Barwick's departure on December 31st was revealed on Wednesday night less than four years after succeeding Mark Palios amid reports of a fall-out with FA chairman Lord Triesman over his precise role within the organisation.

Davies left the FA in 2006 after fulfilling a variety of roles in a 12-year stint with the organisation and now he questions the validity of finding a new chief executive once Barwick departs.

Davies told talkSPORT: "There is no question he has brought in a lot of money and on a personal level I am very sad he has gone because (of) his legacy as he has pointed out today.

"Under him Wembley opened, under him a valuable TV deal (was negotiated) and I know he is particularly proud of his RESPECT campaign which was overdue.

"But the truth is he also put in progress a strategic review - ie how should football be run over the next five, 10 years.

"One of the results of that was to bring in an independent chairman and I believe that once you have an independent chairman the relationship between the chief executive and chairman was bound to change.

"I think the question people should be asking is - do you need a chief executive of the FA anymore?

"Would you not be better off having a guy - a chairman, president, him or her - who leads the organisation, who is elected every four years and can be thrown out after four years if the whole of the game does not want that person, who can't serve for longer than two four-year terms and who has around them the staff they want?

"And then this relationship between the staff and the councillors would be resolved once and for all."

Davies was also insistent there will be a Great Britain team at the 2012 Olympics in London.

He continued: "I was for eight years on the BOA (British Olympic Association).

"My ambition has always been to get a GB football team - not just for men but women too - into the Olympics and we will do it for 2012.

"If the Scots, Welsh and Irish choose not to take part that's their business but England will be represented - both men and women."