Falklands veteran who has struggled to impress in the media spotlight

Cynics would say that the telephone call of support Brigadier Roger Lane has received from Geoff Hoon was akin to the vote of confidence given by the chairman of a football club to the manager in prelude to sacking him.

With growing embarrassment in the Government over the fact that the British expeditionary force of 1,700 has yet to fire a shot in anger, a whispering campaign has begun to blame the Royal Marines Brigadier for the débâcle and demand his head.

The Brigadier, it is claimed, has lost the confidence of politicians, defence officials and his junior officers. The only way to revive the flagging morale of the marines is for him to be replaced.

But the Brigadier, who is 47 and married with two children, is regarded as a hard man by fellow marines and the general consensus is that he has the respect of his men.

Brigadier Lane joined the regiment in 1972 and one of his first missions was taking part in the evacuation of British citizens from Cyprus after the Turkish invasion.

He served in the Falklands War and then undertook Arctic Warfare Training, subsequently spending seven winters in Norway.

It was this experience, in cold weather and mountain combat, that was a key factor in him being appointed to lead the Afghan mission.

He served in Northern Ireland with 42 Commando as Rifle Company Commander in the early Eighties and took part in a number of operations for which he was twice mentioned in dispatches.

In 1994 he went as British representative to the United States Marine Corps Combat Development Command, where he lectured on counter-terrorism and multinational amphibious operations.

He is also somewhat shy and rather apprehensive of the media, something his current experience will reinforce. Privately, away from the cameras he has talked with lucidity about the political pitfalls of the mission and also his determination to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible.

One of his favourite phrases has been: "We must not be rushed. We must be right."

Amid the furore Brigadier Lane is said to remain stoical.

Lingering public spats, he feels, will only further damage a mission already suffering from debilitating negative publicity.

But the Brigadier has himself been a source of controversy from the very beginning.

For months last summer, he and his marines had been taking part in Exercise Saif Sareea II in Oman.

When he realised that his men would be the ones to lead the British force in Afghanistan, he ventured to suggest that deserts and beach landings were not exactly ideal for the Afghan mountains and some time was needed to retrain before embarking on the operation.

"We will be ready when we are ready. I want to be sure the force is totally prepared. We don't need to be hasty, we need to be right," he said.