Palios prepares for attack with new high command

FA's chief executive sweeps aside old regime in attempt to regain credibility and retain the services of Eriksson as England's manager

The cool head which served Mark Palios well during his lengthy career in football's lower echelons, and his subsequent one in the higher reaches of the financial world, resurfaced yesterday as the Football Association's new chief executive excised, for the time being at least, the adjective "beleaguered" from his name.

With this series of shrewd and imaginative moves he has both reinvigorated the FA's high command and recovered much of the personal ground lost by his hapless performance in the wake of the Alan Smith fiasco.

Then he was under-briefed and over-exposed but, like any decent executive, Palios has learned from the experience. The changes within the football division have been planned for some time, those within the administrative and media side follow that mauling.

In delivering them as a package Palios has avoided accusations of scapegoating instead presenting a justified impression of thorough reform. The offer of a contract extension to Sven Goran Eriksson is another smart move.

There is, as the FA stressed, no rush, but their cards are on the table. Though he is missing the day-to-day involvement of club football, Eriksson will be tempted. He knows he is in reach of something special with England's talented young team and the reception accorded rugby's world champions will have reminded him of the possibilities. Whether he wishes to be tied to 2008 is another matter, the 2006 World Cup has always seemed a natural end to his reign. However, with no sign of any putative successor emerging the FA is right to try.

Besides the lack of daily involvement there are two other aspects of the job Eriksson has come to dislike: the ongoing chaos in the FA's structure and England's intrusive tabloid media. Palios will hope the appointments of Trevor Brooking, as the director of football development, and Colin Gibson, as the communications director, will ease these niggles.

Brooking is respected throughout the game and has a rare breadth of experience. He will be liasing closely with all areas of the FA's football division but the most high profile aspect will be the provision of a link between Eriksson and the administration. Brooking will also seek to use his contacts in government to remind them of sport's value at all times, not just when there are World Cup winners to be photographed with.

Gibson also brings a wealth of much-needed experience to Soho Square. A former football correspondent with the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph, he has been the sports editor of the Sunday Telegraph, The Australian and, latterly, the Daily Mail. Though rivals will be watching closely for signs of favouritism the appointment of a newspaper man is long overdue and worth the risk. The written press set the agenda in English football and Palios hopes Gibson's proactive nature and newspaper nous will finally steer the FA, Palios and Eriksson away from the more obvious pitfalls.

His arrival is accompanied by the departure of Paul Barber. A success in the marketing arena for which he was initially hired, Barber also did well, given the difficult circumstances, when the media was added to his brief. However, he was closely associated with Adam Crozier, Palios' predecessor, and when he failed to gel with the new man, a feature in which he is not alone, his days were numbered. The Smith fiasco did not help his cause, especially when it was revealed Nicky Butt had played for England while on police bail, but it was not the reason for his exit.

The other departure, Steve Parkin, formerly Director of the National Game and another man Crozier hired from industry, is a surprise. There have been rumblings between an area of the FA which feels neglected and the hierarchy for some time and Parkin, like Barber, was well-paid.

Finally, there is yet another new role for David Davies, the FA's great survivor. Experienced and unflappable Davies has been given increased responsibilities, including baby-sitting Geoff Thompson, the FA's invisible chairman. He will also try to build a few bridges with the clubs.

These changes follow the recent recruitment of Brendon Batson, another widely respected football man, whose first task is to oversee the disciplinary review. Another significant appointment is expected next week though it is not expected to be the overdue one of technical director. Les Reed, Howard Wilkinson's understudy, remains "acting". It is hoped it will be a replacement, or an assistant, for Nick Coward, the FA's overwhelmed and over-conservative legal man.

Within the inevitable constraints of budget and practicality, Palios has now refashioned the organisation to his design. Now he must provide the personal leadership it requires to regain the game's high ground and rein in the sport's excesses. Failure will mean renewed calls for the Government to step in and legislate.