EXIT the cheeky chappie, enter the straight man. Firm of jaw, single of mind and more or less sound of verb and vowel, Glenn Hoddle yesterday announced his presence as Terry Venables's England successor by stressing that he would not be a new broom. He does, however, have a predilection for sweepers.

At 40, Hoddle is 13 years Venables's junior but only two years younger than Alf Ramsey at the time of his appointment in 1962. Hoddle's task is to take England to the 1998 World Cup in France. His first game as coach will be the qualifier in Moldova on September 1st, followed by Poland's visit to Wembley on October 9th. England play in Georgia a month later, with a crucial home match against Italy next February.

Venables's success in taking England to the last four of the European Championship has left Hoddle with no illusions. "The team have been playing at Wembley for nearly two years, with only two or three away matches," he pointed out. "This is where we'll really have to change our thoughts and our minds as a group of people."

Hoddle's England will play the Venables way with slight changes of emphasis in method and personnel. He clearly intends promoting some of the younger members of the European Championship squad.

"The door isn't shut for anybody outside the squad," he said. "The people who have done well have obviously put themselves in a good position to stay in it but they've still got to earn the right to stay."

As manager at the County Ground and Stamford Bridge, Hoddle habitually employed three defenders with the full backs pushing into midfield. He sees no reason to alter this system with England. "You can't put yourself in a corner," he said. "It would be silly to say now that we're always going to play with a sweeper, or this way or that way. But I know how I want to play."

. Blackburn Rovers echoed to the sound of rapidly closing ranks yesterday as members of the club's hierarchy queued up to insist that Alan Shearer would definitely be remaining at Ewood Park. As speculation that the England forward was poised to join the Premiership champions Manchester United neared fever pitch, Jack Walker, Blackburn's wealthy benefactor, took the highly unusual step of intervening to discuss his club's affairs publicly.