Why Portsmouth's 'Arry should head the queue of Englishmen for the England job

Harry Redknapp is part of a dying breed. A quick scan through the top league shows that this season he was the highest placed Englishman, guiding Portsmouth to an eighth-place finish.

Above Redknapp in the league lis a Welshman, an Ulsterman and two Scots - but what Redknapp has done with Portsmouth has to be applauded. ‘Arry has had a lot of success with Pompey – in his first stint he took them to the Premier League and in his second spell he cemented them in the top flight.

Steering Portsmouth to within touching distance of the UEFA Cup through the league, and then winning the FA Cup for them this season,  is an excellent achievement but doesn't make him a glorious or legendary manager. The elitist tendency is to say that he wouldn’t be able to handle the England hot seat because of his lack of experience with a truly big club.

However, although managing a top team does mean that you invariably end up coaching some of the world’s finest; managing smaller teams gives you a different skill set.