Fabio Capello Departs from England, But Did He Leave for the Right Reasons?

Fabio Capello starts his retirement a little earlier than we all expected.

The former England manager may well be relaxing in his luxurious pad in Switzerland, but England will hardly be doing that from now on until the Euros. The Italian’s uncanny departure from England has left the nation on a huge lurch.

But was the FA decision to strip John Terry as captain that bad for Fabio Capello to throw in his towel?

I don’t believe the decision was that bad for a second.

Capello, is a manager who is known for his principled outlook, his rational and disciplined mentality. Regrettably, those characteristics did not come to the fore when he came to the decision to leave England.

The reality is, the Italian left his job, as his employers did not feel Capello’s captain was suitable to the lead the nation while a serious allegation of racism surrounding him.

To me and to most of you, stripping John Terry of the captaincy made entire logical sense. Given the scale and seriousness of the charge. Not only this, allowing John Terry to lead England would portray England and their FA as huge hypocrites.

After all, England for a number of years have had a dominant and active stance on the fight against racism. Allowing John Terry to lead the nation would have been a huge own goal for the FA.

On a side note, the FA for the first time in what seems an age, have maintained a consistent stance. In 2000, Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate were charged with assault. But the FA made both players unavailable for selection until the charge and been dealt with. No one can deny this decision was entirely logical, given the circumstances.

But for Capello, John Terry is viewed by him as the ultimate lion. But the talented manager's reign at England will sadly be remembered not only for an embarrassing World Cup display, but this obsession with John Terry.

Indeed, it was Sven Goran Erickson who was heavily criticised by the British press for showing too much respect towards David Beckham. Fast forward a few years and history has repeated itself. As Fabio Capello’s unmoveable and obsessionable defence of John Terry was the underlying reason why he left the highest ever paid international management job in football.

Given the huge contract England so eagerly handed to Capello, England expected a return under the leadership of the former Juventus manager. But Capello seemed to be uninterested in dealing with the expectations his job came with. What’s more frustrating is that he leaves as a manager who failed England in a World Cup and then didn’t have the respect, guts or commitment to rectify from his past mistakes as manager.Perhaps some of the players will feel utterly betrayed by him. After all, they’ve worked hard in preparing for a major competition and their manager just buggers off. Fabio Capello has potentially damaged the confidence, the belief and desire of some of the England players towards international duty and the Euros.

On the other hand, there are murmurs some of the England players are quietly pleased Fabio Capello has departed. It’s a well known fact Capello struggled to connect and develop a relationship with his players.

But this sudden departure, regardless of whether the players liked him or not will have a severe effect on the players preparations ahead of the Euros. Capello is a meticulous manager, who has casually left ,leaving behind him an array of disorganisation for the FA and the other England coaches to pick up.

And if the FA appoint a new manager before the Euros, it goes without saying, England’s cohesion and understanding as a team is more likely to decline ahead of the tournament. After all, the new manager, whether it’s Redknapp or anyone else, they will want to implement their own style onto the side, meaning new players will join and leave the England squad. Also questions will be raised for the manager at what is his best starting 11 for example. The new manager has many great challenges on his footstep, which he instantly has to solve.

But, Fabio Capello is a man of great integrity, this integrity, is a key reason why he’s so respected within the game. However, this integrity seemed to be discarded when he left England. His exit was reality TV esque. It was dramatic, pathetic and utterly egocentric.

However, Capello should have opposed and rejected this dramatic exit from England. After all, he, kept reinstating his desire to leave England. I feel Capello should have just bitten his tongue and accepted the FA’s decision over John Terry. This would have been the mature, respectable thing to do, rather than undermine the FA’s decision to the press and give the FA an ultimatum which was clearly unrealistic for the FA to adhere to.

One thing remains very clear from Capello’s premature exit from England. It seems the Italian, was looking for a means to jump the ship early. He was looking for a way out well before the expected date after the Euro’s. Let’s put this into context. he has worked at some of the most hostile clubs in the world. He’s managed at Juventus, Real Madrid and AC Milan. The directors at these clubs have actively taken decisions into their own hands without consulting the manager, so Capello has probably had to learn how to deal and work through these climates.

