England were after a new manager to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2006, with the Swede's departure after the World Cup announced at the beginning of the year.
A number of candidates were interviewed for the vacancy before the World Cup had even kicked of, with former Charlton manager Alan Curbishley among those under consideration - though the Englishman reveals he was immediately placed on the backfoot after having to interview at a different time and place than his competitors.
Having to take charge of Chartlon's FA Cup quarter-final replay away at Middlesbrough in April - a game in which they lost 4-2 - at the same time other managers were interviewing for the England job, Curbishley instead had a different experience in the process. Steve McClaren was ultimately appointed Eriksson's successor.
England held interviews the same day Alan Curbishley had to manage Charlton
"Unfortunately, I don’t think I got the interviews that the other boys had," Curbishley exclusively tells FourFourTwo.
"Talking to Sam Allardyce at the time, they were being interviewed in a private house where they could showcase their profiles and videos of the work they had done. I couldn’t do that, because I had an FA Cup replay when my meeting was due.
"In the end, I had a meeting in one of the FA offices. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but what could I do? Steve McClaren got the job, and I understood the decision because he spent time with Sven-Goran Eriksson as a coach."
Curbishley, meanwhile, still left Charlton at the end of the 2005/06 campaign, after 15 successful years in charge. He didn't have another job lined up, however, with the Englishman having to wait until December 2006 before becoming West Ham boss.
While there, Curbishley excelled, helping keep the Hammers up against all odds, with seven wins in their remaining nine games of the Premier League season securing their survival.
A top-ten finish followed in 2007/08, but he resigned at the start of 2008/09 campaign after becoming unhappy with the club's transfer policy. That ultimately proved his final job in management, though he has worked at Fulham as a coach in the meantime.
