Brooking to plot England’s qualifying campaign

THE Football Association will rely heavily on the advice of Trevor Brooking when they start plotting England’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign next month.

Although almost all of the attention since the announcement of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s planned departure has centred around the forthcoming World Cup campaign, the most immediate impact of the developments will be seen in Montreux tomorrow.

Chief executive Brian Barwick will head the FA delegation in Switzerland at the draw for the next European Championships, to be hosted jointly by Switzerland and Austria.

Under normal circumstances, once England’s opponents are known, the head coach would be asked for his preferred choice of fixtures before a meeting to thrash out the group itinerary over the next few weeks.

Barwick will still seek some guidance from Eriksson. But with the Swede’s exit now confirmed for July, it is Brooking who will provide the major footballing expertise.

Barwick has so far refused to outline a timetable for choosing Eriksson’s successor. But the FIFA-sanctioned August 16 friendly date is so close to the first 2008 qualifier on September 2 to make it inconceivable the FA will not have the new man either in place, or at the very least informed of the intention to give him the job, by the start of the World Cup in June.

Without specifically saying so, Barwick has come very close to acknowledging that fact. “We have about five months,” he said.

The prospect of a home-grown coach replacing Eriksson has taken a twist with confirmation from Middlesbrough that Steve McClaren has yet to sign his new four-year contract with the Teesside outfit.

For all his present difficulties, McClaren’s international experience does give him a advantage over the other England-born candidates - with Alan Curbishley, Sam Allardyce and Stuart Pearce all untested at that level.