"There was nothing Churchillian about Martin Johnson's first press conference as England rugby team manager." PA Sport's Frank Malley reports

No hype, no pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. No promise that he could deliver the World Cup in 2011 as he had done as captain back in 2003.

But there was one sentence which demonstrated that in Johnson England had a man capable of raising the performance levels of every rugby player in the land.

''I'm not in it for ego or for the finance,'' Johnson said.

''It's a game for players. It's always about the players and we have got some good young guys who can take this team places.''

Simple. Direct. Save your breath for the ones who matter. Just as Johnson played the game, if the truth be told.

The defensive duties were left to those who sat either side of him.

To Francis Baron, the RFU chief executive, whose negotiating stance Johnson blamed when the England squad went on strike over match fees in 2000 and who eight years on was forced to admit the organisation could have handled the current appointment better.

To Rob Andrew, the director of elite rugby, who looked uncomfortable as he insisted he had been in touch with departing head coach Brian Ashton throughout the process.

And, by the way, Andrew hastily added, Ashton would not be suing the RFU, a fact which said much more about Ashton's dignity than Andrew's.

The truth is Baron and Andrew have presided over arguably the most amateurish and shambolic appointment process in English rugby history.

The bottom line, however, is that in the end they have landed the right man. A pragmatic man. A winner.

Johnson has not coached at club or international level and caution should be exercised in expecting too much too soon.

Sport is littered with great players who failed as managers, notably England football captain Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton.

But Johnson has a clear vision and a tactical intelligence which was evident every time he pulled on an England shirt.

Most of all, he has that one quality without which no manager or coach can succeed: Respect.

The sort of respect Ashton never really possessed.

The players rated Ashton as a fine backs coach and applauded his instinct to want to play expansive, running rugby. But they never really bought into his era.

They failed to see a cohesive structure despite reaching the World Cup final. They wondered how they could beat France in Paris twice in the same year but lose shambolically to Wales at home and ineptly to Scotland at Murrayfield.

With Johnson no player will be in doubt over what is expected of him or demanded of the team.

Just as no-one could run away with the idea that Johnson is back at Twickenham for personal kudos.

Johnson said: ''A lot of people said you don't want to ruin your reputation, or you've got so much to lose. I'm not worried about that. You do the job for the right reasons.''

So what is top of the new manager's agenda?

''Creating team spirit is the big thing. That gets sides through the tough games.''

It has always been the Johnson way. The team stand and fall together and fools and petty officialdom had better give Johnson a wide berth.

Remember how he stood his ground on the red carpet at Lansdowne Road before the Six Nations match against Ireland in 2003 as stewards attempted to tell him he had lined up his team on the wrong side of the halfway line.

Neither the jeering of the Irish fans, nor the impending presence of Irish president Mary McAleese could move Johnson.

That is what England have bought in to.

As Johnson said: ''Since the day I retired people have been saying when are you going to come back and sort it out.''

Which is why if Baron and Andrew believe they control England rugby they should think again.

From now on it is the Johnno show.