Regrettably, England have paid the bitter price for making Fabio Capello the highest paid expensive international coach in the world. The FA made it so easy for him to walk out. Let’s face it, he was earning £6million a year, so quitting a few months early in a 4 year reign, and considering how wealthy and how successful he's been as a manager he is, it makes it so easy for him to exit with minimal consequences for himself economically and to his reputation globally.

The FA must learn from their relationship with Capello. After all, it has and will continue to leave scaring marks on a generation of English footballers and supporters.

Fabio Capello came to England and created an image of himself as powerful, disciplined tactician and a manager who is befit to lead out the three lions.

Instead, he left England, as a man who fell out of the love with the job. He left as a man who was uncommitted to the job and a man who didn’t share the dreams of a nation.

Video: Harry Redknapp is free!

This is just fantastic, just check it out. It's hilarious and we all know it's true!

Why Wayne Rooney’s three match ban for the Euro’s is a good thing for England

The Football Front's Senior Writer Christian Brown gives his thoughts on Wayne Rooney's three match ban for the Euro's and England's chances in the tournament.

So, it was announced on the 13^th October that Wayne Rooney’s most recent moment of pure idiocy has been met with a 3 game suspension – thus ruling him out of the group stages. Although it may yet be appealed by The FA, such was the severity of the incident; it wouldn’t surprise me if it went to a 4 game ban. This piece of news has generally been greeted with worry and fear, as if our tournament is already over.

Erm, why? Perhaps unbeknown to them, UEFA have potentially gifted the tournament to England.

Let’s get this straight. Wayne Rooney’s foul against Montenegro wasn’t an isolated incident. Remember the attack on Wigan’s James McCarthy last season? Funny thing is, if UEFA came to the conclusion that the Montenegro sending off was an assault, then they probably would have judged the McCarthy incident as either GBH or attempted murder. Then there was the sending off in the World Cup 2006 quarter final versus Portugal. You could argue that his foot had nowhere else to go, but the ferocity in the stamp suggests otherwise.

It’s painfully obvious, that Rooney has a discipline problem. You can dress it up all you like about how he’s improved it, the fact of the matter is that it is still there. And it has cost Fabio Capello dearly. Or has it? In some ways, Capello must have been wishing this happened last year. It was blatant that Rooney wasn’t playing well, yet ‘Don Fabio’ - the alleged strict disciplinarian, the bloke who very hypocritically said that he’ll only pick players on form – kept him in the team. It was perhaps the decision which cost England the World Cup, as the ‘talisman’ failed to find the net in South Africa, and more often than, Rooney made it look as if we were playing with 10 men.

Well, now he has the chance to live up to one of his initial failed promises – picking people on form. He’s not short of options to fill the void left by Rooney; exciting youth prospects such as Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge are banging them in for their clubs, and there’s always the old guard such as the likes of Crouch or Defoe to partner Darren Bent in attack. The fact we allowed ourselves to become totally dependent on a brainless ape like Rooney is totally down to Capello, and this is how he will have to amend things – by getting England to play as a team.

And yes. That means depending on 11 men, rather than a mere one or two. It’s something else which England have failed to do under Capello. Look at Spain and Germany. Look at all the individuals they have in their teams, the likes of Iniesta and Schweinsteiger, these are players that can win a game on their own. Yet I don’t see them needlessly getting in the way of someone else – i.e. the right back – by stupidly running to that position with no meaning or purpose. I also notice they have something called ‘positional sense’, as in you stay where you’ve been told to stay.

Easy enough, if you’re a left back, you stay left back. If you’re a striker, you stay up front. If you are a striker, you don’t track back to the point where you’re playing as a centre back, so should the team break away at pace, you will be in your position ready to score! But, in the case with Rooney – this never happens, as his clear lack of intelligence scuppers just about every well played out move England create.

The news from UEFA was met with great rejoicing from my part, as I am now optimistic about our chances in a major tournament for the first time since the 2006 World Cup. I’m not going to say we can win it, but I seriously believe that without Rooney we stand a much better chance of doing the nation proud. The next set of friendlies will give Capello the chance to tinker around with a new front two, and for once I’m very excited about them. As for Rooney? Check if you’ve got Irish grandparents and jump ship, because when England perform better without you, there’s no way back.

This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for The Sports Pallet too. All of Christian's work for The Football Front can be found here.

