Sam Allardyce is the new England manager, the Football Association has confirmed. The 61-year-old leaves his post at Sunderland with immediate effect to succeed Roy Hodgson and has been handed an initial two-year contract.Allardyce said: I am extremely honoured to be appointed England manager, especially as it is no secret that this is the role I have always wanted. For me, it is absolutely the best job in English football. Who will Allardyce play? Five questions for Englands new manager over his squad selection... I will do everything I can to help England do well and give our nation the success our fans deserve. Above all, we have to make the people and the whole country proud.While my main focus will be on the senior team and getting positive results, I want to add my influence to the great work being done across the development teams at St Georges Park - a facility I have used with my previous clubs. Former England defender Jamie Carragher believes Sam Allardyce was the best candidate for the job I know we have talented, committed players and it is time for us to deliver.Allardyce will hold a news conference on Monday at St Georges Park and his first match in charge will be a friendly at Wembley on Thursday 1 September against yet-to-be-named opponents, ahead of the World Cup 2018 qualifier in Slovakia on 4 September. Clarke nominated FA chairman Greg Clarke set to replace Greg Dyke in role An experienced Premier League manager with Bolton, West Ham and Sunderland, Allardyce narrowly missed out on the England job when it was given to Steve McClaren 10 years ago and has frequently spoken of his desire to manage his country.Hodgson stepped down after a shock 2-1 defeat to Iceland ended Englands Euro 2016 participation at the round-of-16 stage, and Allardyce and Steve Bruce interviewed for the vacant position earlier this month. Kevin Davies, a former player of Sam Allardyce, believes he can be a success with England And Sky sources reported on Thursday that the FAs three-man selection panel - chief executive Martin Glenn, technical director Dan Ashworth and vice-chairman David Gill - had told the FA board that they were recommending Allardyce.Agreement on a compensation package was subsequently reached with Sunderland, allowing the FA to confirm the hiring of Allardyce on Friday afternoon. What they say about Sam Allardyces passion for sports science, statistics and psychology And Glenn said after the appointment was confirmed: Sam Allardyce is the right man for the England job.His excellent managerial credentials, including his ability to realise the potential of players and teams, develop a strong team ethos and embrace modern methods that enhance performance, made him the outstanding choice. Carlton Cole believes Allardyce is the right man to instill confidence into the England squad That was underlined when we sat down to talk, and we could not help but be energised by his personal perspective on Englands future and how it complemented the extensive work that we are looking to build on at St Georges Park.Dan Ashworth, David Gill and I have carried out a thorough process in the last three weeks and ultimately we could not look beyond Sam as the ideal candidate. On Wednesday, chief executive Martin Glenn said the FA were looking for a long-term England boss and not a short term mercenary Current and former Manchester United managers Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson are among those to have expressed their support for Allardyce in the role.Although Allardyces initial deal only extends to the end of the 2018 World Cup, there appears to be scope for him to remain at the helm for a longer period. Heres a look at the style of play you can expect from Allardyce as Englands manager An FA statement read: Alongside his primary target of qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Allardyce has a mandate to shape a strong, purposeful team identity and maximise the performance potential of a young, talented England squad at a major tournament.Allardyce is also charged with helping Ashworth integrate and strengthen the FAs elite performance and coaching programme across the England senior and development teams at St Georges Park. Also See: Who will Allardyce play? How England made the decision What of Englands DNA? England fixtures Shoes Canada From China . -- Get a flow chart ready to follow the Packers quarterback situation. Wholesale Shoes Canada . Johnson shared an update after his surgery Tuesday on Twitter. He also wrote, "now lets get on the grind." The running back told The Tennessean he was having surgery in Pensacola, Fla. https://www.shoescanadaonline.com/ . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Shoes Canada Nike . Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit. Shoes Canada Shop . It was considered unlikely that Rielly would be loaned to Canada for the tournament, which begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden, though a stretch of three straight games in the press box made it something of a debate.Sebastian Vettel kept Ferrari on top of the Chinese GP timesheet as heavy rain arrived to saturate the Shanghai circuit for final practice on Saturday morning. However, despite the likelihood of the later qualifying hour also being disrupted by wet weather, Mercedes chose not to set any timed laps with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.Rain was heavily falling at the start of final practice and it was 15 minutes until cars were seen on track, with Williams the first team to dispatch theirs on the full wet tyre. Conditions slowly improved to the point where intermediates could be used - before the rain stopped completely - and Vettel went quickest with a lap of 1:57.351, which was seven tenths quicker than second-fastest man Valtteri Bottas.But in another potential reliability concern for Ferrari after issues in each of the first two races, Vettel reported a gearbox glitch during the course of his fastest lap. He made his way back to the pit lane and then sat out the remainder of the session. The Mercedes pair were among eight drivers who did not set a lap time, with Hamilton and Rosberg only entering track for exploratory laps on the full wet rubber in the early stages. With the timesheet largely irrelevant, Sergio Perez was third for Force India ahead of Toro Rossos Carlos Sainz and the Haas of Esteban Gutierrez.Britains Jolyon Palmer was sixth for Renault, but suffered a right-rear puncture with bodywork rubbing against the tyre thought to have caused the problem. The Enstone team had suffered a left-rear puncture on Kevin Magnussens car on Friday and made suspension changes as a result. When is Chinese GP on Sky? All the broadcast times for the business end of the Shanghai weekend McLaren, eyeing a first Q3 appearance since their reunion with Honda this weekend, did not set any lap times themselves - with Red Bull employing the same tactic.dddddddddddd.The Milton Keynes-based team usually run strongly in wet conditions and could spring a surprise if the rain returns for qualifying at 8am BST.Practice Three timesheet1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:57.3512. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:58.0613. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:58.6894. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:58.8005. Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, 1:59.5266. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:59.6777. Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 1:59.7618. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 1:59.6949. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 2:00.15010. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 2:00.15811. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 2:00.19712. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 2:00.81213. Felipe Massa, Williams, 2:02.43814. Rio Haryanto, Manor, 2:02.73215. Jenson Button, McLaren, No time16. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, No time17. Romain Grosjean, Haas, No time18. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, No time19. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, No time20. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, No time21. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, No time22. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, No timeWatch the Chinese GP weekend - LIVE ONLY on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 7am on Sunday, with build-up underway from 5.30am. Or watch without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Also See: Wolff: Ferrari really pushing us When is the Chinese GP on Sky? ' ' '