The FA's frantic fortnight

Kevin Keegan's resignation started it all

BBC Sport Online reviews the frustrations of the fortnight that followed Kevin Keegan's resignation and the appointment of Peter Taylor as England caretaker boss.

7 October: England 0-1 Germany
England coach Kevin Keegan quits just an hour after being booed off the Wembley pitch following the team's lacklustre performance against old rivals Germany. The ever emotional Keegan claims he "feels a little short at this level".

FA technical director Howard Wilkinson takes charge for the World Cup qualifier in Finland.

8 October:
FA executive director David Davies insists that the search for the new England manager will not be rushed and will not begin until after the Finland game later that week.

Chief executive Adam Crozier says he will make the final decision regarding the appointment. England coaches Peter Beardsley and Arthur Cox resign from the set-up.

The public's favourite candidate already has already emerged as former coach Terry Venables.

9 October:
Caretaker coach Wilkinson issues an appeal to the England players' pride to achieve a result in Finland.

Stand-in captain Martin Keown - one of the few players to publicly criticise Keegan during Euro 2000 - echoes the rallying cry.

10 October:

Stand-ins: Howard Wilkinson and Martin Keown

Sir Bobby Charlton dismisses the idea that a foreign coach should be appointed, saying "it would be an insult to our national pride."

The first foreign coach to admit interest in the post is Marcelo Lippi, the man who brought the glory days back to Juventus in the mid '90s, who has just been fired by Inter Milan.

BBC Sport Online's own poll to see who should get the job sees 40 per cent of the 20,500 votes going for Venables.

Wilkinson names his team for the Finland game a day early and brings in Teddy Sheringham and Emile Heskey - but he drops Michael Owen and makes it known very publicly that the young striker is suffering a dip in form.

11 October:
Crozier insists he will introduce a line of succession to the England manager's throne after the next appointment.

The current team struggle to a 0-0 draw in Finland, although television evidence shows that Ray Parlour is denied a perfectly good goal.

The result nevertheless leaves England bottom of their qualifying group.

12 October:
Paul Gascoigne backs the possible appointment of Venables and pours score over the idea of a foreign coach being the next man in charge.

The FA's main man Crozier declares the search is definitely on for the new coach.

Arsenal's Ray Parlour says Arsene Wenger is too happy at Highbury to be lured away, while David Beckham says that the next coach should be, yawn, English.

13 October - 19 October:

The decision maker - Adam Crozier

If ever proof was needed that the job of England manager is not the most important thing in football, this period proved it, as it was business as normal with the resumption of the Premiership.

The name of Bobby Robson, current Newcastle boss but an England manager of some note between 1982 and 1990, is bandied around, with the perennially patriotic Geordie saying that he would "do anything for his country".

Meanwhile the FA deny claims that former German coach Berti Vogts has been approached.

20 October:
Former Sports Minister Tony Banks gives his backing to Terry Venables to become the next England coach, although it becomes increasingly obvious that 'El Tel' is not the FA's favourite to take charge.

21 October:
Newcastle reject the FA's approach for Bobby Robson. But the FA schedule a press conference for the next day when an announcement will be made.

22 October:
After the knock-back over Robson, the FA unveil Leicester manager Peter Taylor - who was a Second Division boss just four months ago - as caretaker coach for the friendly with Italy in November.

Steve McClaren, Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United, will be his number two for the game.