World Cup: The English Inquisition

As the feed from the BBC News channel switched to the FA’s press conference room, the greatest surprise was that the media hadn’t hastily constructed a gallows.

Certainly Fabio Capello must have felt he was about to be read his last rites by the assembled hacks, one of whom pathetically asked whether he thinks he is worth the salary the FA decided to offer him.

It was a brief encounter, of the kind that will have the journalists further sharpening the knives. If there is one thing that angers them more than a defeat to Germany at a World Cup it is to be left wanting more from the England manager.

Biting the hand that will eventually plunge a knife into your back aside, two things were evident from the replies Capello gave in response to the questions asked of him.

Capello wants to continue as England manager

Whatever you think of Capello’s mistakes at this World Cup, it is impossible to argue against his pedrigree or track record.

Many are calling for Harry Redknapp or Woy Hodgson or even Big Sam to be given the job, entirely on the basis of their being English.

These arguments ignore the facts that ‘Arry and Woy are both staunch 4-4-2 men, precisely the main criticism being hurled at Capello, and Allardyce plays the exact type of “traditional” English football that has been shown to be outdated again and again over the last decade.

To suggest that they would do a significantly better job than Capello is akin to suggesting that Emile Heskey is a proven goalscorer.

So to hear Capello say that he wants to continue, that he enjoys the job, is good news. He also talked about bringing younger players into the team, which is even better.

Tiredness was a big factor

Capello made several references to the players being tired during the World Cup as a result of the domestic season. He called for the introduction of a winter break.

It is very instructive to hear him say that “I understand much more about the problems after this tournament”.

Many people have criticised Capello for abandoning his pledge to select only on the basis of fitness and form. I think that such criticism is unfair.

Before taking up the post and completing an exhaustive study of his available resources Capello simply overestimated what he had to work with and, more crucially, underestimated the toll that a Premier League campaign takes from those players.

So the ball is now firmly in the FA’s court to take the big decisions that will set the England team on the path to success.

Except it isn’t.

The man who will be taking two weeks to decide on Capello’s future – hardly a vote of confidence, by the way – is the chairman of the FA’s International Committee.

He is also the chairman of the Premier League.

Arise, Sir Dave

The introduction of a winter break would not be good for Premier League finances, which is why there isn’t one in place already.

Club fans like the holiday fixtures in December and view them as a sacred tradition in England’s football calendar. As a result these fixtures attract bumper revenues.

So we are now asking the chairman of this venture, Sir Dave Richards, to vote for Christmas and knowingly persevere with a man who has publicly called for it.

If Sir Dave and his many conflicts of interest do not embody all that is rotten within English football then I don’t know what does. Oh, and you might ask a Sheffield Wednesday fan about the legacy he “bestowed” upon the Owls.

What will actually happen

The next couple of weeks will be spent “taking stock” according to Adrian Bevington, the FA’s media relations guru.

I suspect what this actually means is “sounding out potential replacements” [see the aforementioned list] and “having our lawyers negotiate Fabio’s payoff”.

I would be delighted to be proven wrong, but I doubt I will be.

As far as the gutless, incompetent FA are concerned, this is the path of least resistance. The media are already turning on Capello, with all the rumours about player discontent to help them on their way.

It will be the work of a moment for the FA to nurture that mood and convince the nation that the manager has “lost the dressing room” before “reluctantly” negotiating terms.

Expect to hear plenty of “sources close to” and “consulting senior figures within the dressing room” – i.e. John Terry – over the next fortnight.

If this does occur then all it will prove is that English football really does need to be saved from itself. But by whom?