FA Make Official Approach For Ray Lewington

[White Noise]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3284/euro-2012/2012/05/04/3079140/fa-chairman-bernstein-makes-official-approach-to-fulham-for


FA chairman Bernstein makes official approach to Fulham for Lewington to be Hodgson's England No.2


The Three Lions made contact with the Premier League club on Thursday afternoon as the new manager of the national team puts together his backroom team


4 May 2012 07:14:00



EXCLUSIVE


By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent




The Football Association has made an official approach to Fulham for Ray Lewington to join Roy Hodgson's backroom team.

Sources have told Goal.com that FA chairman David Bernstein contacted Fulham chief executive Alistair Mackintosh on Thursday afternoon.

It is understood that the governing body have invited Lewington to be Hodgson's No.2 initially for this summer, with a view to extending the role to England's World Cup qualifying campaign if it goes well.

The FA has offered to cover Lewington's Fulham salary while he is with England and pay the Premier League club a compensation sum for his services.

An arrangement is expected to be agreed swiftly, with Lewington likely to link up with Hodgson officially at the end of the season, when the national team will begin preparations for Euro 2012 with a training camp in Spain.

The FA has no plans to build an extensive permanent coaching team to support Hodgson, unlike his predecessor Fabio Capello, although the governing body are likely to add a younger coach to his support team, with Phil Neville and Paul Ince among the names mentioned.


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Lewington, 55, who was Hodgson's assistant during the new England manager's three seasons at Craven Cottage, is currently head of coaching at Fulham. He concentrates on youth development and manages the club's reserve team.

Lambeth-born Lewington, who began his playing career at Chelsea and was Fulham player-manager at just 29, rejoined the west London club in 2005 after managerial spells at Watford and Brentford.

Fulham regard it as a reflection of their coaching set-up to have been approached by the FA. Martin Jol's No.2 Billy McKinlay is the Northern Ireland assistant manager and academy coach Kit Symons is part of the Wales coaching team.

[Oakeshott]

Good for Ray. Let's hope that Roy and he get some encouraging results this summer. As for adding a younger potential manager - why not Danny Murphy, who strikes me as a lot more intelligent and football-savy than Ince or Neville.

[TonyGilroy]

No disrespect to Ray but sections of the media are going to have great fun with the notion that Hodgson's assistant is a Fulham reserve team coach with no international experience.

A potential PR disaster and, for me, an indication that Roy has learned nothing from his Liverpool fiasco.

Perceptions will matter enormously if results don't turn out to be good.

[leonffc]

I've been saying that there should be several young up and coming coaches involved on a part time basis to A) learn the set up B) throw in fresh ideas.
I've no problem with Ince. I'd love Danny to be involved BUT as I've asked before, has he done any coaching badges yet? We all assume he has but I've heard nothing.
Other than that, Lee Clark? Eddie Dowe? Milton Keynes bloke? They can still be involved in clubs, just chip in with England.