Rob Andrew has been urged to demote England coach Brian Ashton when he outlines his RBS 6 Nations review on Wednesday.

Twickenham's director of elite rugby will meet with the Rugby Football Union's management board to discuss his recommendations following England's second-place finish in the championship.

Included among his proposals is thought to be the appointment of Martin Johnson to a new all-powerful managerial role with a key say in selection and tactics.

How Ashton's position will be affected by such a move remains to be seen, but former England prop Jeff Probyn believes the 61-year-old must be relieved of some of his duties.

And Probyn insists World Cup-winning captain Johnson should not be involved in the new look set-up, instead believing Harlequins' director of rugby Dean Richards or Gloucester boss Dean Ryan to be more suitable.

He said: "Brian Ashton should not be in charge. He's a great, innovative coach but is a number two.

"The half innuendoes and stories that came out after the World Cup are proving to have a grain of truth to them.

"He should still be there as a backs coach, but I'd like to see Dean Richards or Dean Ryan in overall charge.

"They've done enough at club level to show they have something special."

Former RFU committee member Probyn, who won 37 caps between 1988 and 1993, questions the impact Johnson's appointment would have on Ashton.

"Rob needs his head examined if he recommends bringing Martin Johnson in," he said.

"He's a character and was good captain, but a good captain of a side that had five or six captains in it.

"He has no experience of management or administration, even at club level. It would be the same as putting Lawrence Dallaglio or Will Carling in that position.

"They'd have strong ideas about the players that should be picked or the way the game should be played.

"If you believe that Brian Ashton isn't making the right decisions then you need to put someone in there who does make the right decisions.

"Brian has stated he wants a manager, but not a manager as an equal on the rugby front. There is no compromise there.

"If you did put a manager like that in there you'd expect Brian to resign."

The make-up of the existing coaching team is an area of concern which is sure to be highlighted today when the management board convene to discuss Andrew's review.

Assistants John Wells and Mike Ford were in place when Ashton succeeded Andy Robinson in December 2006 and talk of disunity among the trio persists.

Lurking on the periphery and offering another possible avenue to Andrew is Jake White, South Africa's World Cup-winning coach who is available and has repeatedly expressed his interest in the England job.

A further sub-text to the discussions is Andrew's own position as it was Twickenham's rugby supremo who initially appointed Ashton and then backed him again with a one-year rolling contract after England had reached the World Cup final.

Were Andrew to dispense with or demote Ashton at this stage, it would reflect poorly on his own judgement.

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