Is this (finally) some sense being seen at FA Towers? Rather than the usual knee-jerk reaction after every disappointment.

I tend to agree with the decision – even though mistakes were made at the world cup, better to keep the same man in charge so he can learn from the experience and use that experience to take us forward. Put someone else in charge and we run the risk of just having a whole new set of mistakes being made.

You can have the best manager in the world, but it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference if the players aren't any good.

So – Capello keeps his job

…only because Hodgson went to the scousers 😉

Mastiles – Yes, that's about the size of it. I reckon the players must take most of the blame for the WC debacle, meself.

but it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference if the players aren't any good.

The players are very good – that's the rub.

I reckon the players must take most of the blame for the WC debacle, meself.

Yep.

Are the players very good though?

I am with Roy Keane on this. Apart from Rooney they are not all that good.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8773716.stm

Players were cr@p.

Almost every other team in SA were mopre skilled, more entertaining to watch, and more efective

Apart from Rooney they are not all that good.

Except Rooney was the worst England player over the four matches…

Are the players very good though?

They prove it week in/week out that they are good – there aren't many England players that most teams wouldn't like to see in their respective squads.

Yep Keane has hit the nail on the head.

Name an english player that has proven that they are world class week in week out.

In relation to English players being any good….

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0629/1224273557820.html

Name an english player that has proven that they are world class week in week out.

Rooney
Ferdinand
Lampard
Gerrard
A. Cole

Of course you will now tell me that I am wrong…

That is a good article Jamie – kinda sums up the problems English football has.

The buy-out would be huge and no one would want the job.

The Premiership is too long, too many matches, the players are too tired, the National side runs a very 2nd to the domestic season in both training and availability of players for England duties, which is not a priority as managers view it.

Better the Devil you know…

If those players are world class why aren't they getting constant offers to play for the big European clubs!?

The only high-profile players I can think of who've recently played in other leagues Beckham and Hargreaves. And I think thats half the problem – their mindset it too English/Premier league focused.

Name an english player that has proven that they are world class week in week out.

Rooney
Ferdinand
Lampard
Gerrard
A. Cole

Of course you will now tell me that I am wrong…

You're wrong. None of those players would feature in a World 11 starting line-up. Rooney would be close, Beckham was close in his pomp but that's it.

I thought Ashely Cole played ok…one of the few who could probably hold his head high-ish…well at an angle anyways.

I thought Ashely Cole played ok…one of the few who could probably hold his head high-ish…well at an angle anyways.

Yeah I totally agree. Milner also hit some highs, but unfortunately that was tempered by some hideous lows.

If those players are world class why aren't they getting constant offers to play for the big European clubs!?

Who is able to afford those players wages? Real? Barca?

The marketplace is somewhat limited for them – it doesn't mean they are not world-class.

Of course on the showing in this world cup, none of them will make it into the team of the tournament by a country mile.

If those players are world class why aren't they getting constant offers to play for the big European clubs!?

The Muffin Man puts his finger right on it. The players just aren't skilled enough and are far too egotisical to ever play as an effective team.

I do disagree with you, but now tell me the names of the world class players in the spanish, argentinian and brazilian squads.

You getting my point yet?

Do I really have to?

No, not if you dont mind losing the debate.

How can someone lose something when it is a matter of opinion?

In your case very easily.

School out is it?

Have fun.

Bye.

Enjoy the taste of defeat. I hear it's an acquired taste, but my guess is you're probably used to it.

Name an english player that has proven that they are world class week in week out.

Name any player that is world class week in week out.

If those players are world class why aren't they getting constant offers to play for the big European clubs!?

Because besides Real Madrid and Barcelona no other club can afford their wages. Also look at the results of Premier League clubs in the Champions League. They HAVE proved themselves. The Premier League is the best league in the world and the level of talent in it is higher than any other.

The level of talent is no higher than the Spanish, Italian or any other big league. And the best players in the league are from those countries.

I still think most of the problem with English (maybe Bristish) football is that alot of your foreign footballers will live a nomadic life looking to play in the italian, spanish, french, german & english leagues to learn & experience the game & different cultures.

Your average British player doesn't wander too far, at the moment the only ones I can think of are Jermaine Pennant in Spain, Darius Vassell in Turkey & Beckham in the USA & Italy. Until we manage to export players we will never challenge on the world stage.

I know conversly if you can attract top talent & attract that talent to a club with a good academy it's can only be a good thing for the up & coming players – alternatively get all the immigrants in to the country we can & get them british passports, seems to work for the Germans – 5 or 6 of their players are naturalised Germans. Even the French in 98 mostly weren't French, the way Desially cheers on the Ghananians you'd've thought he was one of them.

I think the other potentially even more worrying thing is the amount of foreign players in the lower leagues, that really cannot be good for the British game.

Wow, talking about football almost makes me sound like a BNP member! Keep the English league English!

England team -> players -> One word – Crap! Fact!

Except the guy who scored against Slovenia.

