HARRY REDKNAPP "hasn't lost any sleep about it" and Joe Jordan, his assistant at Queens Park Rangers, doesn't seem particularly hung up on the matter either.
But if events had turned out differently two years ago then the pair could have been sitting in the dug-outs at Celtic Park tomorrow night when Scotland host England for the first time in 15 years.
Jordan, in fact, could have been in either the home or the away end. Six months before the former Scotland striker was being touted as a potential successor to Craig Levein, Redknapp had been the favourite to take over from Fabio Capello as England manager.
Had the then Tottenham Hotspur manager got the job then his first call would likely have been to his long-time assistant to see if he wanted to join him. And could this passionate Scot, who scored for his country in three successive World Cup finals, have taken up the offer to become an England coach? Alas, we will never know.
Redknapp was surprisingly overlooked for Roy Hodgson ahead of Euro 2012, meaning Jordan was spared from agonising over what would have been, by his own admission, a "big decision". John Gorman had previously crossed the divide when he became Glenn Hoddle's No.2 in 1996 but he had never previously been capped as a Scotland player. The sight of Jordan in an England tracksuit, in contrast, would likely have had the Tartan Army spluttering into their porridge.
"There was certainly speculation about Harry [for the England job] and I've got to say I thought he was a certainty," said Jordan who was in Glasgow yesterday with Redknapp to promote online betting company 666BET.com. "I don't know how things would have gone - and no disrespect to anyone else who was in the running for it - but I just thought Harry was a stick on.
"I know him, I've worked with him for 10 years. He would have been spot on for a national team job.
"Would I have gone as his No.2? He'd have needed to have asked me! I don't really know. It was never something that we discussed. It would have been a big decision for me. But it never came up."
Jordan's record against England as a player was fairly impressive. In total he played in the fixture nine times, only missing out in 1975 as Leeds United were preparing for the European Cup final. He made his debut against England in 1973, scored twice against them the following year and was part of the Scotland team that sparked the Wembley pitch invasion in 1977. They all remain fond memories.
"My debut came a wee bit out the blue because during that season [manager] Willie Ormond had said I still had a bit to do, which was fair enough. But Leeds played AC Milan in the European Cup Winners' Cup and I was called up after that game.
"That was special. You can't get away from winning your first cap.There was the story about wee Jimmy [Johnstone] rowing out to sea before the game. But on the day, he performed. That was a huge game because it would have been a damp squib if we'd lost to England at Hampden in front of 100,000.
"But we won the game and that was a great memory."
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