Actually Josè did his best in Portugal: winning in England (but not in Europe, in spite of all the money his boss spent) is not such a big deal. At the moment no one is better than Capello and Capello is also available. He won with a mediocre Real Madrid and he can win with England as well. But if you want to keep going on like now with McLaren pick an Englishman...

alfredo, milano, italy

I agree that there is little choice when it comes to choosing an english manager. and that recent examples (keegan, mcclaren etc) have been poor. For this reason it is very tempting to go for the likes of Jose. However where does this stop? Should we start doing the same with players? If we struggle to produce decent strikers should we then look to portugal to provide them? No, because then it ceases to be international football. Playing football on a national level means pitting the countries best against that of another. If that means the best manager england could find even happened to be mike bassett than that is who we should choose. It is just hard luck and something we have to get on with. It is abit like club football. You should not pick a team based on who you fancy or who happens to be winning at the time. Your team picks you, i.e. you support the team from where you were born and brought up.

Sam, Shrewsbury, England

Someone should remind Mourinho that England has to play English players and no amount of sulking or petulance can change that.

Peter of Melb, Melb, Aus

It is certainly the most expensive option.

Ben, London,

It would be a real shame if Mourinho were chosen above Fabio Capello. Capello's ability to turn teams around is legendary. He knows how to make even mediocre teams win.
Capello is the only person that can fix England’s greatest weakness; its defense. They will never outscore some team such as the likes of a Brazil, but they may be able to reduce the amount of goals against them. Though known for "dull" play, he is a true technician. Furthermore as a person who has played in the World Cup, his experience is unrivaled.

mark, milwaukee, USA/WI

Get on with it Barwick, get someone who can do the job, not your usual half wit yes men!!!

david, portsmouth,

Personally, i would love to see him get the opportunity to see what he could do as England manager. Jose is, quite obviously, an Anglophile and would want to be successful in the position. But i can understand Ken's reservations. The FA may, similarly, think that Jose is too much of a loose cannon. However, i think it's the price to be paid if a top coach is to hired. At least he's a devoted family man, and we wouldn't be seeing any lurid tabloid headlines regarding extra-marital affairs.

(Don't worry, Manuel. I'm sure that Jose will be the Portugal manager one day. Perhaps it's a bit too soon for him at the present time.)

Peter Koeb, Geneva, Switzerland

Ive never been a fan of Mourinho the man. His arrogance and constant whining and sniping during his tenure at Chelsea was downright annoying.
As England coach?
The man is perfect for the Job.
There are only two real Goals as England manager, to win the Euro Championship, and ultimately the world cup.
How your national team wins those two trophies isnt that important, just winning them is.
Mourinho proved at Chelsea he is damn good at winning things..ugly.
An England manager with a winning track record and a personality is a good thing, one we havent seen for many many years.
As Chelsea manager, I couldnt stand the man.
As ENgland manager, he gets my vote.
Now, stop prevaricating at the FA, and give him the job.

Bloodred Redblood, Liverpool,

When he was at Chelsea, Mourinho was not well-liked by Man Utd fans; a large part of this was due to a grudging recognition of his excellence as a coach.

An ideal scenario, speaking selfishly, would be for Jose to coach England to ensure qualification for the next World Cup, then move to Old Trafford when Sir Alex calls time on his glorious reign.

Everyone a winner, surely? Except Arsenal, Liverpool etc.

David Harrison, Manchester, UK

Bertagna, who do you support France, or England? Your comment makes no sense, and your loyalties must be split. The French have still got the hump after losing the Olympics, so why would we take ANY advise from them, and that includes Arsene Wenger. This would not be the first time we have appointed a foreign manager and, as I recall, in Sven we didn't do too bad-so butt out. JOSE for England, AND THE WORLD CUP. I am not dual nationality, I am English, and I want the best for my national side.

Ron, London,

Jose Mourinho should be ruled in or out of the search by Brian Barwick as soon as possible. It is only fair that there is some clear indication regarding the kind of manager England should have to all parties. If they want an Englishman say so and then see who is the best available who might consider the job. If they want to open it up to candidates from across the globe, then make it clear. There have been several foreign managers who have expressed an interest in the job and that interest should be taken seriously by the FA. While we should not rush into an early appointment, they have had plenty of time to establish the general criteria for the new manager. Specific details can be identified as they seek to draw up a shortlist. It will not help the England team if this process is dragged out for months due to a lack of clarity on the part of the FA.

Damian, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire

Englishmen have been pathetic wastes of time. If the FA are so STUPID as to pick an Englishmen over Mourinho or Capello, they are dumber than we thought. Everyone with any intelligence at all knew how bad McClaren would be and knew how bad Keegan would be except for the FA apparently... Forget the Englishmen idea! I know let's appoint Hodgson because he has won loads... With Englishmen we have one horror story after another. We have gone from rants about the disabled to not going to Euro 2008. From Southgate under Venebles to Seaman under Sven to Robinson and James under McClaren. The horror stories may not end with a foreign manager, but one with the calibre of Mourinho, maybe? At least I hope so. It is worth a try.

Dan, Colchester,

jose old son i will now give you the best bit of advice you will ever receive DO NOT TAKE THIS JOB the press and the pundits want you now but as a non brit they will make your life hell if you don't win . if you fancy being a international manager
wait untill big phill goes and manage your own country.

seamus, dublin, ireland

If it is the England football team, the coach should be English.
I am a dual national French and British and pro-European,but if the competion is among countries, let's stick to nationality or get rid of that kind of competition.It is just common sense.
J-J.B.

BERTAGNA, PARIS, FRANCE

We have a top class Englishman in the person of Roy Hodgson who is one of only 2 Englishmen who have coached successfully on the continent in recent years (the other being Sir Bobby Robson).

Stop the Mourinho bandwagon and choose an Englishman in Roy Hodgson.

Dave, London, UK

As a fellow countryman I am hurt and disappointed that I do not hear any discussions regarding the possiblility of Jose Mourinho going to coach the Portuguese team. To coach the English national team is of course an honor by all respects with it's rich history and tradition. With the departure of Scolari after the Euro 2008 campaign, I would think that Mourinho would jump at the chance to coach his own national team. To me it would be a huge slap in the face if he would prefer to coach the English squad over the Portuguese. No matter how you look at it, whoever gets him is getting the best coach in the world today and you might as well engrave his name on the World Cup trophy because he will bring it home to. I do type this in a very passionate and out loud cry for the Portuguese national team in which I believe has the talent to win the next World Cup ( from my lips to God's ears ) and many other championships as well. Finally, will Portugal come calling and will they have the money?

Manuel F. Esteves, Fuquay Varina, USA / North Carolina

Sounds like one really big mistake for England to go down this path.

Ken, wollongong, Australia