Hoddle realises his grand ambition

The fans express widespread approval

Glenn Hoddle's appointment as successor to Terry Venables was given widespread approval by spectators at the City Ground last night for the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.

The prevailing view among supporters at the game was that with so many leading candidates ruling themselves out of the reckoning, the Football Association could hardly have done better in hiring the Chelsea manager.

Ian White, of Nottingham, thought so. He said: "So many people have cried off in terms of being interested in the job that the FA have come up with an excellent choice.

"I'm delighted that someone with his beliefs on how the game should be played has got the chance of managing England. As a player everything revolved around his tremendous passing ability, and I' m sure that he will take that philosophy with him into his new role.

"Whether he has got the necessary experience remains to be seen and I'm sure a lot will depend on how he handles press relations. But he appears to be an extremely nice chap and intelligent enough to carry it through."

Percy Simmons, of London, reinforced the view: "If the England team play like he did I don't think too many people will complain. He had tremendous flair and over the last 20 years or so there have not been many [players] with his talent."

Martin Howlett, of Throckley, Newcastle, said: "He wasn't the first choice by any means but I think a lot of people will be happy with the appointment.

"I feel that England should have done everything to keep Terry Venables, because he was an excellent coach but I'm delighted that it's not Kevin Keegan, who the FA wanted."

Kevin Smith, of Newburn, added: "If he gets off on the right foot and puts a good run together, I'm sure he'll do well. At least he will have the London press on his side."

Ian Moralee, of Ponteland, said: "I'm just delighted that the name of Kevin Keegan is off everyone's lips. He's not really had a lot of experience but what he's done he seems to have done very well. It's a demanding job, though, and I'm sure there will be times when he wishes he was on holiday in Florida."