Lee Carsley has already shown he is anything but a Gareth Southgate clone as England manager audition continues

Indeed, when Carsley was confirmed as interim boss in August, the most extreme dissenting voices suggested he was simply a Southgate clone. Another FA 'yes man', not worthy of directing one of the nation's most talented generation of players.

This was, in truth, a minority view. But more widely, Carsley was seen as the safest choice imaginable. Probably fairly too. Graduating from the Under-21 side to the seniors is a path that Southgate trod to great success in recent memory. The short-term nature of his contract, which offers both parties the chance to move on quickly if it doesn't work out, added to the sense that his appointment was made with stability in mind.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with attempting to keep things on an even keel - England did just reach a European Championship final after all - though it did mean that fireworks were hardly expected ahead of Nations League competition getting back underway.

Despite these conceptions, Carsley's first proper week in charge has suggested that his reign will be anything but boring - regardless of how long it turns out to be. His very first squad selection was full of fresh ideas.

Angel Gomes, long overlooked despite impressing for Lille, was handed his first-ever call up, while Morgan Gibbs-White was also recognised for his Nottingham Forest displays over the past 12 months or so. Tino Livramento, Rico Lewis and Noni Madueke were among those selected too, with Levi Colwill similarly given a chance after missing out on the Euros squad. And then there was Jack Grealish, welcomed back in from the cold after what he described as the "worst summer" of his life.

The reasons for Carsley making these calls varied. But a common theme throughout was a willingness to take bold decisions, even if the absences of several historically key players, such as Jude Bellingham and Luke Shaw, made it easier to justify some of the choices he made.

Carsley's willingness to rock the boat was also reflected in the players he opted to leave out. The timing of Kieran Trippier's international retirement seemed to suggest that the Newcastle star would not have been selected for these Nations League games anyway. Previously one of Southgate's most trusted lieutenants, this was a bolder call than it might seem at first glance.

And after all of the clamour for him to start over the summer, Carsley also sent Adam Wharton down to the U21s, while fellow Euros squad members Ivan Toney, Aaron Ramsdale and Joe Gomez all paid the price for their lack of minutes at club level.

By far and away the most noteworthy snub was Kyle Walker. A near ever-present for England in the Southgate era, even after a slow start to the Premier League campaign, the prospect of him being overlooked seemed extremely remote before Carsley made the call. Walker wasn't happy about the snub either, voicing his frustrations on his podcast, but did accept that the decision might have been the correct one.

"I’m disappointed," Walker acknowledged. "You have to accept it and just try to prove them wrong. With a new manager, you are always expecting a few changes. I'm disappointed because to represent your country is always the highest thing. But I haven't played any minutes this season so you have to take it on the chin. I've not performed at any level since coming back from the (Euro), so I think it's the right call from him."

Carsley has handled the media in similarly forthright fashion. As well as explaining his selection decisions in straightforward terms, he has also navigated more thorny issues with refreshing candour.

Ahead of the Ireland game, he was asked about Mason Greenwood's international future. Greenwood has not played for England since 2020 and was charged with rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour in 2022. Those charges were dropped last year, but the social media posts that led to him being arrested - and turned the stomach of anyone who saw them - resulted in Manchester United letting the forward leave, first on loan to Getafe and then permanently this summer to Marseille.

He has scored five goals in his first three Ligue 1 games this season, but Carsley made it abundantly clear that there was no Three Lions future for the attacker. "Mason wasn't a player that we can consider to be honest, no. I'm aware of how he's doing but he wasn't under consideration," he said.

In these comments, there was no attempt to muddy the issues linked with Greenwood's potential return. The topic was instead decisively put to bed, with the 22-year-old expected to switch allegiances to Jamaica in the near future. It could not contrast more starkly with the clumsy way United, Getafe and Marseille have dealt with the Greenwood problem over the past few years.

Carsley showed the same matter-of-fact style when dealing with his first political football as Three Lions boss. Namely, his decision to not sing the national anthem before kick-off. It's something he'd done throughout his time at age-group level.

“We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point. I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game. I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of,” he said.

Clearly, though, the print press hadn't been paying attention to his spell with the Young Lions, and his comments sparked the latest instalment of the culture wars that have become far too familiar to the British public recently.

Both tabloid and broadsheet newspaper journalists called for his head and they were soon supported by Jamie O'Hara - who lasted 25 days in Series 19 of Celebrity Big Brother. "What’s people take on Carsley not wanting to sing the national anthem? That to me is 'OK cya later then, you’ve just lost the entire nation before you’ve even kicked a ball, thanks for coming Lee'," he wrote on X, signing off with no less than 14 St George's flag emojis, signifying his own superior patriotism, as well as #England, just in case anyone was left in doubt over what he was referring to.

The fiery reaction was entirely predictable, which makes Carsley refusal to acquiesce to these demands all the braver. It was heartening to see. Even if it makes his life more challenging, Carlsley is not going to change who he is. If he truly was an FA stodge, there's little doubt he would have belted out 'God Save the King' with the rest of his coaching staff, even if it did affect his pre-match focus.

The national anthem furore simply provided further evidence that Carsley is his own man, significantly strengthening his case to be given the England job full-time in the process. More important than that, though, Carsley also seems to have got the players buying into his methods.

When asked to sum up what had changed, compared to when Southgate was in charge, Gordon responding succinctly with: "Freedom".

"You had Jack [Grealish] going all over the pitch and they couldn’t really pick up where we were putting ourselves. And me and Bukayo [Saka] tried to hold the width and the depth and make runs in behind, so the lads could get on the ball more," the Newcastle man added.

It's early days, of course, and it was only Ireland, but this has been a reputation-boosting week for Carsley. Despite his own understated assessment of things, he's attacked the role in his own, unique way and is now rightly odds on to be made permanent manager.