Hoddle aiming to make World Cup his first trophy

If Glenn Hoddle leads England to World Cup glory in France, the Jules Rimet trophy will be the first honour he has won as a manager. Hoddle became the youngest of Englands nine managers when he was appointed to succeed Terry Venables after the 1996 European Championships at the age of 38. He had just five years of experience as a player/manager before taking on one of the most demanding jobs in world football after a string of leading candidates had ruled themselves out of contention for the post. But he showed his talent for coaching the best out of players when he steered sleepy Swindon into the bright lights of the English Premiership via the first division 1993 play-offs on a shoestring budget. A month later he quit to join London glamour club Chelsea and guided English footballs most famous under-achievers into the final of the 1994 FA Cup which they lost 4-0 to a powerful Manchester United side. Chelseas re-emergence as a major force continued for a year and a half although Hoddle had no silverware to show for his growing tactical acumen and ability to motivate players. Hoddles potential as a top manager was clear, but it was still a major surprise when the Football Association turned to him after failing to persuade more experienceed and successful candidates to take the England hotseat. But Hoddle, who was persuaded to pursue a career in coaching by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger while at Monaco, quickly confounded the sceptics after succeeding Venables in the summer of 1996. England finished top of their World Cup qualifying group after holding mighty Italy to a 0-0 draw in Romedespite suffering a 1-0 defeat to them at Wembley when England lost a home qualifier for the first time in their history. Hoddles relative lack of success as an England player perhaps gave him greater cause to succeed as the teams manager. Despite their love of open, attacking football former England bosses Ron Greenwood and Bobby Robson failed to accommodate Hoddles extravagant talents. He won a total of 53 caps between 1979 and 1989 but rarely produced the performances that made him such an exceptional midfielder at club level with Tottenham and Monaco.