DEREK Fazackerley is still recovering from the shock of being plucked from the ranks of the unemployed and appointed to the England coaching staff.

Sacked by Blackburn Rovers in December, following Brian Kidd's arrival, 'Faz' was named by Kevin Keegan last night as one of the key men to help him revive England's Euro 2000 fortunes.

And he revealed from his Langho home that he had been stunned by the news which he had been forced to keep a closely-guarded secret until the official announcement.

Faz will now link up with Keegan for a second time. For he was coach at Newcastle during their climb towards the top of the Premiership, before returning to Ewood under Ray Harford in September 1995.

"Kevin rang me earlier in the week, said he had spoken to the Football Association and asked if I would like to go along for the ride," said the man who holds Rovers' appearances record.

"Once I had picked myself up off the floor, that was it. It didn't take too much thinking about.

"I just thought - Phew!

"It doesn't come much bigger for a coach. As a player I never won any representative honours so this is going to be a great experience for me and, if we can get the results England need, even better.

"I have spoken to Kevin a couple of times since and he stressed it was only for four games but said he would love to have me with him and the timing is perfect for me."

Since leaving Rovers, Faz has been linked with a couple of jobs, notably the managerial post at Hartlepool.

But he has bided his time, hoping that the right job would come along. Now he finds himself stepping up, rather than down. "I don't know a great deal about what will happen yet. It has been a hectic week, especially for Kevin who also has Fulham to look after.

"But I know some of the players involved quite well and, having worked at Premier League level, I don't anticipate any problems.

"It's a great opportunity and, even if it is only temporary, it's something to relish and enjoy."

Another former Newcastle man, Keith Gillespie, today paid tribute to Keegan who was particularly helpful to him after he made an inauspicious start to his Tyneside career, incurring huge gambling debts.

"He was great with it and he sorted everything out for me," Gillespie said.

"I couldn't have asked any more from him. It was pretty much an arm round the shoulder gesture.

"He stuck by me because he knew what it was like for somebody living on their own in a new area and the difficulty for a young person. But he stood by me, and I'm grateful for that. "His man-management is his best quality, and his own experiences as a player helped with that. I don't think there is any doubt that he will be a success for England.

"He talked to you as if he were a player as well.

"Out on the training pitch, if he saw a flaw in your game, he'd take you aside after training and would take time out to tell you what you were doing wrong and what you should do.

"That was great because it was done individually. He would stay behind to help you out with aspects of your game. That made you feel really good.

"He is the type of manager the players will respond to.

"They will like his training methods and he can get the best out of you. He always made you feel pretty special."

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