
To earn a place in the world cup you have
to face Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.
The Gods are not smiling at England.
They are laughing!
there's only one man out there who gets my vote if he's prepared to take this team on. that's Schmeichel. good demeanor, greatly respected, a thinking man, and a great driver who always expects the best. yes, and youthful. how about it, Peter?
Agree with you jabba, why take on a foreigner who can't speak English when you can just get Redknapp, who's definitely the best English manager at the moment.
Scolari preaches negative fuzball and a lot coaches could've achieved things with his Brazil and Portugal teams.
Mourinho will be too much trouble.
O'Neill- Winning the cr*p Scottish league 10 million times ain't criteria.
Hiddink- Won't leave Russia cos of the Abramovish money.
Cap and Lippi-Excellent but I don't know how much English they can speak (and having their messages given by an interpretor isn't the same is it?) Just get Redknapp!
Now, as for the goalkeeping position, Hart will compete with Carson and Foster for the spot in the future. Just because Foster conceded a goal from the oppo. goalie he was still the best keeper in the league at Watford.
Drinkwater and Febian Brandy should be fazed in along with Lennon, Downing, Richards, Johnson, Walcott, don't know about Milner, Taylor, Agbonlahor (can't believe he hasn't gotten chances already, Ash Young, Huddlestone, Bale, Onouha etc.
Possibly even Barton if he can sort out his disciplinary problems.
Whoever says there's no young talent in English football is a goon.