England's new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? Part Two - The Negatives

We have been taking a close look at England’s new 4-3-3 strategy. Last week, we discussed the positives of the strategy and what worked well in the two games against Ghana and Wales.

We talked about how dynamic England were and how progressive the side were. The team’s high pressing system suffocated their opponents, especially Wales. And the mixture of passing made England hard to deal with in both games.

Here’s the link to the first article regarding the positives of the system.

http://thefootballfront.blogspot.com/2011/04/englands-new-4-3-3-system-platform-for.html

Today, we will be looking at the negatives and the aspects of the system, which didn’t work well for England.

The negatives

Clearly, the system is only two games old and there are still areas which need to be worked on. Here are few errors which I saw in England’s games whilst playing with the 4-3-3.

Fabio Capello loves his central midfielders to control the game and the tempo. The new system gave England’s central midfielders more time on the ball. This led there to be more of a creative spark in the middle. This all well and good. But, England were finding it hard to thread through balls into the wingers and strikers. At times against both Wales and Ghana, England’s passing was static as they couldn’t see the pass or were unwilling to execute it. Again, this could boil down to the understanding between the players regarding the new strategy. As the development of understanding takes time, but as the team gets used to the system, the central midfielders will be receptive to the run of the strikers and can quickly and effectively thread the balls through. Although this sounds very technical, some argue, England lack the ability to pass progressively. But England have a great number of passers. The likes of Lampard, Gerrard and Wilshere can all be trusted to thread in brilliant balls to the strikers and midfielders.

Ghana recognised England’s dependence on their 3 central midfielders. It was clear that the central midfield was England’s main catalyst for attacks. The Ghana team quickly closed down Wilshere and James Milner. This meant, England at times were sloppy in their passing or were often caught in possession. And because England attempted to impose themselves onto the opposition, it therefore meant that Ghana could quickly counter and could ask serious questions of England’s high defensive line. Arguably, if England were playing against a more superior team, they would have punished England on the counter. As they would have been far more quicker and crisp in their passing and would have possibly had a number of clinical finishers to finish off the move.

This is a diagram of how Ghana stopped England's midfield from settling on the ball.

Here is a diagram of how England nearly conceded because of the high defensive line.

The game against Ghana was a game of two halves. And like most friendlies, the substitutions had a big impact on the balance of the game. England in the first half were expansive and were asking all the questions to Ghana. The team were effective through the middle and found a lot of joy on the right flank, thanks to great running and movement by Glen Johnson and Stuart Downing. Arguably, England’s crossing distribution was poor throughout the game. This is a fair point, especially in the first half. As England got to the Ghana by-line but failed to provide suitable crosses into the middle.

But, when Glen Johnson came off at half time. England lost their width. Arguably, this resulted in England losing their offensive nature in the second half. Against Wales, Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson symbolised England’s imposing nature by pressing high and allowing the wingers to play in a more central striking role. While the full backs attacked the byline and gave England solid width. This meant England had more bodies upfront and were more threatening. As there were a number of attacking options available. But when Glen Johnson came off against Ghana and Phil Jagielka took his place at right back, this encouraged Ghana’s fullbacks to venture into the England half. Arguably, having Jagielka at right back is undesirable. As Jagielka isn’t the fastest, nor does he have a good cross or the off the ball movement to be an offensive full back. Maybe if Micah Richards wasn’t injured he would have been far more effective at right back and maintained England’s width.

While on the other flank, Leighton Baines yet again failed to have the confidence to venture forward and provide fantastic crosses and passes. The reason why Baines is in the England team is because of his venturing forward and great distribution. It seemed Baines was unwilling to go forward in fear of making a mistake, it’s a shame. Had Baines had more confidence, he could have played a crucial role, providing for Andy Carroll. If Baines ask more questions of Pantsil, England would have been far more effective on the left hand side. However, it’s clear the Ghanaian management saw the lack of progress by Baines and demanded Ghana’s right back, John Pantsil to venture forward continuously. The venturing of Pantsil was a crucial reason to why England were hemmed into their own box in the second half.

The lack of width by the full backs in the second half resulted in England playing far more narrow. The wingers Downing and Young had to come in a more central position to receive the ball. This often led to nothing significant occurring in terms of offensive attacks. As Ghana were quickly pressing England in the middle and England had no venturing full backs out wide, to stretch the play.

