Preamble: So, Martin Johnson has stepped down as England manager and some might say that's the best decision he's made all year. Other may say it's a darn shame but at least shows that the old warrior has a sense of honour that is rare for a professional. What we are gathered here now to find out, however, is what does the man himself say? How, precisely, is he going to go out? His press conference is due to kick off at 4pm: will he attribute his resignation to the realisation that he botched his tactics at the World Cup and therefore felt compelled to give another coach a go? Or has his abdication been triggered by the severe punishment dished out to Mike Tindall, which effectively cut the legs from under Johnson given that he had shrugged the matter off as insignificant? Might he, then, come out all guns blazing and make sure he takes down a few players and RFU mandarins with him? Or will he meekly thank the governors for giving him an opportunity and then slink off into the sunset and/or a seat on A Question of Sport? What do you think? Have England just lost a promising young manager? Or was MJ so bad that he was right to beat it? And who should replace him?

3.46pm: Well, if the responses to this survery are anything to go by, today's decision may well be the most popular of Johnson's managerial career.

3.49pm: Nick Mallet? Jim Mallinder? Sir Clive Woodward? Gavin Henson? Three of those feature in this discussion of potential successors to Johnson.

3.57pm: Johnson has just lowered himself into his seat in the Twickenham press room, and he looks glum and mean. Rob Andrew is seated to his right. This could be fun.

4.01pm: Thus spake Johnno: "I didn't come to this decision lightly but I think it's in the best interest sofd the team and myself that I don't continue ... we probably had our most successful season in terms of win this year - 10 out of 13 - but ultimately it came to a disappointing end at the World Cup ... I thought it was the right time to go."

4.02pm: Having said his brief piece, and made no effort to blame others, Johnson hands over to Andrew, who thanks the former manager for his contribution etc and so on. Johnson will shortly take questions from the media.

4.04pm: Pressed on whewther it was on-field or off-field matters that precipipated his decision, Johnson says: "I've tried to take the emotion out of a lot of it ... obviously the off-field things didn't help ... they portrayed the team in a bad light and not an accurate light ... we gave people the opportunity to report on us as they did ... but this is not a knee-jerk reaction, it's a considered, thoughtful reaction. On the field we've made huge strides. There are a dozeon or so players who we've brought in over the last year and who are now established internationals. We've come a long way but you try to take the whole picture into consideration ... we weren't good enough at the World Cup, particulary in the first half against France. We were one of four or five teams who could have got to the final but we didn't play well enough on the day and that will always be a disappointment."

4.07pm: Andrew is now defending his record at the RFU and says he is "absolutely not considering resigning."

4.08pm: Johnson is taking this on the chin, and is clearly reluctant to publicly point fingers elsewhere. "I've had a huge amount of support from the RFU and the elite department and that's never been a problems ... There are no excuses and no regrets." As for the players he says: "I don't feel let down ... but I didn't think at the time that it affected our performance on the field that much."

4.11pm: A scpetical journalist asks Johnson if it's really true that he has enjoyed the total support of the RFU. Johnson insists it is: "I think you guys like to think there are things going on behind the scenes ... but I've had nothing but support. I've not had interference in any way from anyone from the chief exec downwards."

4.13pm: Johnson syas he doesn't have regrets but clearly the defeat to France in the World Cup rankles and he feels the players let an opportunity slip: "We did our debrief last week and we agreed nothing happened in that tournament that we didn't expect to happen ... Winning Test matches is about executing skills under pressure and that's what let us down ... it wasn't anything flash or out of this world it was fundamental execution of the game."

4.16pm: The press are now turning their sights on Andrew, who is deflecting questions with much reference to not pre-empting the review that is under way.

4.17pm: Andrew is stressing that the resignation was Johnson's decision alone. Asked if he would have backed him if Johnson had decided to stay, he replies: "That's a hypothetical question and I'm not going to answer it."

4.19pm: Asked what plans are afoot for replacing Johnson with the Six Nations just three months away, Andrew haughtily replies: "As soon as I get out of here I'll get on with it." Pressed to elaborate, he declines.

4.23pm: Question to Andrew: "Why didn't you or someone else from the RFU step in to help Martin as the wheels were coming off [at the World Cup]?]" Like a lock leaping to win a line-out, Johnson steps in to field the question on his former boss's behalf: "I had all the support I needed ... I was very happy with all the support I was given by the RFU at every level. I dealt with it the way I thought was best .. I've been able to do this job on my terms - full stop."

4.27pm: The Guardian's Matt Scott is asking to what extent the "turmoil in the RFU structure" had a bearing on England's poor performance at the World Cup. Andrew again rather snootily dismisses such inquiries from the press: "You don't understand how a multi-million pound operation works in terms of reporting lines ... Martin's unit was a self-contained unit that represents about one fifth of what I deal with."

4.31pm: So that's it, the cameras have been cut and Johnson and Andrew will, presumably, continue their chat with the written press, the fruit of which you can read on this site later. Andrew was adamant that he has nothing to reproach himself for; Johnson, meanwhile, was adamant that this was entirely his decision and that no one at the RFU should be blamed for it: he was not altogether clear, however, on why he resigned. He reckoned England could have won the World Cup if they had just "executed their skills" so did he step down because he felt unable to get the players to execute those skills? Or because he no longer wants to work with players who, for whatever reason, do not execute those skills when it matters?

4.37pm: So, a suitably unsatisfying press conference. It promised much but failed to deliver because no one took risks. Thanks, all the same, for tuning in. Bye.