Capello Gone

[IJM]

My opinion on candidates:

1. Redknapp - My first choice. Right choice. Can motivate players and can in fact get them playing.
2. Hiddink - My second choice. Proven manager. Great credentials. While better than Redknapp I can't see us going for another foreign manager at this stage.
3. Rafa - Practically he'd make the best England manager. But I don't want him in the job, because the press would be all over him from the get go. I don't want to see Rafa destroyed in this way.
4. Hodgson - Best choice if you want a patsy in the job and have no real ambition to actually go out and win anything. Not only totally unproven at the top level, but has actually done worst in the highest level job he's ever had.

My opinion re: Capello, right to jump ship. F.A. went over his head to remove Terry, completely ignoring the basic tenant of innocent until proven guilty. Totally unethical way for the F.A. to behave even if Terry is proven to be a racist twonk beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Liverpool]

if the court case was different, would the fa's approach have been?

[lickedlollipop]

wtf.. just read this news... wtf!

i think redknapp could to the job! + tottenham would be nicely ****ed.

[Mostar]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWn3G12UHcI"]Harry Redknapp: I am Totally Concentrating Only On Spurs - YouTube[/ame]

[CJ]

are we sure harry can drive?

am sure in the court case he said he couldnt

and certainly not drive and talk at the same time

[McDermotX]

Irony As Anti-Racists Are Xenophobic...

Does anybody else see the irony of a media eager to pin their anti-racist colours to the mast getting all 'England for the English' when it comes to the manager?

The thought of an increasingly xenophobic media pushing a barely concealed 'England for the English' sensibility while preaching in morally superior tones about the evils of racism would be amusing if it were not so troubling. Doubtless, the irony and the tone is not being lost on those 'foreigners' who bring so much colour and quality to football in England.

The nationalistic undertone has manifested itself in a few different ways in recent times. One strand relates to a sense that growing foreign influence in the game - particularly at ownership level - is depriving English managers of opportunities with the bigger English clubs. The sense of entitlement here is almost jaw-dropping - and ignores the fact that if domestically produced managers were really the real deal, then they would have no problem in getting the jobs that sections of the media seem to regard as almost a birthright. It also ignores the fact that many of England's biggest clubs have given opportunities to English or British managers over the years who have failed to make an impression. Think Graeme Souness and Roy Evans at Liverpool, or Bruce Rioch at Arsenal and compare their achievements to those of Gerard Houllier, Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger. Picking your manager should be about quality and not nationality.

Amusingly, when the media recently championed a man into high office, Roy Hodgson lasted only six months at Liverpool. Hodgson for Benitez - talk about a lowering of standards, not to mention expectations. And yet many of those who so pilloried Benitez over his one bad season still suggest that somehow Hodgson - a man with a paper-thin 30-year CV - was harshly treated when he was shown the door.

Another troubling manifestation of the media hypocrisy relates to the treatment of the Luis Suarez case. Their willingness to unquestioningly and uncritically back the procedures and judgment of the FA in the matter was jarring. So often in the past, the FA have be in the sights of the hacks - often characterising them as bumbling incompetents. But this time, to a man, journalists seemed anxious to jump into bed with the FA on the matter - as if in endorsing the verdict, they were displaying (like the FA) their own anti-racism credentials to a vulgar and ignorant outside world.

But perhaps I should not be so surprised at their lack of critical rigour. After all, the football media has never been all that big on highlighting or investigating the fact that the FA oversees a game where black players seldom rise to managerial and coaching positions in clubs and where Asians are disproportionately conspicuous by their absence at almost every level. Suarez was easier meat.

And now with Fabio Capello's decision to quit the England job, those pushing a jingoistic agenda will no doubt celebrate their biggest scalp yet - oblivious, or ignorant, of the fact that their campaign will ultimately drive down standards in the English game.

Consider that as the highly decorated and respected Capello walks away, the media leads a populist campaign for the current English managerial flavour of the month Harry Redknapp - the winner of one serious trophy in his 30 years as a football manager - to replace him. I suppose discerning England fans should be grateful that Harry is in a rich vein of form of late, for if Capello had quit a year or 18 months ago, the cause of Hodgson's (no major achievements in 30 years as a manager) would have been championed.

Now I'm not trying to suggest that Suarez was not worthy of censure or that Capello was totally in the right. I'm merely trying to highlight the insidious way in which sections of the football media have handled such stories in recent years - preaching racial tolerance while pedalling barely concealed xenophobia against the foreign influences that have so embellished the game in England.

http://www.football365.com/f365-says/7498907/F365-Focus

[peekay]

I'd say that Spain, Holland and Germany are all much better teams at present in Europe (along with Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in South America) and Portugal and France are both on a similar level. England lacks a true holding midfielder, and those teams are all technically better and have far better squad depth, better youth development and have much more balance to their teams.
Capello's record with England is good, but the expectations on the team are a long way from the teams quality.

I think the manager plays a big part but to consistently perform at the international level, I think you need an organization with a bit of vision and balls.

All of these countries have better grassroots and player development programs focusing on technique. They have more or less a unified vision in how they like their teams to play and cooperate with the clubs and other academies in developing their players. Germany and France are great examples of countries who have implemented this vision which have paid dividends immediately - 4 to 8 years.

Another issue which I have felt with England is that I never felt that they were a team once they set out on the pitch. I mean before the world cup there is always this bluster and talk about how great Rooney is, Terry is etc etc. But on the pitch it is not quite there. You watch Uruguay play in the Copa America and you notice the difference.

[el matador]

just been told capello had the highest win % of any england manager !!!! 67% or something compared to 45% for venables.

i think we need pearce to become full time manager so we can get back into the 40's. Personally, ive had enough of england being such a good team.

[dww]

just been told capello had the highest win % of any england manager !!!! 67% or something compared to 45% for venables.

i think we need pearce to become full time manager so we can get back into the 40's. Personally, ive had enough of england being such a good team.

The thing is that international football isn't just about win percentages but performances in individual games. As such the dismal world cup does count against Capello.

For my money I think Sven did as well as he could have with the available players. Capello was excellent in qualifiers but when asked to step up at a tournament failed. He clearly deserved a second shot at it though.

[dom9]

Anti racist xenophobes.

That has a nice ring to it.

[McDermotX]

Anti racist xenophobes.

That has a nice ring to it.

and their favorite mode of transportation

[Mostar]

@JenChang88
English FA says it'll take public opinion into account for next manager. Times poll today at one point had 50% in favor of Roy Hodgson

@JenChang88
Well aware Hodgson poll result is possibly driven by certain fans but I've met some in the English media who are HUGE fans of Hodgson

[McDermotX]

[PTP]

funny thing is it's probably not just liverpool fans voting for hodgson but also spurs fans too

[Alex]

funny thing is it's probably not just liverpool fans voting for hodgson but also spurs fans too

...and West Brom.....and Blackburn.....and Fulham