After four years, the most controversial England manager of recent times resigned from his post in sensational circumstances. Fabio Capello, the Italian hothead who divided opinion up and down the country- and the world, handed in his notice with immediate affect on Wednesday, a decision that shocked the footballing world.
From the most respected pundits on television, to the humblest football fan in the local pub, Fabio Capello- his tactics, man management, squad selection, player treatment and attitude toward the media caused fearsome debate.
At 60 plus years, he was a man well and truly stuck in his ways. His inability switch from the rigid 4-4-2 that suffocated the England team saw them fail so drastically at the 2010 world cup. This coupled with his frankly bizarre squad selection made England a laughing stock and the amazing travelling fans frustrated, let down, and a few thousand pounds well out of pocket. He seemed to have no idea who his first choice goal keeper was. And when he did chose one he chose the worst. Why on earth he would even consider the underwhelming Rob Green- the goal keeper of the then freshly relegated West Ham united, over the massively in-form Joe Hart for the opener of the group stages against the USA is any one’s guess. And then again picking the fading David James for the simply must-win game against arch-rivals Germany. Granted Green and James have more experience on the international stage but to blatantly ignore the immense talent of Hart was almost outrageous. The goal keepers did not even know who would be featuring in the matches until less than 24hrs before kick-off. Hardly time to prepare themselves mentally. Aside from this the decision to ignore Manchester City’s Adam Johnson and Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and include the massively injury prone Ledley King was unfathomable. King was substituted before the first half in the opening game and never featured for England again in the tournament. And the choice to leave England’s finest holding midfielder Scott Parker at home and instead selecting the obviously burnt out Gareth Barry was also extremely questionable.
Aside from this, he chose to isolate the England squad in the middle of nowhere in Rustenburg, and enforced rules on grown men you simply would only enforce on a child. Curfews, room confinement, punishment for lateness to meals and a “games room” created unneeded friction between players that showed on the pitch. Banning the wives and girlfriends from seeing their spouses also added to the embarrassment of the players. Although this last decision is understandable considering the mockery the WAGS made of the 2006 world cup.
And who could forget the downright scandalous interview in which he laughed off the national icon David Beckham’s chances of ever playing for England under his management. A player adored around the globe and especially in his home country was made to look a fool on live television in front of millions of millions of viewers and sparked outcries of his sacking in the most extreme cases. This unfortunately was only one of many cases in which Capello made enemies of those he needed as allies. His brashness and shortness with the media never helped his cause and in an industry where your reputation can be destroyed in one single article. And then there is his seeming unwillingness to learn even the most simplest English phrases that astounded many throughout the game. Ex Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, also Italian went from not speaking a word to English to managing moderate sentences in half a season, around 5 months. It took Capello 4 years to get to a similar level.
But all these points aside, there is no denying that statistically, Capello was the most successful manager England ever had. with a win ratio of 66.7%, better than the legendary Sir Alf Ramsey’s ratio of 61.1% England also had their best ever world cup qualifying campaign under Capello, winning 9 out of their 10 games with him at the helm. He came to the England position with an unrivalled CV, albeit at club level, yet he had never bought a British player, let alone an English one. He came under a massive level of expectation, with England fans being notoriously impatient to reclaim their “rightful” place at the pinnacle of world football. He was seen as a master tactician, as Sven Goran Eriksson was when he managed in Italy’s Serie A and was subsequently offered the England job. But after failing to win over the fans, Capello quickly gained critics and in a sport where fans and media are so fickle, it was always going to be a hard task to win them back.
So the question now is who is to replace him? Even in his departure he was surrounded by controversy and divided opinion. Was he right to speak out against the FA’s decision to remove the highly notorious John Terry as England captain? The answer I think is yes. Regardless of which mess Terry has got himself into this time, the decision to go over the England managers head and make a big decision that only Capello should be making was a proverbial slap in the face. The reason they where paying him his much disputed £6 million a year wage was so he could make decisions such as this surely? And now the FA must now face the consequences. Denting the Italians already battered pride was one step too far and Capello threw in the gloves, they are now faced with a managerless, leaderless England team. A team already low on confidence now suffering another blow that, if not sorted swiftly and sufficiently, will surely affect their Euro 2012 campaign.
The majority of England fans (Tottenham supporters aside) are practically begging for the appointment of the talented Englishman Harry Redknapp. Currently working his magic at Tottenham Hotspur. And why not? he’s experienced, knows how to handle a dressing room full of big ego’s such as the group he is managing at his current club, handles the press with an affable charm and definitely has the tactical awareness to handle any injuries that occur. However the question is whether he’d leave Tottenham until the end of the season when he can hand over the reigns guilt free as opposed to ditching them mid-season and risking the scorn of an army of Spurs and England fans. If this is the case he will have little time- just over 2 months, to settle in to the England role, asses the players he has to work with and make the necessary changes. But then again there is always the opportunity to take the England role as a part time role and still have the chance to manage spurs.
Other names being thrown about for caretaker roles at least are Gareth Southgate, Trevor Brooking, and Martin O’Neill, Jose Mourinho and the impressive Alan Pardew for a permanent position. Though for me the chance should fall to Stuart Pearce. He was extremely successful with the u21′s, guiding them to the final of the 2009 u21 championships where they lost, ironically, 4-0 to Germany. However, this highlights his familiarity with the up coming generation of England players, and would certainly give him the confidence to make a drastic and much needed overhaul to the first team. Although he was largely an average manager for Manchester City, his experience as Capello’s assistant may have filled him with the relevant knowledge needed to manage the national team.
Whoever is brave enough to touch the seemingly poisoned chalice, I wish them luck. England fans will not care how he goes about it, but he must get results, and get them quickly. The pressure he will feel in this role will be simply unique. And I hope that someone, somewhere, is capable of standing up to it and taming the 3 lions. For he will have the hopes and dreams of a country, and the expectation of the world resting on his shoulders. Good luck, whoever you may be. You will need it.
