Gareth Southgate's three-hour interview for the permanent England manager's job has finished and "is understood to have gone smoothly," although no announcement is expected until Nov. 30, according to the BBC. The 46-year-old, who has just concluded a four-game stint as interim manager following Sam Allardyce's departure, "is the only candidate." The England U21 coach was "interviewed by a five-person panel" comprised of FA Chair Greg Clarke, CEO Martin Glenn, Technical Dir Dan Ashworth, League Managers' Association Chair Howard Wilkinson and former England int'l Graeme Le Saux. Former FA CEO Mark Palios said, "The FA has to be seen to be going through the process. Maybe it is a process to iron out some things they expect of an England manager, so it is more of a briefing for Southgate than an interview."
NO DISCIPLINE: Meanwhile, it "appears unlikely the FA will take action against England and Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana after reports they visited a strip club while on international duty." The pair "allegedly made the trip a day after a World Cup qualifying win over Scotland and less than three days before a draw in a friendly with Spain." The FA is "declining to comment" (BBC, 11/21).
