Football Talk

Braian Barwick may claim to be in charge of the search for Steve McClaren's successor but he is unlikely to be given an entirely free rein. The appointment of the next England coach is pivotal for the Football Association and influential figures on the executive board are also expected to play a hands-on role. An FA source said: "It is inconceivable that the old guard - and Sir Dave Richards in particular - will not be heavily involved." Premier League chairman Richards is one of only three FA board members (Phil Gartside and David Sheepshanks being the others) with experience of recruiting a manager at club level. During his time at Sheffield Wednesday, Richards appointed Trevor Francis, David Pleat, Ron Atkinson and Danny Wilson. Coincidentally, three of that quartet are English, available and yet to rule themselves out of the running.

Macca's motivation is on DVD
Another casualty of England's Euro 2008 failure looks likely to be Steve McClaren's motivational guru Bill Beswick. Unlike his boss, Beswick will not walk away with a large pay-off as he is only employed by the Football Association as a consultant on a match-by-match basis. But Beswick should at least find some recompense through the sale of two coaching DVDs, priced £24.95 each, which are marketed as the work of "the England Soccer Team Psychologist" and sold on his personal website. The FA say it will be up to the new manager to decide whether to retain his services.

Alan didn't mind his Mannings
The flaws and failings of England's latest humiliation have been dissected ad nauseum over the past week, but the last word on the subject belongs to former Crystal Palace manager Alan Smith. He told FiveLive: "Steve McClaren is now to umbrellas what Bernard Manning [sic] is to turkeys."

Helen makes Bridge crumble
Chelsea fans will surely see the funny side after Helen Chamberlain destroyed Stamford Bridge live on Sky Sports' Soccer AM. The presenter was showing viewers a new model version of the stadium - made up of 2,000 pieces - that will be in the shops for Christmas. In a bid to highlight the fine detail, Chamberlain lifted the tray beneath the 7kg replica, only for it to slide forward abruptly and smash into pieces on the floor. According to the manufacturers, the £150 model takes at least 20 hours to assemble so it's no wonder Chamberlain was so embarrassed she hid under a table.

Thugs reunited hopes dashed
A gang of retired hooligans have been targeted by the BBC for a special thugs-reunited TV show. Panorama researchers have been in contact with around 30 former members of Millwall's F-Troop, which was the subject of a documentary on hooliganism in 1977. In the original film, Harry The Dog, F-Troop's notorious leader, was shown fighting a mob of Bristol Rovers fans single-handed and some of the worst excesses of football violence were exposed. Unfortunately for the BBC, death, illness and camera-shyness have so far hampered hopes of filming the 30th anniversary show.