WHEN Roy Hodgson sets out his tactics to the England squad before their match against Spain in Alicante tomorrow his team talk will have been partly written by former Bury player Jamie Hoyland.

The ex-Shakers and Sheffield United midfielder is one of four senior scouts employed by the Football Association to provide intel for the manager on up-coming opponents.

During the last international break the 49-year-old was entertained in Nice by the French Football Federation before their 4-0 win against Armenia, and then endured an “interesting” trip to Kiev to watch Ukraine take on tonight’s opponents Spain.

His scouting reports have been fed back through to analysts at the FA before being presented to Hodgson ahead of England’s trip to Costa Blanca and their match at home to Euro 2016 hosts France next Tuesday.

“Roy wants to know about their patterns of play in each third of the pitch and how they line up for set-pieces,” he said.

“I also have to identify how the individual players gel in the group, what their different roles are and what they maybe do differently for the national side than at club level.

“My reports get added to those from the rest of the scouting network and are then presented to Roy, along with live footage.

“The hope is that come matchday I may have spotted something Roy didn’t already know and he can use that to help get a result.”

While Hoyland admits the job has plenty of perks, he is quick to point out it is not as glamorous as it may seem.

“The last international break I went from sunshine, palm trees and Champagne in the south of France to freezing temperatures, concrete and armed guards in Kiev,” he added.

“There is no doubt you get treated very well, picked up at the airport and ferried to your hotel and the game by the opposition federation.

“But it is rare to find yourself in a place like Nice, and you don’t really get any time to take it all in anyway.

“When I went to Kiev I was at Manchester Airport by 4am on a Monday and back home by 11am the next day.

“When I eventually got to the ground, I was sat right in the middle of the most partisan crowd I have ever witnessed.

“I was in with all the Ukraine fans and I have never seen as many armed forces and police on show.

“But I absolutely love the job.

“After stopping as a player, I went into coaching and I never imagined myself leaving the touchline to be a scout, but it is a bit like a busman’s holiday really, I get paid to watch football.

“And I am left alone to get on with it.

"I get to express my opinion and be totally honest. I love that freedom.”

Jamie’s dream job continues with a trip to Paris to watch France v Germany tomorrow before travelling to Hanover next week to watch the world champions take on Holland.