When Andy Carroll came off, another problem occurred. England by the 60^th minute were being dominated by Ghana, England didn’t have a forward who could win the ball in the air or hold the ball up. Jermaine Defoe is a great striker, but he was rather ineffectual. As England couldn’t get the ball to him. The team were unwilling to play the ball long to Defoe. As he couldn’t effectively hold up the ball. This resulted in Ghana winning the ball with great ease. Capello did try and maintain service for Defoe, by playing Young alongside him. But again, England were far too narrow and simply couldn’t get the English midfield to re-impose their tempo and their authority over the match. Perhaps, Jermaine Defoe could have been more flamboyant in his approach. Maybe he could have made wide runs or played on the shoulder of the fullback in an attempt to use his pace.

Conclusion

There is quite a lot of potential in England’s new system. The team look far more dynamic and unpredictable. But the team need to develop an intuition for the system and the strategy. Once the team fully knows the function of the tactic it could give England a huge amount of success, potentially.

It’s imperative that Capello finds his best 11 quickly. This will further speed the understanding of the strategy and the tactic. But it’s also vital that Capello tries to stick to this tactic and uses it against tough opponents. This will make the team more disciplined and have more confidence in themselves and the system they are using.

But one mustn’t get carried away. The tactic could make England fall flat on their faces against a superior opposition. Only time will tell if it could become the platform for English success. But Ghana proved if the opposition ask serious questions and look to exploit England’s high defensive line they can be vulnerable.

Next week – we will be looking at The best possible selection for the England 4-3-3 system.

Read last week’s feature here - http://thefootballfront.blogspot.com/2011/04/englands-new-4-3-3-system-platform-for.html

Things you may like to read

Why Fabio Capello should be embarrassed of his handling of the Rio Ferdinand captaincy issue - http://tiny.cc/x1wdy

Why Kevin Davies should be in contention for the England squad - http://tiny.cc/03xgm

Do the England players fear wearing the England jersey? - http://tiny.cc/3gg73

England's new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? Part One - The positives

The last two games have seen England being far more dynamic and more exciting to watch. Perhaps this was something the team lacked in South Africa. But there are potential reasons for England fans to get excited. However, they must take everything with a pinch of salt. The new system is only two games old and there clearly isn’t the cohesion and understanding like the world champions Spain. The new system has given everyone some food for thought.

I am going to post a three part series which takes a little tour on the positives and the negatives of England’s new system. And I will show who I think England should field in their new 4-3-3 system.

Part One - The Positives

The high pressing system England used against Ghana and Wales was impressive. It made England dictate the tempo and become far more assertive on the game. In the Wales game Jack Wilshere and Frank Lampard, the two central midfielders, were far more progressive. This therefore resulted in England penning Wales back into their own half. As the two central midfielders were looking to find space to thread balls through and get into offensive positions.

The progressive nature of Wilshere and Lampard was partly due to the great holding midfield performance of Scott Parker. Parker used the ball well and won a number of crucial challenges to stop Wales’ attacks at the root. In the Ghana game it was the same with Gareth Barry. Barry, protected the defensive line effectively and played simple but important passes. Both players stretched the play as well. This enabled England to attack via the flanks. The two games showed how crucial the holding midfield role is for England. Arguably, in the World Cup when Gareth Barry was overrun by Germany’s Thomas Muller, it meant England could not be as offensive as a team. As Barry needed support to contain Muller and co. But that’s not to say the result was Gareth Barry’s fault. No way, it’s simply a resulting factor which occurs if the other team sets the tempo and imposes themselves on the game, which Germany did fantastically.

It was clear that Wales weren’t expecting England to play with a high pressing system. The Welsh played two holding midfielders, perhaps they did this to stop Lampard, Wilshere and Ronney from supporting Bent. But another reason to play two holding midfielders was that it would give Wales a better chance of keeping the ball and trying to control the tempo. However, the two holding Welsh players gave England more confidence in their pressing game. As Wales’s defensive midfield duo, Andrew Crofts and Joe Ledley were so deep in their own half. This meant Wilshere and Lampard could close the pair down in offensive positions. This resulted in Wales playing even more deeper and England being far more imposing the Welsh half.

