ONLY one man fits the bill for Kevin Davies if the FA are to appoint an English successor to Roy Hodgson following the abject failure at Euro 2016.

Ashamed by England’s meek exit at the hands of Iceland, the former Three Lions striker has called for his old Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce to be considered to bring some pride back to the country.

Allardyce has been consistently overlooked by the FA in the past, most notably in 2006 when they plumped for Steve McClaren. Gareth Southgate’s short odds with the bookmakers suggest they could do so again.

Davies reckons England lack discipline, strength and organisation and picked out Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone as another valid candidate should the decision-makers look abroad.

“Greg Dyke has gone on about discovering the DNA of an England player, whatever that means, but it seems pretty simple - we want a team who is showing passion, winning 50-50 tackles and getting results,” he told The Bolton News. “Sam will certainly do that.

“We shouldn’t be watching England lose a game at a major tournament because the other team wanted it more.

“People say Sam hasn’t managed at the very top level but he is very good at what he does. His players will play for him, work hard for him, and he won’t stand for any nonsense.

“That is the type I think they need. The FA could put some serious money into it and go for someone like Simeone, who would also make us organised, hard to beat, solid. I watched Antonio Conte and he was exactly the same.

“I’ve met Gareth Southgate a few times doing some media work and he’s a lovely bloke – maybe too nice?

“I just think England need a different kind of character. Someone who will come in and do it his way.”

Davies was involved in the England squad under Fabio Capello, the Italian often criticised for adopting a sterile and serious approach to management.

“It was very regimented but under Roy Hodgson things seem to have gone completely the opposite way,” he said.

“To draw a comparison, it’s like Bolton under Owen Coyle. Training was great, everyone enjoyed coming into work. But did you get results?

“England’s lads will have enjoyed going away. Roy will have liaised with his senior players about what they needed in the camp, they will have nipped off for a bit of golf in the evenings. But it shouldn’t be a jolly.”

Hodgson fell on his sword within minutes of the final whistle in Nice and has been roundly criticised for failing to find a settled team or pattern of play.

Davies had few issues with his selection on the night, however, even if the performances were way below par.

“I was amazed Marcus Rashford only got four minutes,” he said. “But other than that, it was pretty much his strongest side.

“Raheem Sterling was poor again, I’m not sure if there is a better option, but you look right across the team and no-one performed.

“Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane had a shocker, Joe Hart made a bad error. All in all, it was pretty embarrassing.

“The squad is young. Players like Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Kane will have to cope with this, so will their clubs, and hopefully down the line it will make them stronger but I wonder whether the problems in the English game stretch further than the players themselves?”

Davies has been a long-time exponent of improving standards in coaching and facilities at grassroots level and has devoted plenty of time and effort to improve the local football scene.

Taking a wider view, the former striker thinks the national team’s failure has now become a societal issue.

“Players who are 16, 17, 18 at the top level care more about the brand, the lifestyle and the money that football brings, rather than what it can give them,” he said.

“They swan round and you wonder if the game really matters?

“I go on about the climate in England and how much pressure that puts on the facilities we do have, and how we need to get more qualified coaches – not just ex-players, but everyone.

“But you sense it is something bigger as well. Kids have changed, the modern world has changed. My kids only watched bits of the game because – like a lot their age – they wanted to play on their iPads and things.

“If the FA are spending millions on grassroots football then I haven’t seen it have any effect. They need to start from the bottom up and look at the next 12-16 years.”