Paper Round: Southgate and Wenger in running for England job

The papers are, obviously, dominated by a single story today, so let's look at some of the tangents. The Times note on their back page that the FA are considering giving Gareth Southgate the job on a permanent basis, depending on how he performs in his four-match caretaker stint.

Paper Round's view: There were a lot of pundits scorning this idea today, saying that the FA didn't consider Southgate before, and won't now. But let's face it, at this point, they might be best served appointing someone who's steeped in the FA tradition, understands the public-facing side of the role, and can be trusted. The next four games should - theoretically - not be that much of a problem; appointing someone who can do the job long-term rather than just for the next tournament might be appropriate now.

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The Daily Star, meanwhile, suggest that the FA will ask Arsene Wenger to take over in the England hot seat at the end of this season.

Paper Round's view: Are we really doing this story again? One would expect that when Arsene Wenger finally chooses to leave Arsenal - and it will be his decision, make no mistake - he would not be that interested in taking on the most thankless task in football. Even if he were, the next public outrage would be around appointing a non-Englishman to the position. Let's move on from this completely, please.

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Speaking of which, the Telegraph also reports that the RFU are considering appointing another overseas manager when Eddie Jones leaves the England role in three years' time. He was initially appointed as a quick fix after the disastrous 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign, with an agreement that English coaches would be brought through the system.

Paper Round's view: As the Telegraph points out, there are English coaches in Jones's backroom staff - but the RFU have admitted they now just want to appoint the best person for the job regardless of nationality. This sort of seems to be where the FA were at the turn of the millennium...and since then they've reverted to the policy of only appointing English-born managers to lead the senior men's team. How's that working out for them?

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Back to football. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has warned his players that they won't be able to bully Raheem Sterling out of their Champions League clash, according to the Express. He's told them that the Manchester City striker is tougher than he looks - and probably stronger than the lot of them.

Paper Round's view: It's all very sweet, Rodgers praising a player he helped into the big time. What's more interesting is the little digs at former City boss Manuel Pellegrini with lines like, "I felt last season, watching him from the outside, he drifted away from what he is," and the slightly self-aggrandising, "When he was with me at Liverpool we played him on the sides and as a number ten. He had defined, clear roles on what he should do and he was brilliant, absolutely brilliant." Still, it's hard to disagree with him - Sterling has been on blistering form this season and seems an entirely different (and much happier) player under Pep Guardiola's regime.