The 4-3-3 system allows England to be far more dynamic. The team can mix their strategy styles effectively whilst using the formation. A criticism before and during the World Cup was that England were far too rigid. This meant there was little creativity and the team was too predictable. However, what surprised me in the last two England games was how quickly England could change from playing the ball through the middle and playing with width. The team showed they could easily variate between the two. Against Ghana, especially in the first half, England kept the ball nicely in the middle. But one quick pass out wide and then England were asking serious questions of Ghana. The dynamic strategy used by England shows for the first time in a long time, that England are trying to utilise their pace. For me, England aren’t the most technically gifted team in the world. They can’t pass the ball as fluently as some other international teams. But England have a variety of different players who are fast and can instantly put the opposition on the back foot because of their sheer pace.

This adds another weapon to England’s armour. If England want to predominantly through the middle which they did against Wales. It allows England to have the option to quickly pass the ball out wide to a galloping Glen Johnson or Ashley Cole. Or of course, the wingers. This instantly would give England another offensive strategy to stretch the play. And because of England’s fantastic pace on the wings it makes England far more threatening and dangerous, to cut open the defence.

In both the Ghana and Wales game it was clear England wanted the ball to go through the midfield. This was evident as both holding midfielders, Barry and Parker (in the two separate games) had a lot of the ball. Furthermore, Lampard and Wilshere against Wales were continoulsy on the ball, passing and probing. This meant that England were more progressive on the ball. As it lead to England being able to impose a highline and push Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole higher up the pitch. Furthermore, the fact England were in control of poession it resulted in England passing the ball around warreing Wales down.

However, England’s system used a mixture of passing. Against Wales, England played predominantly short passes, but the team were willing to go long if the option was open. When Wales pushed their defensive line higher and tried to venture in the England half, the likes of Rooney, Wilshere and Lampard attempted long balls to get Bent quickly behind the Welsh line. In fact, the second England goal was a result of a brilliant mixture of passing. Glen Johnson’s great ball over the top to Ashley Young, resulted in an simple tap in for Darren Bent.

In the Ghana game, England started Andy Carroll as the central striker. To England’s praise they didn’t continuously play the ball long to Carroll’s head. This was rather refereshing. As it made England more unpredictable. The team looked to play the ball through the midfield and have Carroll hold the ball up, while the team progresses forward. But when England did play it long, they did it at crucial times. They did it when England had men in and around Carroll thus meaning he could effectively flick the ball to his team mates.

The new system England have adopted has the potential to make England a nightmare to mark and track. The fact England could interchange the striker roles and the midfield roles meant that England have the element of surprise in their game. Upfront England could have every now and then swapped Rooney for Bent in the central striking role, with Bent coming out wide. Or even swapped Young for Rooney, resulting in the two players switching flanks. This has the impact to cause confusion amongst the opposition defence. It also has the consequence to make England more effective in cutting in from the wings as there potentially could be more space for exposure.

Part Two will be released on Wednesday 13th April.

Why Fabio Capello’s should be embarrassed of his handling of the Rio Ferdinand captaincy issue.

Its been a while since ive written! University and life have made me a busy person. But I think I’m back.
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So, the unfavourable John Terry has replaced Rio Ferdinand as England captain. This decision frustrates most England fans. It annoys most fans because the one question everyone’s asking is, ‘What exactly has Rio Ferdinand done wrong to be stripped of the captaincy?’

It’s a very fair question. It would have been understandable had Ferdinand acted like a fool and had an affair with Capello’s wife or something like that. But Ferdinand has acted reasonably immaculately during his time as captain. It’s a complete injustice towards Rio Ferdinand.
During his short tenure as captain of England. Ferdinand hasn’t done much wrong. He has represented himself in a very respectable way and well mannered way. Not only does he possess great leadership skills on the pitch, but Rio Ferdinand also is an individual who is versatile and tries to connect with society. Ferdinand seems like a knowledgeable person, trying to break away from the stereotypes that all footballers are numb nuts. You only have to look at his variety of assets such as his magazine (#5 Magazine) and his music label company, surely this shows that he is intelligent and possess talents outside of the game.

