FA rubbish stories of Pearce/Curbishley dream team

The Football Association insist they will follow a conventional path to finding Sven-Goran Eriksson's replacement and will appoint one full-time head coach of the England team.

There have been suggestions today that some FA figures favour appointing two coaches, such as Stuart Pearce and Alan Curbishley, but who would both remain employed by their clubs and work alongside a director of football such as Sir Trevor Brooking.

However, that scenario has been emphatically ruled out by the FA and chief executive Brian Barwick is expected to deliver his shortlist to the five-man selection panel around the end of the month.

An FA spokesman commented: 'Our objective is to recruit one head coach. One would expect that the appointed coach would naturally work closely with our director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking.

'Additionally, it would not be unusual to have assistant coaches who report to the head coach but who are employed full-time by clubs, as is the situation at the moment.'

The selection panel is made up of Barwick, FA chairman Geoff Thompson, international committee chairman Noel White, the committee's vice-chairman Dave Richards (also Premier League chairman), and Arsenal vice-chairman and FA board member David Dein. They will also be advised by Brooking on any appointment.

Barwick will present a shortlist to the panel with his comments on each candidate, and the five members will decide on their favoured choice.

Martin O'Neill, viewed as a domestic rather than foreign appointment by Barwick despite being an Ulsterman, remains the favourite but if he is offered the job he may have to agree to use the likes of Pearce as an assistant in order to groom the Manchester City manager as a future England manager.

It is thought O'Neill would also want to include John Robertson and Steve Walford, his assistants at Leicester and Celtic, among the backroom staff.