Reserving judgement

on Senior Hat.

Until that first squad and then starting XI is announced.

We’ve been promised this all before, a top manger who has no ties with any of the players, so isn’t pally enough with them to give them the comfy ride their egos want that has cost England over the last decade.

The slate is clean we are told and I don’t like that one bit, why should those that have failed miserably in the past have their record of ineptitude wiped? Why should they be getting their 64th chance to show us that they can’t play for their country as they do for their club?

Capello on past form won’t be giving them their shirts because of who they are but on what they do for him, as we are told he isn’t just another F.A. employed yes man but if Beckham leads out the side in the next friendly that won’t bode well.

It’s time to ditch the vast majority of the failing past, pick a system then pick the best players to fit that system, just as Sir Alf did 40 years ago…

Jack [Charlton] told how Alf punctured his pride and joy at his unexpected selection for England. “I asked him ‘Why me?’ and he said ‘Well, Jack, hay ‘ave a pattern of play in may mind, an’ hay pick the happropriate players to fit into that pattern. Hay don’t always necessarily pick the best players [a pause] Jack’.” ’66 World Cup winner Jack Charlton

If that formation is the one Capello preferred during his last stint with Real Madrid it’s going to be 4-2-3-1, back four, two holding players, couple of wide men and a roving player supporting the lone striker.

Well with the way they’ve been defending of late a couple of extra guarding players in there sounds like the only solution. Hargreaves and Barry fit the bill exactly, a balance of right and left footed but both can and do use their other foot, both excellent keepers and users of the ball, no useless battered glory balls a la Gerrard and no more backing off any opponent advancing with the ball.

Wider midfield players need to track back, so pace is required, Ashley Young on left is ideal, no stupid showboating and no tripping over the ball giving it away cheaply as Joe Cole likes to do while dreaming of being Zidane. On the right that means no room for Beckham he can’t hack the pace so you can’t have him in there on the off chance that one cross or set piece may find it’s target, as that is his current success rate one from many. Also as his current training regime seems to be following his dim bint’s miming tour of the world it doesn’t show great commitment.

So it’s either Lennon or Wright-Phillips over on the right, Bentley is another who shouldn’t have the slate wiped clean, McClown did that far too easily, one missed friendly for turning your back on your country because you were under the illusion you’d just walk into the senior squad and wanted to save yourself is the type of ego driven crap that has to be drummed out.

Rooney has to be the rover in the middle, he can’t be the lone frontman it doesn’t work and he’s more likely to get sent off than score. Also he really isn’t an out and out striker or more of a Paul Scholes type, one to run the game and set up others, let him have that free role, get him into the game as much as possible that’s the way to get the best out of him.

Up front the lone striker, well all the names I’ve seen mentioned for this role have been the likes of Ashton and Crouch but as Crouch showed against Croatia, and they told us after, a slow big target man is easy for the opposition. If we had a fast strong striker like say Drogba it would be ideal but we don’t. Tough on Crouch as he’s never really let his country down, as others have on a regular basis but an ideal impact sub such as he was in that friendly win against Argentina a while back.

So a speedster up front is more preferable, someone that can get behind defences, run them ragged and keep up with the wide guys, such as Walcott or Agbonlahor, maybe Owen if he has the pace. Wouldn’t want someone in there just to break records and for personal glory.

Also without a big target man in there it should you hope stop them humping aimless 30/70 balls up the park and start playing the ball on the floor to feet.

Not too sure about the defence though, Capello didn’t like his fullbacks bombing on, they didn’t really get close to the half way line, that does cause problems for the wide players but it also means Micah Richards would be somewhat wasted at rightback so he could move inside, shake up the cosy feelings of entitlement in there from Terry and Ferdinand.

The thing is no matter who is in there we can’t defend leads like Italians can and Capello likes, Sven tried it, go up early and then try to hang on for the win and it failed time after time. We fall far too deep then start batter long balls up to nobody, never keeping the ball more than two touches.

But it’s into next year before that squad and team see the light of day and we find out what Capello’s ideas are and then if he can turn a pig’s dinner, never mind a sow’s ear into a silk purse and if he’s gong to be worth that nice salary and length of that contract or if Bumbling Barwick is going to be searching for a new job as his successor tries and finds the best man for the job, while Fab gets paid a few thousand quid a day for doing nowt.

Of course the next man we are told will be an Englishman brought through Capello’s time in charge, oh were have we all heard that before, a part of the problem becomes the solution let me introduce you to the McClown. Some say it’s a waste of time having a young English man in there as he won’t have an input with Fabio and his mates talking Italian, so maybe as one group learns English the others can learn well English first in some cases and then some Italian.

The only problem is the names of the English coaches being mentioned Donkey Adamas, Shearer and David Platt. Not only three of the dullest dullards in dullardome but aren’t we being told Capello is the ideal age at 61, how old are these three going to be in four and a half years time?