A Big Year in Football

2012 is a big year in football, Euro2012 in Poland and the Ukraine is the big international tournament. So my big question is what sort of summer is it going to be for England and Capello? Redemption for the humiliation against the Germans in Bloemfontein, or will we have it confirmed that the idea of the foreign mercenary manager, however good their resume, is over.

For Fabio Capello and the FA the answer will be known by the beginning of July, and there will be little interpretation required.

South Africa in 2010 was a disaster, Capello said he learned from what went wrong and that Euro 2012 will be approached in a different way. Unfortunately, the legacy of the lackluster world cup campaign is that I don’t think the country believes in Capello or this team.

Will anything other than glory in Kiev see Capello considered a failure?

I hope that’s not how it’s measured, as piling on more unrealistic expectations is not going to help anyone. Managing England is called “the impossible job” for good reason, but Capello knew that before taking on the challenge.

I think we need to see progress from where we were two years ago. I want to know lessons have been learned and the last two years (and around $40 million of the FAs money) have not been wasted.

Progress is not only where the team finishes, but the style in which they play. You sense that this is a team that does not have a lot of confidence, and I get why. The expectations are huge, unreasonably so, but that’s the burden of playing for and managing England.

But it’s not only Capello at fault, England were stagnant long before Capello arrived on the scene. Capello was given free range to do what ever he needed to achieve one thing, win. That was the expectation set when he was given the job, and it’s not changed.

As bad as South Africa was, the decade prior was not exactly glory filled.

• Euro 2000 – Group stage (disaster)
• World Cup 2002 – Last 8, loosing quarter finalist
• Euro 2004 – Last 8, loosing quarter finalist
• World Cup 2006 – Last 8, loosing quarter finalist
• Euro 2008 – Did not qualify (the sky really is falling)
• World Cup 2010 – Last 8, loosing quarter finalist

TweetTo go out in the quarterfinals having played competitive football up to that point would be positive. Mediocrity has been acceptable in the past and that’s what has to change. I want to see Capello’s last team able to hold their heads high, rather than skulk home the way they did after the drubbing against Germany.

After the loss to Germany Capello promised change, he said it would be a different England. And that’s been the case. Joe Hart, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Theo Walker, Scott Parker and (hopefully, if he’s fit) Jack Wilshere are all likely to start. Looking at the wider squad Chris Smalling, Gary Cahill, Adam Johnson Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck should all be in the squad.

Already items beyond Capello’s control have made life difficult. Wayne Rooney’s moment of idiocy made sure he would not be available for the two opening games against France and Sweden. And that took a lot of lobbying to get the initial three-match ban cut to two games.

In a repeat of the run up to South Africa his captain John Terry is in a scandal of his own making. This time it was his on field behavior, rather than his personal life. What’s more the allegations are more serious as Terry has been charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. But until the court case is closed he remains in the fold, it’s the same thing management did when Steve Gerrard was charged with affray charges, that ultimately proved false. But should he be convicted then I don’t know how he can even pull on the three lions, let alone captain the side. It is as simple as that, I think his England career should be over.

The Terry issue is out of Capello’s hands, but he’s got plenty he does control. First is finding someone to replace Rooney against France and Sweden. I don’t know who the answer is, perhaps Darren Bent or Bobby Zamora.

Who ever it is has huge shoes to fill. It’s almost certain there will be another major injury crisis as the domestic season winds down into April. A lot rests with Jack Wilshire being match fit by the end of the season. Same story with Steve Gerrard. They will either be match fit or not, and that’s down to Arsenal and Liverpool.

It will be a different England, but will it be an England that carried the legacy of failure with them? Capello has the reputation as the best man-manager in the game when he took the job. We will find out before July-1 if that’s really the case. I hope so, I’ll be there at the Three Lions pub in Redmond with my England shirt on. I can be brought back into the fold with a good performance against France in June, but today I’m not convinced.

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