If the ‘Knapp fits...

Fabio Capello’s resignation from the England head coach position was met with a raised eyebrow, a tilt of the head and a curl of the bottom lip before a slight nod (a bit like Harry Redknapp pictured above) – the right decision? Definitely maybe. But what’s done is done and the England national side is once again at a crossroads.

The (sometimes) ponderous Italian, Capello who had a healthy habit of winning, also had a tendency to ‘put his foot in it’ and the media could not wait for their mock-up of pizza eating clown to make another error.

The latest ‘gaffe’ centred around an interview on Italian television station where ‘The Don’ expressed his backing of now former captain John Terry – stripped of the armband for his major role in a much protracted race row of course. It wasn’t naive of the 65-year old manager to think no one might actually translate this interview from his mother tongue, it was stupidity.

Speaking of mother tongue, Capello arguably did not endear himself to the natives of this country upon his arrival when he said he only needed 100 words to ‘get along’ (another faux pas which the media wilfully exploited).

So who should replace a man who, let’s not forget, dominated the domestic scene in Italy and also picked up two coveted La Liga titles in the scorching hot seat at Real Madrid?

Harry Redknapp sits as overwhelming favourite with bookmakers and Joe public alike - and understandably so - he is a cult figure that, despite polarising opinion, understands the English game and the passion that comes with it.

Is that the pre requisite of being England manager though? It seems so, as Stuart Pearce has been selected to be head coach for the Holland friendly at the end of the month – a dream come true for the 78-cap former left back.

I do not believe however, that the England manager should necessarily be from these shores – Sven Goran Eriksson brought the greatest tournament success since Bobby Robson was in charge and Capello also qualified for the 2010 World Cup with the best ever record and despite a disappointing campaign in South Africa, he still went on to build for Euro 2012 with a high profile win against Spain.

Capello is not the victim in this – far from it, he contributed to his own downfall with his staunch and inaccurate public backing of John Terry. He was not prepared to be the FA’s ‘yes man’, so credit him for that.

He also had to contend with the fragmented ‘Golden Generation’ which saw the departure of David Beckham, as well as struggling to field key components of the side on a regular basis due to injuries or suspensions.

117 days are left for the FA to install a suitable manager and captain for the start of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, let’s hope the FA don’t fudge it and Harry doesn’t dodge it!