TIMES of great affliction call for a steadying influence. In Sam Allardyce's 67 days at the helm of the national football team, the FA is wilting in the eye of a storm the like of which we have not seen since, well, since England played Iceland on June 27.

Allardyce appeared the proverbial safe pair of very large hands, the experienced, seen-it-all man to settle the churning stomach of a national laughing stock. Yet barely two months later, the FA is having to justify its decision-making mechanisms once again. We've been here before, haven't we? Revie, Hoddle, Eriksson. Breathing space is now required and English football's governing body could look to Eddie Howe to provide it.

Howe may not feel able to turn down the job were it to be offered. Granted, the FA could now look abroad once again such is the expected fall-out from the Allardyce saga, but the expectation that the next man is as English as a stick of seaside rock could see Howe thrust to the front of a shortening queue.

Even the most astute and fearsome of Daily Telegraph investigative journalists would do well to pluck so much as a bone from Howe's closet. Focused, driven, fiercely ambitious but also loyal, Howe will never top the polls for charisma, but a spell under the radar is surely what the FA will crave given the nature of Allardyce's departure, a loveable rogue in an era where it is simply no longer okay for England managers to be 'a bit iffy' when working at the sporting tip of a commercially lucrative and global organisation like the Football Association.

England, of course, had a Howe-like scholar under Glenn Hoddle and, like Allardyce, he, too, allowed poorly judged, ill-conceived words to curtail any hope of achievement in a job where the spotlight never dulls.

Howe, himself, is used to scrutiny, though. Eyes open that bit wider when a profound young English manager tickles the early tastebuds of success, for it is so rare to see a coach of his ilk making waves.

Every little failure, every defeat or poor signing eases the national expectation on Howe. He's not ready, he has no experience, he hasn't managed a big club.

But perhaps Eddie Howe is the best we have. Perhaps he deserves a shot. As well as unequivocal ability at club level, he could certainly be that calming, drama-free option the FA must now be craving.