How to fix England

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

While the majority of the media laments the farcical nature of "Capellogate" and its surrounding armband controversies, I'm sitting here thinking that maybe, just maybe, this will all turn out for the best.

It sounds absurd -- with just four months until the Euros, having no captain, no manager, no general plan and no Wayne Rooney for the first two group games is hardly a feel-good scenario -- but major moments such as these in the lives of soccer teams serve as watersheds. They're opportunities for change. Major, scary, worthwhile change. For teams with as much inertia as the English, clinging to graying strands of the Golden Generation with several key positions in the starting lineup soon to open up, it's not the worst spot to be in.

David Cannon/Getty ImagesThe England national team has felt a bit like Terry Butcher's iconic bloodied face: a few well-placed bandages over a gaping head wound.

For decades, the England national team has felt a bit like Terry Butcher's iconic bloodied face: a few well-placed bandages over a gaping head wound.

Winning the 1966 World Cup was the perfect convergence of heroism, skill and overwhelming luck -- and in retrospect, perhaps the worst thing for English soccer. The advantage of playing at home was a major psychological boost, but the good fortune with both the draw and the results around them eased the team's passage to the final.

The Brazilians were manhandled and fouled out in the group stages by Portugal and Hungary; a non-Spanish-speaking referee somehow understood enough to send Argentine captain Antonio Rattin off in the quarterfinal, giving the English more than an hour against 10 men to score a game winner; and, of course, there's the Azerbaijani linesman who ruled England's third goal over the line in the final against West Germany when science has since proved it never did.

Yet manager Alf Ramsey's conclusion was that his reductive, defensive style of play was the future of world soccer, forcefully ignoring the emergence of such things as Dutch Total Football or the Brazilian counterattack. Lessons weren't learned. Evolution didn't happen. And, in some ways, the English national team is stuck in the past.

Which brings me to my three admittedly simple ways to seize upon Fabio Capello's exit and push the England team forward. It won't bring instant success, but as the Germans proved over the past decade with their renewed focus on youth development, a policy that is poised to pay off at this summer's Euros, sometimes taking the long view is worth short-term disappointment.

1. Don't pick 'Arry

While I don't question his successful man-management skills and simple psychology -- though many mock the cliché of "just run about" as Harry Redknapp's primary tactic, it does empower his players to seize the initiative and have fun -- the man carries the kind of baggage that would eventually crush him.

Sure, the media adore him now for his throwback style, amusing sound bites and total willingness to chat, but losing a penalty shootout this summer sets him up for the kind of treatment that has destroyed every manager since Bobby Robson.

Graham Taylor ended up being forever linked with turnips. Terry Venables quit so he could concentrate on clearing his name in court over allegations of bribery. Glenn Hoddle was forced out (sorry, "mutual consent") following his inappropriate comments about the disabled and faced plenty of criticism for bringing a faith healer into his coaching staff in the run-up to the 1998 World Cup. Kevin Keegan was awful; Sven-Goran Eriksson's contract wasn't renewed (despite good results, blame his being caught in a "Fake Sheikh" media sting and his five-year affair with an FA employee); and Steve McClaren was the "Wally With The Brolly."

Carl Court/AFP/Getty ImagesHarry Redknapp is the overwhelming favorite to succeed Fabio Capello, but England could use a manager without so much personal baggage.

Now Capello, a man buried under plenty of his own indiscretions (the disastrous Capello Index being the tamest), makes me wonder: Is it really wise to bring in the most scrutinized manager in England, whose clearance on tax-evasion charges happened barely three days ago?

Overlooking whether the England FA knows what a "background check" is -- if it's anything like the Football League's oft-criticized "Fit and Proper Test" for prospective club owners, it's clear that it doesn't -- the key might be to pick someone boring, quiet and wholly focused on his job. Someone for whom regular coffee is considered an indulgence. Someone who wears drab suits and is in bed by 9 p.m. Someone whose idea of a thrilling night involves a shandy and a "Downton Abbey" marathon.

A manager with no personal baggage who brings no added drama to a difficult job would help over time. It might even make soccer the most important element of the England team again.

2. Remove the sting of the armband

The Italian system for captaincy isn't perfect, but it is ideal from an anti-drama perspective: The captain is the man with the most caps. Devastatingly simple, and better yet, impossible to argue or debate.

Considering the unhappy mojo that encapsulates the armband and its perceived powers, such a pragmatic approach would remove the sting from any future appointments, as such squabbles over the past two years have destabilized the England setup. Picking captains is like picking favorites, and with so many egos in and around the squad, all of whom are used to playing the role of Bobby "Lionheart" Moore with their club sides, it leaves little room for debate or division.

Either that or give them all armbands. Whatever de-emphasizes the damn thing to the point that soccer becomes the focus.

3. Play the kids -- or at least try to

Forget what Alan Hansen said and embrace the Wengerian ethos of throwing the youth of tomorrow off the deep end to see who can swim. Germany's resurgence in the past two to three years is born from a renewed focus on the soccer ladder and building a competent system that scouts, develops and promotes kids through the youth ranks and assimilates them smoothly into the national team.

England, by comparison, seems to bring just a handful through from each system, an imperfect science. The players who have ostensibly broken through -- Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere -- are learning and improving, but legions never even get the chance to impress.

It's frustrating when you consider the performances since 2005 of the three major youth teams in England: the U-21s were runners-up in the 2009 Euros and semifinalists in 2007; the U-19s reached the 2010 semifinals and finished second in 2009 and 2005; the U-17s were runners-up in 2007 and won all five games in 2010, scoring 10 goals, conceding four and beating heavily favored Spain to lift the title.

In just seven years, that's seven semifinals or better. By contrast, the senior side hasn't reached a semifinal in the World Cup or European championships since 1996. I realize the talent gap is significant between youth sides and the highest level of international soccer, but when you look at how Spain, Germany and Brazil keep regenerating and developing, you wonder why England isn't consistently doing the same.

The only way to find out is to bring more of these kids into training camps, squads for international friendlies and even periodic appearances. Get them acclimatized to the pressure, the excitement, the level of competition. The concept works in the EPL to some degree for Arsenal, which has shown Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to be more than capable on the left wing. Why not extrapolate that to the national team?

All told, these three points won't have England lifting the World Cup in two years' time. (Insert joke about losing on penalties here.) But for once, it might show a sense of direction and philosophy that the English national team has been lacking for years. In the long term, who knows what that might bring?

James Tyler is an editor for ESPN Soccer. He can be found on Twitter at @UFJamesT.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

James Tyler

Soccer

• Archive

James Tyler is an ESPN editor for soccer.