Lee Carsley was FA’s first choice to be England manager

If we have learned anything from Lee Carsley's time as interim boss, it is this: he is not fit to be England manager.

A great coach, yes – his record with the Under-21s is proof of that. He is also not afraid to make bold decisions, as he showed by leaving Harry Kane on the bench in Greece on Thursday.

I wasn't the only one surprised to see Ollie Watkins in the side. But after a win like that, you can't argue with him.

It was certainly a fantastic result. But, with all due respect, this doesn't mean he should have gotten the job on a full-time basis. There's no doubt he could have done that at some point.

As much as the FA claim Thomas Tuchel was always their first choice to replace Gareth Southgate, it is clear he was not.

It was Lee's place to lose and he did just that with the first result against Greece – and his interview afterwards did even more damage.

Yes, Thursday's 3-0 win was great, but that doesn't change the fact that if Carsley wasn't the answer now, he won't be there next time either. And next time might not last so long.

Tuchel has an eighteen-month contract: it's all about winning the World Cup. Not about building the future, about unearthing young talent, the next generation.

It's about a trophy and then probably looking for another boss. So if that's the case, where does that leave us?

As under-21 chief, Carsley should be a shoo-in. Except he clearly isn't. The trajectory system, the coaching assembly line that produces both managers and players, will grind to a halt.

Now it may be that Newcastle's Eddie Howe is the obvious choice anyway. He's certainly the only one on the horizon at the moment, if they want an Englishman.

But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be alternatives. Others in the lineup pass on their knowledge and expertise while placing themselves in the frame.

And there are some obvious candidates too. Men who never let their country down as players of England's Golden Generation, but are now on their heels.

I know one of them, Ashley Cole is part of the FA coaching team and it was a great decision to bring him on full time.

But there should be others alongside him, such as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, if he fancies a return from Saudi Arabia.

A trio with almost 300 caps together, which would have so much to offer for the national line-up. Why anyone didn't give Terry a job is beyond me.

My God, what a winner, what a leader! A brilliant organizer, a great talker, but who kicks the game out of his heels.

And while the other two haven't had the best of times as managers, there are reasons for that.

Alternative managers for the future

Yes, Stevie struggled at Aston Villa after great success at Rangers, but he certainly shouldn't be written off because of one failure. Every manager has at least one on his resume.

Remember, Gareth Southgate wasn't a roaring success at Middlesbrough, but look at the work he did for England.

The same goes for Frank. He has taken over basketball clubs where he never really had a chance, so the same goes for him.

All three of them have such great knowledge, you just have to hear them talk. So bring them into the system.

Have them work with Carsley. I may even have one in Tuchel's backroom team, although I realize that's unlikely.

But for heaven's sake, take advantage of it. If not, we won't be back to square one when the hunt for the next England manager begins; we are a mile behind.

It may be, as I say, that appointing Howe is a no-brainer by then, and if so, then that's fine. But the FA must ensure he is not the only taxi driver in the rankings.