Some argue, Rio Ferdinand doesn’t deserve to be England captain anyway. Due to his shady past. Yes, he has been involved with some funny business in the earlier parts of his career. But lets take this into perspective. Most England players are dodgy twats. That’s the honest truth. Most of the England squad have been involved in controversies or been in trouble with the law. Take Jack Wilshere , the guy is one of England’s brightest prospects and is quickly becoming a key player for England. Wilshere, 19, has already had encounters with the police and has even been briefly arrested. Its sad to see that most England players are often in the wrong place at the wrong time, or worse. Some are committing stupid acts, like shooting kids with guns, cheating and hitting people. But Rio Ferdinand continues to be a brilliant ambassador for England and Man United. He is widely respected in the world of football and respected outside the game too.

Rio Ferdinand is deeply upset about being stripped of the captaincy. And so he should be. Ferdinand has been humiliated by Capello. When John Terry was stripped of the captaincy it was seen as humiliating for John Terry. But he deserved it. However, its even more humiliating for Ferdinand. As he hasn’t done anything wrong to be stripped of the captaincy.

After re-appointing John Terry as captain, Capello labelled Terry’s time of being stripped of the captaincy as a ‘punishment.’ This completely undermines the value of Rio Ferdinand. Capello’s actions are basically saying, he doesn’t have faith in Ferdinand’s ability as a leader. It’s a sad state of affairs. As Capello has shown little respect towards Rio Ferdinand.

Fabio Capello’s decision to run back to John Terry shows how naïve he is. It seems Capello is unaware of the potential consequences of his actions. The decision has the potential to unsettle the squad. Some players, may rue Capello’s decision to undermine Ferdinand and may deeply sympathise with Ferdinand. While others maybe stuck in the cross fire of awkwardness. Some players will be unsure of who to turn to, the ex captain or the reinstated captain. Furthermore, some players may not even look up to John Terry after his disgusting antics regarding Wayne Bridge’s former girlfriend.

You also have to remember, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand have to play alongside each other. Now, of course, Ferdinand is a true professional. And wont let it effect his game. But Capello’s naïve decision could have an impact on the relationship between the two players. Communication is crucial in football, especially in the heart of the defence. If both players fail to respect each other and maintain a healthy acquaintance, this could have a devastating effect on England’s performances.

But, yes, John Terry is a good leader, he leads by example on the pitch and has other great characteristics. But off the pitch he is a first class bastard. Fact. But for me, Terry lost his right to lead his nation. He lost that right when he was going to his mates house and was betraying his marriage and friendship. Why couldn’t Capello make John Terry a vice captain? Making him the full time captain is far too much of an extreme decision. This is because of the effects the decision has had on England. Firstly, Rio Ferdinand has been humiliated in the process. Secondly, John Terry in some respects isn’t favoured by players or fans. Thirdly, everyone thinks Terry deserved to lose his leadership of England after his horrible antics. Surely Fabio Capello should have considered this? Capello hasn’t received any good press or been praised for many decisions since the World Cup. Rash decisions like reinstating Terry will only add to a negative perception which is being built up around Capello.

Now, I don’t want to go down the route which most football commentators have gone down, saying, ‘oh Capello doesn’t understand because the issue of captaincy isn’t an issue in Italy.’ I think it’s a bit harsh on those who love, play and follow Italian football. For me, whatever, team you play for, being a captain is an honour. It’s a gesture which emphasises your leadership skills, the respect the players and staff have for you and your professionalism on and off the pitch. Arguably, Terry isn’t really respected by his team mates, some cant stand him because of his actions. But Capello hasn’t misunderstood the value of being captain because of culture in Italy. He has misunderstood the commercial and social side of being the England captain. Throughout the decades, the captain of the England national team is seen as a national treasure, a player which children aspire to be and an individual who has strong respectable values. After Terry’s saga, how many view him as a national treasure? How many companies want John Terry to be the main man in their adverts? How many children, or perhaps, how many adults want their children to aspire to John Terry? Not many. Now that he is captain, will any one turn around and fall in love with him again? Hell no.

John Terry had his chance, and he truly messed it up. But Capello is clearly disconnected from English football, as he cannot see the dislike that surrounds John Terry. How many times can you hear boo’s when John Terry touches the ball in every away game Chelsea have? This shows how much he is disliked by fans of Premier League teams. And a majority of England fans, support teams in England, who are more often than not going to boo John Terry.

