West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce doesn't shy away from his ambition to be England's next manager.

Allardyce wrote in his column for the London Evening Standard: "I was interested to see our vice? chairman, Karren Brady, in her newspaper column, mention my burning ambition to be in charge of England one day.

"Karren is absolutely right and I make no apologies for nurturing that ambition - it should be the same for every English manager.

"Timing is everything in life, though, and you have to tick all the boxes at the right time, if you want to have a chance of the top job in English football.

"And it seems the Football Association are favouring an English-born manager as the successor to Fabio Capello after Euro 2012 next summer.

"The last time the Football Association were looking to appoint an English manager, my stock was riding high - the club I managed, Bolton Wanderers, were doing well and I was "fashionable", if you like.

"Any potential candidate this time would need a similar positive profile to be considered. As for me, I will continue to work hard for West Ham - I'm thoroughly enjoying the challenge - but I still have that England ambition.

"You have to retain those ambitions in life because, if you lose them, you also lose your effectiveness."