Hoddle, Mills and Gradi on Dyke’s panel
FORMER England manager Glenn Hoddle, ex-player Danny Mills and long-serving Crewe boss Dario Gradi were last night confirmed among the names on Football Association chairman Greg Dyke’s commission.
Dyke hopes to add two more appointments, one of whom could be Sir Alex Ferguson, but admitted the Premier League had declined to join the panel tasked with raising the quantity and quality of English players.
Hoddle’s return to a role with the FA comes 14 years after he was sacked for expressing controversial views about the disabled.
Former Charlton, Leeds, Manchester City and England full-back Mills, 36, is a surprise choice given his relatively modest profile, although he has made his views known as an occasional media commentator.
Gradi, 72, is widely respected for his three decades managing Crewe Alexandra, albeit having spent his career outside the top flight.
Also on Dyke’s commission, which he hopes will report its recommendations by the end of March 2014, are experienced former manager Howard Wilkinson and Ritchie Humphreys, who is set to become chairman of players’ union the PFA next month.
Dyke said he invited Hoddle “because he is particularly interested in the whole subject matter and has been for some time”, and Mills “because he wrote a very interesting paper about it [developing English players] and gave it to us”.
Asked directly whether former Manchester United manager Ferguson was in the frame, Dyke said: “We’re still talking to one or two people who are still making up their minds.”
The refusal of the Premier League to appoint a representative to the commission represents a blow to Dyke, who had previously insisted top-flight chairman Anthony Fry would be on board, although he said they would still co-operate.
Dyke also refused to rule out approaching Belgian-born starlet Adnan Januzaj to play for England. He said: “We’re going to sit and discuss that in the next few weeks. My view is we should be looking for talent. We’ve got to look at what the rules actually say.”
HOW CITY A.M. TRACKED DYKE AND HODDLE
Premier League snub for Dyke
City A.M. revealed last month that the Premier League was set to deliver an embarrassing snub to FA chairman Dyke by declining a seat on his new commission. Despite initial insistence that they would join the task force, he yesterday confirmed they had said no
FA chiefs warming to Hoddle
We reported in March last year that the FA’s coolness towards Hoddle, sacked in 1999 in embarrassing circumstances, had thawed to the extent that he was in the running to succeed Fabio Capello and begin a second stint as England manager
Hoddle reveals his blueprint
In an exclusive interview published yesterday, Hoddle told City A.M. that he had met Dyke to discuss how to improve English talent, and stressed his belief that young players would be best served by independent academies until the age of 16
WHO’S ON GREG DYKE’S FA COMMISSION?
Glenn Hoddle
Sacked from England job in 1999 for off-field remarks. Admired as a player and manager and since 2008 has been running his own academy.
Danny Mills
Former England right-back, 36, impressed Dyke by writing a paper on the English game.
Dario Gradi
Gradi, 72, has worked at Crewe for 30 years and is an expert in nurturing young players.
Greg Dyke
The former Manchester United director and chairman of Brentford took over at FA in July.
Roger Burden
FA vice-chairman Burden, 67, is known for his grassroots influence. Was previously MD of Cheltenham and Gloucester building society.
Howard Wilkinson
League title winning former Leeds boss was FA technical director from 1997 to 2002 and is now chairman of the League Managers’ Association.
Ritchie Humphreys
Journeyman footballer, now at Chesterfield, who is set to become chairman of players’ union the PFA.
Greg Clarke
Chairman of the Football League, which runs the three professional divisions below the English top flight.
Sir Alex Ferguson?
Dyke declined to deny the former Manchester United boss had been approached, but whether the Scot wants to help England is not known.