Capello; he doesn't have a clue

With a lengthy spell away from blogging enforced by national football disappointment, you would’ve thought it was rejuvenated optimism which carried me back to this past-time activity. But in fact, it’s an increasing frustration that has led me to disagree with the ex-professional, optimistic, do-gooders in the media who claim Fabio Capello is a top coach who should be given time and who have pushed me to the edge of needing to release my own dissatisfaction in the same medium which once held all my optimistic world cup hopes and dreams.
Is it not clear to everyone that England need to start a fresh? Surely it is that blatantly simple for the most casual of followers. Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Frank Lampard should be ghosts of England’s past, ruing their missed opportunities from their elaborate Wembley box, not still haunting the fortunes of the national team on the pitch. By the time the next world cup is upon us these players will be 35, 33 and 36 respectively, they should be closer to a retirement home, or Serie A, than the field of play, battling to win sport’s finest tournament against a group of fresh Brazilians on their own turf.
I appreciate the next major tournament is Euro 2012 but the World Cup is English football’s main aim, and we must learn from previous winners and our past mistakes before we even think of bringing it home. Spain won Euro 2008, yes, they were blessed with an array of talent, but the squad was packed with a majority of young, vibrant players who were carefully blended together, don’t be fooled into thinking the individual brilliance of the likes of David Villa, Andreas Iniesta and Fernando Torres won that trophy. Of course it had an impact but we must go back to the cliché that football is very much a team game. And look; Spain went onto win the World Cup we had all dreamed of, with a very similar team, this is no coincidence, stability is key, a team must be built and not thrown together. This will be proved by Manchester City this season and we’ll unanimously agree it was inevitable without the appropriate team blend, but still people will make the same mistakes.
We constantly use the excuse that the England team doesn’t know how to play with each other because they don’t play together enough. Of course Spain were, again, blessed with the fact the majority of their players plied their trade for the brilliant Barcelona and therefore had a footballing connection before they even pulled on the national shirt, but if we attempt to pick our World Cup 2014 23-man-squad now, they will have 4 years to play with each other, they will have big tournament experience together due to the Euros, and they will have little excuse.
If we’re looking to emulate Spain’s success, then Mikel Arteta is certainly not the answer either. If he has never made it into a full Spanish national squad then he is not good enough for what we want to achieve. He is also 28, making him 32 for the next world cup, hardly a prime age, and categorically, he is not English! Capello’s lack of understanding of how the English public long to relate to their national team is again thrown into question and yet again it seems like an English manager is the most logical option.
I should be excited for a game of competitive international football heralding a new era for English football, but instead, I am frankly sickened by aspects of the squad and rumours of Capello dragging the likes of Paul Scholes out of retirement. Mr. Capello has proved to be as, dare I say it, naïve as I thought in my original anger following our South African adventure. First he disrespectfully dismisses the national hero who is David Beckham’s chances of regaining an England place. Of course, there is no way Beckham should play for England again in his aging state, but to broadcast it in such a manner so as not to consult Beckham first was a disgraceful and undeserved manner in which to retire one of our most loyal servants. But now, in the wake of his stupidity, Capello has backtracked on his claim in order to save his own reputation and hypocritically ended the fresh feeling of a much-needed new start. He’s even attempting to rip Scholes from his tranquil retirement. Of course there’s no doubt Scholes is an excellent player but a 35 year-old man should be nowhere near this England team, especially if he even refused to play at the previous world cup. All this does is put a model professional’s name at risk of being unpatriotic and shows Capello has no idea what he should do next or how to deal with players.
I certainly felt it was appropriate for us to see the back of the likes of Matthew Upson, Michael Carrick and, reluctantly, Peter Crouch in an England shirt with the hope of looking to the future but we’ve tracked back with these distinctly average squad players and all have been recalled. Why is Chris Smalling not in place of Upson? Sir Alex Ferguson obviously rates him and we can mould him into international football before he’s corrupted by the ‘different style’ of the premier league, as if these professionals are unable to adapt. Why is Jack Rodwell not replacing Carrick? Apparently the Everton youngster was the subject of a £10m plus Carrick bid from Manchester United, surely this shows he’s a better player than Carrick and he defiantly offers more going forward than the immobile former West Ham and Spurs man. A sure star of world football’s future and maybe even a potential captain. And why is Andy Carroll not replacing Crouch? With 4 premiership goals already to his name and the welcome return of an old-fashioned English centre-forward, why has he not been handed his chance ahead of our infamous plan B. Not to mention he should’ve got in ahead of Carlton Cole whose start to the season has been nothing short of awful as he has made a worrying return to his fragile lack of confidence. And that’s coming from a West Ham fan.
Other ridiculous decisions such as no Aaron Lennon in spite of the inclusion of Shaun Wright-Phillips, and the omission of our budding creativity, Jack Wilshere straight after his international debut add up to make this squad appear even more mundane and safe as I first feared. As Bill Gates says; ‘the future is now’, obviously not for Capello. He didn’t even attend the under 19s tournament despite his £6 million a year payment while he irresponsibly holidayed instead. The Italian has no intent to look to the future, he’s content to breeze through the qualifiers whilst collecting his bumper pay cheque while learning and preparing nothing for our patriotic dreams. The same old faces will return and yet again we’ll get to a major tournament with injury problems, the lack of a recognised starting eleven and a bunch of lads thrown together as the ‘wise’ old man continues to tinker with squad after squad. We’re crying out for a decisive leader, and Capello is certainly not the answer.