Terry maybe a good leader, but the fans still play a crucial role in football. I bet most fans feel Terry doesn’t deserve to be the captain of England. Even though he has served his ‘punishment.’ But what does Capello except? John Terry has managed to stay clean and not play away from home for a whole year, so his reward is the England captaincy? Lets get real.

Over the past 8 months Capello has made some alienating decisions. He has made decisions which have confused the England squad players themselves and the fans. And in some respects, Capello’s poor decision making, is making the fans lose their patience and faith in him. Perhaps, the players are now questioning Capello’s credentials too.

For all the money Fabio Capello earns being England manager, I think he should spend a bit of that cash on communication courses. The boss seriously needs to learn how to handle intimate issues with care, he is far too ridged. And that is going to unsettle and make the players feel terribly undervalued. The fact he hadn’t spoken to Rio Ferdinand when he removed as captain his disgusting. It just emphasises his lack of common sense and respect towards an integral member of the England squad. A good coach is one who explains why you have to do something, rather than telling you to do it. Capello must get his ideas and thoughts clearly across to the players, or they these multi millionaire players will feel that Capello is looking down on them.

Rio Ferdinand deserves the respect from Fabio Capello to explain why he has been removed him as captain. The back pages of the newspapers should not inform Rio Ferdinand to why he has been removed as captain. After all, not many can deny that Ferdinand represented his country in a textbook manner

When John Terry was stripped of the captaincy in February 2010, it left a sour taste in the mouth of John Terry. And he deserved to taste it. Now over a year later, he has been reinstalled as captain.

But this time, it’s left a sour taste in the mouths of the every England fan.

Why Kevin Davies should be in contention for the England Squad

Darren Bent, Steven Gerrard, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch. These are just some of the names of players who have played alongside Wayne Rooney under Fabio Capello. Its clear Capello prefers to have another striker playing along side Rooney. Your probably thinking, why have I added Steven Gerrard in the opening sentence, as he isn’t a striker. However, Capello tried to play Gerrard in his Liverpool role. The role he used to occupy behind the former Liverpool star Fernando Torres. However, Fabio Capello predominantly prefers to play with two strikers upfront. And to extend this, Capello prefers England to play with one natural finisher, Wayne Rooney. And the second striker being a target man. Yet there is one man who is suitable for the seccond striker role. But he has never been given a proper chance.

The second striker role has recently been changed by Fabio Capello. In England’s last game against Denmark, Rooney lined up along side Bent. Both strikers are natural finishers. Who have both proven at the Premier League level they can be trusted to score consistently. Okay, Rooney hasn’t had the best few months in the Premier League. But look at his record last year when he scored 26 Premier League goals. And even the year before that. It’s very impressive. Of course he can be trusted to finish.

Its apparent Capello would prefer to play a target man alongside Rooney. Hence why the likes of Darren Bent were left out of South Africa for Emile Heskey. Despite the fact Bent scored 24 Premier League goals that season. Heskey on the other hand, mustered 5 goals in all competitions for Aston Villa. The decision to take Heskey over Bent quite rightly made the England fans gaze around in confusion.

Fabio Capello’s England vision was probably in taters, after Heskey decided to call it a day on his England career after the embarrassing World Cup campaign. Since then Capello still hasn’t fancied Peter Crouch playing as the target man alongside Rooney. The Italian should give this strike force a try. Simply because Crouch has a brilliant England goal scoring record. 22 goals in 44 caps is very impressive. The record shows Crouch has the pedigree to score on the international stage. But Capello would rather the target man having the physical strength to hold up the ball. Something which Crouch doesn’t offer effectively.

Kevin Davies, 33, became the oldest England debutant in October 2010. Yet Kevin Davies should have been capped far more earlier. He is the one of the best target men in the Premier League. It seems Davies abilities continually goes unnoticed by the England. Davies can offer everything Heskey offered and more. Logically, this should be Capello’s dream.

