Has the English FA gone mad?

Blimey. And you thought it couldn't get any worse.

As you're probably aware, the English FA have finally appointed Roy Hodgson to replace Fabio Capello. And in case you were wondering, Capello left three months ago (talk about urgency).

Hodgson's appointment has certainly baffled many when the odds seem to indicate that Harry Redknapp was the favourite for the job. In fact, speculation was rife that Redknapp's mind had been on the England job ever since Capello resigned (it's been the most common excuse used to explain Tottenham's dismal run over the past three months).

But instead, England went shopping in the bottom half of the Premier League for a new manager and landed Hodgson who has guided West Bromvich Albion to 10th place in the league.

And so the big question: what were they thinking? 

Wasn't Hodgson's abysmal run at Liverpool last season enough of a preview of his capabilities at the top level? I've often argued that Hodgson has time and again proven to be an exceptional manager at lower tiered clubs.

But at every one of those clubs, WBA included, Hodgson has not had to contend with high expectations. In many of those clubs, the primary goal is often to avoid relegation. Something tells me England's expectations are going to be a lot more different than WBA's.

Then there's the fact managing England requires the capability to manage a squad full of egos. Considering how Hodgson struggled at this at Liverpool, where there were fewer egos, he certainly has his work cut out for him. Worst case scenario? We could find Rooney and Gerrard giving the pre-match tactical briefings instead of Hodgson.

To be fair, it's hard to see any one at all succeeding at the England job which makes you wonder just how far Hodgson's going to go with England (or if he'll remain at the post after EURO 2012).

Then again, stranger things have happened. Another former WBA manager, Roberto Di Matteo, is currently looking at the very real prospect of being the only Chelsea manager to have ever won the Champions League.