Wish farewell to 'The Golden Generation'. They should never return as, yet again, they deflate the nation

As I, as well as half the nation, enter into the early stages of depression, the jolly tunes of ‘World In Motion’ are drowned out by Oasis’ apt, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’. England are defeated. Defeated and disgraced. The golden generation are over and there are so many unanswered questions rapidly meeting our ears as we sit and dwell on what could’ve been.

Sepp Blatter says “fans love to talk about wrong decisions”. This is his reasoning for not employing the much called for goal-line technology. Mr. Blatter is clearly not your average football fan. As he is pampered in his luxurious world of being the FIFA chief executive, he has clearly lost touch with reality. Fans hate these scandalous decisions. They hate the fact that, if the destroying decision to call Frank Lampard’s spectacular ’goal’ was rightfully given as a goal rather than the outrageous call of a “no goal”, we could be having yet another England barbecue in a few days time. They hate the fact that the media will talk about it until the premiership begins and something new, scandalous becomes the major talking point. They hate the fact it will be used as an excuse to paper over the cracks of a disgusting performance which insults them all. They hate the fact they’ll never know what might have been.

Because it was a terrible performance. As I look back, it’s rather difficult to understand why we invested so much optimism in this game. We always invest our belief in them, they beg for our support in their darkest hour, and they always let us down. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry. Names we will probably never see in an England world cup squad again. It was their last chance and they could barely pass the ball. Fabio Capello; tactical genius? No. Mr. Capello has let us down, “the best manager we’ve ever had” we bellowed proudly at foreign rivals. He stubbornly dismissed the option of playing Gerrard behind Wayne Rooney, he pushed Joe Cole on the pitch in the dieing minutes of our campaign to cover his own back and he didn’t even organise a decent defence. In fact; the defence was truly woeful as they constantly strayed out of position and desperately clambered to strengthen their laughably stretched back line.

Wayne Rooney. Admittedly he’s carried the hopes of our nation on his shoulders for some time now, but if he does want to fulfil his potential as the superstar he could become then he must take responsibility and produce the displays expected of him.

Numerous times I watched Manchester United last season, on so many occasions a shiver has rocketed down my spine as Rooney is clattered to the floor and I pray in hope that he gets up and is ok for the world cup. What a waste of time. Rooney’s performances have been nothing short of pathetic for England and I must say, I feel personally disillusioned with him. Every time he lethargically admired the ball as it bounced in front of him, “throw yourself at it” the nation would roar, frustration built as the goalkeeper gratefully cleared up with pleasure.

When the final whistle went of this Germany game, it’s likely the frustration thermometer inside the hearts of England fans finally reached boiling point as they internally exploded and their hopes and dreams for England spontaneously combusted.

All the goals were pathetically conceded with simple counter attacks employed by the Germans. To concede four in a game of such magnitude is simply a disparaging humiliation. When Matthew Upson scored that header and that regretful moment of Lampard’s ‘goal’ erupted onto our screens it genuinely looked like one of them landmark moments. That game you tell your grandchildren about. The time the British spirit was at it’s very best as the underdog battled their way into the lead and progressed into a latter round. It was never to be.

With England, it’s questionable as to whether it ever will be. In my life-time? Debatable. And I’m 16 years-old. That group of players were something special, for their clubs at least, and as you expected them to build international experience and adjust to each other’s playing style in time for a romantic tournament victory, they’ve simply deflated and succumbed to England’s worst world cup defeat of all time. The new generation; Jack Rodwell, Adam Johnson, Joe Hart. Good players, but they’re not Lampards, Gerrards or Beckham. But we must wish goodbye to these talismanic figures who’ve continually abandoned us and left us in a state of unbearable disenchantment.

I sincerely hope these men never play for England again. Yes; Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson and Wayne Rooney will. But we must look to the future. Perhaps be sensible and build a team who will play together and will forge a push for the championship we've longingly wished for, but admittedly, never deserved.