😈

God there's some crap spouted on here. WTF is world class player ? Can you only have a good side with a certain number of them or something ? All this talk is proof of what's wrong with our game. We concentrate so much on the "best" players that we forget the most important thing – the team.

Examples – in a bid to accomodate a player (Gerrard) on account of his reputation as a "world class player" we play him wide left. Is Gerrard a better wide left player than Downing or Johnson ? No, so why play him there?
In a bid to accomodate another player(Rooney)in a 4-4-2, we play him with Heskey, are Heskey and Rooney proven to be more effective than Defoe and Crouch ? Again no, so why are we playing them.

Good point, trailmonkey, Scholes getting shunted out to play left midfield to accommodate Lampard and Gerrard ultimately led to him retiring early from international football. I've read a number of interviews over the years where foreign footballers have been asked to name their toughest English opponent or best English player – they all said Scholes. He was criminally underused and under appreciated by successive England managers, still Man U probably didn't mind.

Going back to Mastiles original point – I agree that Capello should keep his job. It would be more detrimental if he was given the boot. The English players are over rated though, their technical deficiencies are masked by the foreigners in the English league.

I think Capello should go.

While the team are not world beating players they looked to be less than the sum of the parts – thats surely at least in part Capellos fault.

Terry should not have been there – disruptive influence. Rooney looked so poor. The team just didn't gell and Heskey FFS.

he can't even speaka da language, Mr Fawlty
I have no doubt that part of the reason why he wasn't sacked is that the media weren't calling for his scalp and there's nobody else who could have done any better
I expect the FA want to get some more value out of their £6m+

I reckon Capello could do a lot of good for England if he stays (and I think the FA couldn't really afford to sack him, financially or in terms of credibilty)

He can drop anyone he likes now and change the set-up as he wants. Pretty much all of the "golden" generation could do with being dumped, even if it's just as a kick up the arse but for a decent interval, not just one friendly. Spin-off of doing this might also be that these powerful & influential players whinge at their clubs to allow more time with the national squad to get themselves better integrated into the "new" system, since they'll be fighting for thier places back. If that became ingrained within the premier league, the team would be better.

However, for permanent removal I'd propose the defence: Terry, who's been really slow for ages (ever ?) and I think only gets away with it at Chelsea because he's partnered by much quicker colleagues, Rio – already gone IMO (oh, and Upson, lucky if he gets back in again). I don't know or care if there's proven talent ready to replace them – doesn't matter, this lot are already proven to be unfit for the job. Sadly, I think Ashley Cole can stay 🙁 .

Rooney
Ferdinand
Lampard
Gerrard
A. Cole

Of course you will now tell me that I am wrong…

All of those players, with the exception of Gerrard, are world class, with Ashley Cole being the best. Obvious really, but I suppose you have to point these things out to people who form opinions vicariously via the likes of Roy Keane (lol). Gerrard reminds me a lot of another RS idol, Ian Rush. 'World Class' in the context of his one club, but would be unable to replicate that form anywhere else, including the national side. He's over the hill now in any case, so it's a moot point. Lampard, on the other hand, could play for anyone and boss the midfield IMO.

I'd be inclined to bin Capello and get Redknapp in. Obviously Capello is light years ahead of Harry as a manager, but I basically think it won't make any difference with the players around at the moment. So you might as well get someone in who has a proven rapport with English players and have him take a stab at Euro 12. The chances of the FA appointing a man engaged in a running battle with HMRC are remote, of course, but I reckon it would be a modest improvement.

The players who could make a real difference to England, the likes of Jacks R and W, are years away. It'll be the appointment in 2/3 years that is more important. Even then, it will be the same story unless some sort of institutional reform with the FA and their relation to the prem is taken on.

In relation to English players being any good….

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0629/1224273557820.html

nail on head again! thanks for posting that, sums it up or me.

im not a massive footie fan but i thnk alan hansen summed it up the other night, he said nearly all of the german team play in the Bundesliga and dont go stomping off to far away lands chasing the dream with silly contracts and money as their country looks after them and they have a great academy system over there… or words to that effect.

bloke in work who knows his onions far more than me, said they are bringing a new rule in where premiership teams HAVE TOO field atleast 6 english players?….. how do people think this would effect it?

Ferdinand – Injured so not at the World Cup,
A. Cole – Just back from lengthy injury,
Lampard – not as good as Gerrard so not World Class (Gerrard isnt World Class either.

Garry_Lager. Being an Evertonian you have already proven yourself to know nothing about football. 😀

Take a look at the Spanish squad and tell me how many english players would get into that squad.

Spain's 23-man World Cup squad in full:

Goalkeepers
Iker Casillas
Pepe Reina
Victor Valdes

Defenders
Sergio Ramos
Alvaro Arbeloa
Carles Puyol
Gerard Pique
Raul Albiol
Carlos Marchena
Joan Capdevila

Midfielders
Jesus Navas
Xabi Alonso
Xavi
Javi Martinez
Cesc Fabregas
Sergio Busquets
Andres Iniesta

Forwards
David Silva
David Villa
Fernando Torres
Pedro Rodriguez
Fernando Llorente
Juan Mata