England's main Group G rivals Montenegro have sacked head coach Zlatko Kranjcar after their 2-1 qualifying defeat to Wales.
Kranjcar has been replaced by former assistant Branko Brnovic.
Montenegro's football association's secretary general Momir Djurdjevac said: "We were in a good position to win a play-off berth or even qualify automatically for the Euro 2012 finals and Kranjcar bears most of the blame for the team's slip-ups which have dealt a blow to our chances.
"I know many people will wonder whether sacking Kranjcar was the right thing to do because he made a great start but it was the only possible decision."
Montenegro currently lie six points adrift of England and Fabio Capello's side need just a point on their visit to Podgorica on October 7 to secure a place in next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine.
Third-placed Switzerland are three points adrift of Montenegro and play them at home in a potentially decisive final group match on October 11.
Pascal Lemesre
