The FA should stick with Capello

This World Cup has been an unmitigated disaster for England, no question. While fans in Italy and France in particular may envy our campaign, few others would suggest that it went well at all. Game by game, England only really got going for a total of 3 minutes, 0, 45, and 15 in the entire tournament.

Naturally, the focus needs to fall on the man in charge of such a failure. Fabio Capello yesterday revealed that, while he would be keen to remain in situ, his employers have told him that they will reveal his fate in a fortnight. On the face of it, this would not sound like a particularly positive position. Maybe Fabio is thinking "Shit, they've finally checked my internet history" as most of us would with similar news.

For me, Capello has to stay.

No-one can argue that this went well, and for Fabio to come out and cite tiredness as the key factor certainly seems like a weak excuse, given the performances of many other teams full of players who have endured long domestic seasons. It is the job of his coaching and medical teams to get the players in peak condition, and Capello should ensure that if one player is not at his best, he is not put out on the field. Furthermore, his insistence on shoe-horning players into the team when this seems to all and sundry to be negatively affecting the shape and balance of the side was a frustrating throwback to the days gone by when Gerrard and Lampard walked into every England team regardless.

But, how quickly we forget.

Capello inherited a team utterly devoid of any confidence and belief, and through a series of difficult initiations produced a team far more comfortable in possession, tactical in their approach and dangerous in front of goal. The qualifying campaign was sensational, particularly when compared to the disastrous Euro 2008 shambles. 9 goals against Croatia in two games; 8 straight wins; discovering a system that carried multiple threats but also placed the main focus on Rooney as our best player - all of these are credit to the management.

Prior to the tournament (ignoring the Capello index mistake) there were very few dissenting voices about the management; not from the media, fans, nor (as if they would dare) the players. Now, lo and behold, the complaints come out in a manner that suggest knee-jerk 'I said that all along' mob mentality.

Capello himself recognises the need for change within the team, and has acknowledged that mistakes were made. He has suggested a longer term approach, looking ahead to Brazil 2014, which would revolve around placing trust in the younger hopes of English football, the likes of Joe Hart, Theo Walcott, James Milner. In all probability Lampard, Terry, James, Gerrard et al will be too old by 2014; Capello understands this and should begin removing the old guard straight away, not in a knee-jerk fashion but as an iterative and gradual process.

The main reason however why Capello should remain the man for England is the lack of an alternative.

Who would we want?

The bookies have Roy Hodgson and (shudder) Harry Redknapp as joint favourites to take over. Neither has managed an English 'big four' club (Sorry Spurs fans, this means the Sky four!), neither has won the Premier League, neither has won the European Cup, neither has managed a major international country. When McClaren was in charge, it seemed painfully evident that he did not command any respect from his players. Those with their league titles, Champions League medals, dozens of caps were (rightly or wrongly) able to dismiss him on the grounds that he does not have the credentials to tell them what to do.

There is no English contender for the job that carries the same gravitas as Capello.

Removing Capello (at great cost - think what £12m could do to amateur football across the country) would be removing the best manager we have had in who knows how long. Yes, he has made mistakes at this World Cup; yes, his language needs to improve; and yes he needs to act now to right these wrongs - but to turn to another would be a huge mistake.

Anyone who thinks that 'passion' is what is needed and that only a true Anglo-Saxon can provide this is missing the true issue. It is not Capello's fault that our players, by and large, are technically not good enough.

The biggest problem that English football faces, which has been painfully and brutally exposed by Germany among others, is at the very base of the pyramid - but this is an issue for another day...