The Bolton skipper is fantastic in the air. He can contest with most defenders and win the ball. However, the most practical aspect of Davies ability in the air, is that he can flick it on very effectively. This has served Bolton very well in the past and still does. This attribute would be a valuable asset for England. The likes of Rooney would be find pockets of space, of which Davies could flick into. One of Heskey’s duties in the England team was to win headers and to flick onto the central midfielders or the wingers. But by the time Heskey had jumped, the ball was already flying past his head. It’s something which most defiantly frustrated the England fans and arguably the players too. But with Kevin Davies he has proved at a consistent level for Bolton that with his flick on’s he can link the midfield and attack. Of course, some will turn around and say, ‘doing this on the international stage is different, there is more expectation.’ I couldn’t agree more. But Kevin Davies is an experienced professional, who is proven to be a success at his trade. One mustn’t forget Kevin Davies is the captain of Bolton. This means he can handle the pressure and expectations. He wouldn’t be captain if couldn’t set the standard or if he couldn’t cope with the expectations.

Davies fantastic heading ability would also be an advantage for set pieces. The Bolton skipper has shown his capability to scoring with his head. This doesn’t just boil down to set pieces, Davies in open play can be a goal scoring threat with his aerial poweress too. This is something a majority of the recent England strikers have lacked.

Since Owen Coyle has taken the helm at Bolton, Kevin Davies has expanded his game even more. It’s clear that Kevin Davies is far more competent and comfortable with the ball at his feet too. Davies has been effectively threading through balls into his strikers and midfielders with great effect. I have even seen him executing some brilliant audacious chips when the opposition defence is pressuring. England need someone like this. They need someone who has the creative nous and the ability to implement it. Most of the England’s strikers have been missing this part to their game. Of course, Wayne Rooney can do this, but Rooney is far more dangerous when he is playing as the most progressive striker. Rooney would benefit greatly if Kevin Davies could hold the ball up and then thread a ball into him. It relives the pressure on Rooney. As it means Rooney doesn’t need to come deep to get the ball.

Davies’ creativity wouldn’t just be a benefit for Rooney. The other England strikers would benefit too. The likes of Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe are goal poachers who are receptive to recognising openings and half chances. Look at Johan Elmander, who is now amongst the goals for Bolton. Kevin Davies’ service has been a contributing factor to Elmander’s good form.

What makes Kevin Davies so suitable for being a target man is because he is physically very strong. This assists him because it makes him harder to defend against. It helps him hold up the ball, as the defenders simply cannot barge him out of the way, he will fight for the ball. This makes Davies so difficult to play against because he is strong enough to keep the ball, thus allowing the midfielders to progress forward. Arguably, this should appeal to Fabio Capello. As Peter Crouch whose England record speaks for it’s self doesn’t really get a look in because he lacks the strength to hold the ball up.

The finishing abilities of Davies are decent. He isn’t the most clinical striker in the world or the most natural finisher. But he makes up for that with his tenacity and commitment. One thing Kevin Davies can never be questioned on is his work ethic. He is a hard working player who wants to make things happen for his team.

Maybe for Kevin Davies is unfortunate. In the sense that he was a late bloomer in the world of football. He began to show his quality from the age of 28 and by the time he was 30 he was seen as a fantastic Premier League player. But at the age of 33, it’s sad to say, his chances of getting into the England team are extremely limited because of his age. One must consider, Emile Heskey is only three months older than Davies. Yet Heskey was given so much prominence in Fabio Capello’s plans. I’m confident if you asked who’s a better target man, Heskey or Davies, a majority would say Davies. Is Davies unlucky because Heskey is deemed to have more experience as he has played for Liverpool and won trophies. Whereas Davies hasn’t played at the top four level of the Premier League. I don’t think it’s a valid excuse, but how many times have good players at the ‘smaller clubs’ been over looked by players who maybe aren’t as good but are at the bigger clubs? It’s just insane how people like Kevin Davies are continually overlooked.

One may argue Davies was given his chance in October 2010. But it seems Capello picked him because there was a striker crisis not because he seriously trusted his abilities. Furthermore, had Capello trusted Davies he could of started him or kept him in the squad for the next international games to give him a proper chance. Most will agree that a mere 20 minutes isn't enough for a player to prove his worth on the international stage.

Age really shouldn’t be an issue. As he clearly has the attributes to be a successful target man for England. If he was let’s say 22, I’m sure he would be in contention for the England team. But I don’t want to get all philosophical. It’s a shame, it really is England’s loss.

Ask any Premier League fan on their thoughts on Kevin Davies, a majority will show their appreciation for his abilities.

It’s just so ironic how he never gets a look into the national team.