O'Neill tops England manager poll

WHO SHOULD BE ENGLAND BOSS? Martin O'Neill 18% Stuart Pearce 16% Sam Allardyce 13% Steve McClaren 4% Alan Curbishley 4% Luiz Felipe Scolari 3% Guus Hiddink 3% None of the above 9% Don't know 30% * 1,000 people polled

Former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has narrowly come out on top in a BBC Radio Five Live ICM poll about who should become England's next manager.

O'Neill gained the backing of 18% of the 1,000 people polled, with Stuart Pearce on 16% and Sam Allardyce getting 13% of the vote.

In a separate question, 50% of those polled said the Football Association should consider non-English candidates.

Only 41% thought just English candidates should be considered.

Respondents from the north of England and Scotland were slightly more in favour of a candidate from another country being considered.

The 1,000 people polled were given a choice of seven managers to become the new England manager.

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley was the fifth most popular choice, polling 4% of the votes.

Non-UK managers did not fare well in the poll.

Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink, the PSV Eindhoven and Australia manager, each received only 3% of the votes.

The new man needs to be in place by the summer Glenn Hoddle Former England manager

Nine per cent of those polled said they did not want any of the seven managers to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson and 30% said they did not know.

Meanwhile, Glenn Hoddle believes he and other former England managers could be consulted by the FA before it makes any appointment.

"It could be done and I don't think they are going to lose out by asking all those people who have experienced the job," Hoddle told Five Live.

"I don't see a negative in that. It can only be a positive."

Hoddle, who led England to the 1998 World Cup, has also urged the FA to have a successor to Eriksson in place before the Swede and his squad depart for this summer's World Cup in Germany.

Hoddle feels the new manager would benefit from being around the squad in Germany.

"The man needs to be in place by the summer, around the set-up," he insisted.

The FA has appointed a three-man committee to draw up a shortlist of candidates which will be presented to a full meeting of the FA board on 27 February.