The doomsayers will point to his recent failure at Liverpool as a reason not to put Roy Hodgson in the England hot seat. But the lasting benefits of his three seasons at Fulham are a better indication of Hodgson's qualities as a manager.
Fulham will move three points above Liverpool on the English Premier League table into eighth position if they can beat Sunderland at home tomorrow. Earlier this week, the Cottagers won the battle of Hodgson's former clubs with a surprise 1-0 victory at Anfield.
It is almost two years since Hodgson left Craven Cottage, with Mark Hughes and now Martin Jol filling his shoes. Yet the core of the surprising side that progressed to the 2010 Europa League final remains.
Fulham shocked the footballing world by accounting for Juventus, holders Shakhtar Donetsk as well as Bundesliga sides Wolfsburg and Hamburg on the road to the final. Hodgson (pictured) turned a group of workmanlike players into a formidable unit as the unfashionable London club reached their first major European final in 130 years. Eight of the men who featured at Hamburg's Nordbank Arena in the 2-1 defeat in extra time against Atletico Madrid in May 2010 were involved in Tuesday night's impressive performance at Liverpool.
And if Fulham can grab eighth place this season, it will almost match their best-ever finish of seventh, achieved by Hodgson in the 2008-2009 campaign.
Mark Schwarzer, Brede Hangeland, Damien Duff, Stephen Kelly and Dickson Etuhu - players signed by Hodgson - remain at the heart of Fulham's success. Other 2012 mainstays like Aaron Hughes, Chris Baird and captain Danny Murphy joined just before his arrival in 2007.