FORMER Nottingham Forest boss Sean O'Driscoll has been appointed as the new head coach of the England under-19 side.
O'Driscoll hopes to install a 'culture of excellence' into the England stars of the future, after taking up the new position.
His words echo the sentiments he voiced when taking over as manager of Forest in July 2012, following the takeover of the club by the Al Hasawi family.
But the 57-year-old was ultimately not given a huge amount of time to implement his plans at the City Ground, as he was sacked on Boxing Day 2012, just a few hours after beating Leeds United 4-2 at the City Ground.
O'Driscoll subsequently had a frustrating spell in charge of Bristol City, failing to save the club from relegation and then parting company with the Robins in November of last year, after making a stuttering start to life in League One.
But his new role within the England set-up could be the perfect one for the deep thinking boss, who also had successful spells in charge of Doncaster and Bournemouth.
O'Driscoll's first match is on Monday, when the under-19 side face Germany in Dusseldorf.
O'Driscoll won't officially be in charge for the game, with John Peacock overseeing the fixture – but O'Driscoll will take over for the European Championship first qualifying round games in Luxembourg next month.
"I am excited by the approach now being undertaken and the ongoing work to put in place a strong England culture and identity in which both players and coaches can learn, develop and be successful," O'Driscoll told the FA website.
"Britain's most successful sports are those that have invested the time and effort into creating cultures of excellence and supportive yet challenging environments, where success is a result of everybody working towards the same vision.
"The vision is to produce intelligent, committed England teams that entertain, play without fear and are brave with the ball, all with the continuing aim of achieving sustained international success.
"I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute at this pivotal time for English football."
England under-21 both Garath Southgate believes O'Driscoll is a good appointment, saying: "He is somebody whose values and philosophy match what we are trying to embed.
"He's got great experience in youth development and in the senior game. His teams have always reflected a style of play which is something we would like to implement and he's a developer of players.
"I think the role will really suit him and he is joining us at a time when his ideas will have the chance to impact on, not just the age group he will be working with, but the group of national coaches."
Current Forest first team coach Brian Eastick is himself a former England under-19 coach, while boss Stuart Pearce had a successful spell in charge of the under-21 side.
