Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has called on critics not to talk down the quality of English coaching.

"We have devalued the English coaching system by making it clear we don't think it is good enough," Hodgson told The Times. "It's not doing the global opinion about English football any good when you say we haven't got anyone who's any good. But I must emphasise we want the best man, so we can't say it must not be anyone outside of England. Just don't say we've given it to [Fabio] Capello because no one in England is any good. Don't decry the English system."

Germany, though, very nearly made a similar leap of faith with Hodgson.

"They wanted to offer it to me," he said. "But the German FA decided it wouldn't be a good thing. It would make it seem the German coaching licence is no good."