Thetownend.com

been appointed as a coach for england:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18062454

good move i think

Bit of a surprise.  Weren't they talking about the other one being appointed?

gets him off the telly potentially

Great move. I reckon Neville would make an excellent manager too.

Not at all surprised.

Possible long-term replacement for Hodgson too.

I don't like all these sensible appointments. What do the FA think they are, competent?

I've been really impressed with him as a pundit, talks a lot of sense and doesn't jump on bandwagons. A good appointment for England.

I have been impressed with him as a pundit as he is more current than a lot of the older has beens. That will pass quickly so he is astute in looking for something else before people get bored of all the stories of him and David....

With regard to England it will be interesting whether Fergie remains as anti-England as ever?

I can't see Ferguson remaining as anything for a lot longer, to be honest.  He's 70, and he will know that Man City's title win this season is just the start.  A large part of the motivation for carrying on will have disappeared now he knows that the days when Man U were title favourites are now over...at least until the Sheikh gets bored.  (The FFP rules can, and will, be bypassed.)  Why would he stick around, after all he has achieved, just to manage the 2nd best team in Manchester?  I can't see it.

I wonder what Stuart Pearce makes of the new appointments?

Totally agree with this.  Great choice.

Must admit it's a bit concerning that the FA seem to have a plan and that it might actually be a good plan. Whilst everyone was surprised at Hodgson's appointment, when you look at their reasoning and what they're doing now it makes sense.

But whilst building for the future is good I don't see any point if you're just going to pick the same has beens and failures for Euro 2012. We've got fuck all chance of winning it, so drop the older players and go with a younger squad to get them the experience they need ahead of the next World Cup.

How do we know he is a good coach, he can't have done much.

They don't, they just know he talks a good game.

Good move, holds UEFA A and B badges and was capped x amount of times, also played in a few major tournaments!

Fuck me, didn't realise that I was a brilliant coach too.

Alan Ball, Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore all had World Cup Winners medals but weren't successful as managers/coaches. Why will Neville succeed? Conversely, Wenger, Fergusonand mourinho were no great shakes as players.

I don't understand how anyone can judge his ability before he's even started.

Why list former players who are/were managers? Neville has been appointed a coach, he's not in charge of England.

Loads of succesful players have become established and respected members of coaching staff.

Not judging his ability but with what he has won in the game on the whole and his amount of caps i think it is a very wise move.

Wasn't judging just stating the fact I think it was a good move as a coach

Yes and loads haven't.  I was responding to the assumption that he's being groomed as hodgson's successor and the way this is being seen as a masterstroke.

There's been no talk beyond this thread that Neville is being groomed but wouldn't you say that it's a sensible move to have a vastly experienced coach have a rookie in his staff to mentor as a possible future replacement without needing the circus of trying to bring a coach in?

If Hodgson fails, his staff will fail and it won't matter how decent a coach Neville is.

And that's why it won't work. Ultimately, Hodgson WILL fail (No matter how successful he is/isn't).

I don't know whether Neville will be any good as a coach, but I do know that he won't succeed Hodgson. If he had a real desire to coach/manage, why didn't he take a job when he retired from playing? I'm sure there would've loads of clubs willing to take a risk on him. He didn't though, did he? He went for the lucrative, yet pressure free, option of talking about football on the telly.

I may be wrong, but it just looks like an PA stunt by the FA.

I can't predict the future but this appointment, in my opinion, doesn't have that 'Beckham in a suit in South Africa' feel to it. I think Neville will be a proactive coach as opposed the PR stunt you mention.

We'll have to wait and see. I think I may be letting my personal dislike of Neville get in the way of my usual objectivity...

Herthab..., maybe after many years of playing he just fancied a break to think about his next move, rather than taking the "easy" option?

I think he did take the easy option. can't think of many jobs with as much stress and pressure as he would've had as a manager.

sounds unlike you......;)

I know. I've let myself down...

I think this thread goes to show quite how much Gary Neville's stcok has risen amongst your average football fan since Sky gave him the job, which in turn goes a long way to show quite how shite Andy Gray was at the job for donkeys years.