Howe could he not be next?
EDDIE LION-IN-WAIT
EDDIE HOWE might as well get measured up for his FA blazer now.
And if things don’t go to plan for England in Qatar, he could be slipping it on sooner than expected.
Howe might hail from Amersham, but he’s turning into a gift from the footballing Gods for those who have to pick the next Three Lions boss.
In 12 months since taking charge of Newcastle, Howe has transformed them from relegation fodder to title contenders.
His job was to keep them up but he’s exceeded all expectations.
And he hasn’t even plundered too much of the huge loot at his disposal from his Saudi Arabian owners on Tyneside.
Earlier this week, Shay Given likened what Howe had done at St James’ Park to a ‘Roy of the Rovers’ like tale, and there’s little doubt it’s turning into comic book stuff.
Gareth Southgate, meanwhile, has a contract as England boss until Euro 2024. But it’s difficult to see him going on to fulfil it.
A poor campaign at the World Cup could see him quit or be sacked.
And should the unthinkable happen and England win the tournament, Southgate could still step aside.
Let’s be honest, conquer the world and what would be the point in continuing? Nothing would top it.
Who knows what will happen? We have had three Prime Ministers, two monarchs and heaven knows how many Home Secretaries in the last three months.
The world has become a strange and unpredictable place.
But one constant amid all the mayhem and madness has been the rise of Howe as the best English club boss in the business.
In fact, when it comes to replacing Southgate, Howe appears to be the outstanding candidate in a pool of one.
Graham Potter has gone to Chelsea. Frank Lampard is achieving little at Everton, while Steven Gerrard is jobless following his sacking at Aston Villa.
Howe will be in Saudi this winter with his squad on a training camp and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham could do worse than take the short flight from Qatar to speak with him and find out his future intentions.
These will include winning trophies with Newcastle and getting them into the Champions League. But Howe will also know how ruthless his Saudi regime would be should he fail to keep Newcastle’s masterplan on track.
And managing England is the ultimate honour and challenge for someone with ambition like his.
Howe ticks all the boxes. You have to be all things to all men as England boss but Howe is diplomatic, intelligent, bright, articulate and capable of improving those under his leadership. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, Southgate has done a wonderful job as England boss.
We have a competitive team to cherish again and his shoes will be difficult ones to fill. He’s the secondmost successful boss England have had after Sir Alf Ramsey.
But Howe appears capable of answering the FA’s prayers.