England's most prolific post-war manager & still a legend - Fabio Capello made some mistakes but remains one of the greats of the game

Whether it was an ethical decision or a political one, Fabio Capello undoubtedly made the right move in walking away from the England manager’s job five months early.

In going over his head to make a call on John Terry’s suitability as the nation’s captain for the forthcoming European Championship, the FA made the fatal error of stepping over the boundary the Italian so steadfastly considered unbreachable. Being underrated he could deal with, being undermined he couldn’t.

Bet: £5 £10 £20 £50 £100

Returns:

Norway £32.00

Draw £32.50

England £21.00

Bet: £5 £10 £20 £50 £100

Returns:

Norway £35.00

Draw £32.50

England £21.00

Bet: £5 £10 £20 £50 £100

Returns:

Norway £34.00

Draw £33.00

England £21.00

Bet: £5 £10 £20 £50 £100

Returns:

Norway £35.00

Draw £33.00

England £21.00

Bet: £5 £10 £20 £50 £100

Returns:

Norway £30.50

Draw £32.00

England £21.80

The stubborn, autocratic coach the FA had sought so desperately proved just too stubborn and just too autocratic. When they brought an early end to the Steve McClaren reign in November 2007 they set off on the lookout for somebody who was the exact opposite of the former Middlesbrough boss. They got him alright. McClaren was matey, affable and unproven; Capello, on the other hand, was stern, driven and a winner.

From Champions League success with AC Milan, to only Roma’s third ever title; from immediate success with Real Madrid – twice – to dominance with Juventus, Capello’s record said it all. It still says it all. Sure, he collected enemies on the way, but it was all worth it in his drive to be the best.

And despite the claims of many over the past 72 hours that “everybody’s happy” as a result of the 65-year-old’s departure, he has proven in his four years at the helm that he remains a winner to this day. While doubters will rightly cite the 2010 World Cup campaign as a failure, England have just lost their biggest asset.

ENGLAND'S POST-WAR COACHING RECORDS

But with success comes expectation, often exaggeratedly so, and nobody knows this better than Don Fabio. His two 12-month spells in Madrid both ended acrimoniously despite La Liga successes on each occasion, with the charge that the Blancos’ football wasn’t attractive enough being the catalyst for his availability when England came knocking.

With the Three Lions, he won nine out of 10 World Cup qualifiers, his side banging in nine goals in two games against the same Croatia outfit whose two wins in Euro 2008 preliminaries had seen off McClaren. But come the summer, a stuttering and stymied national side, the like of which has appeared at many previous finals tournaments, wasn’t enough of a reason for failure in the eyes of many supporters.

No, it was Capello’s poor grasp of English that was really to blame, they said. Or his inability to be flexible in his off-the-pitch demands of his players. Or his indecision over his first-choice keeper. Or his having stripped Terry of the captaincy first time around. Another successful qualification period ahead of Euro 2012 was still not enough to win over the dissenters, and there were many who rejoiced on Tuesday.

THE CAPELLO INDEX

1

AC Milan

1991-96

100

2

Roma

1999-2004

95

3

Real Madrid

1996-97

95

4

Juventus

2004-06

95

5

Real Madrid

2006-07

90

6

England

2008-12

70

7

AC Milan

1997-98

30

England were never going to win the 2010 World Cup with the players they had at their disposal and won’t win Euro 2012 for the exact same reason, but neither was Capello going to get away lightly with his half-cocked bid to learn the language nor his attempts to instill discipline into players he saw once a month, especially given what some of them get away with at their clubs. Leeway was needed, but he wasn’t willing to entertain the fact.

He made mistakes, and so did the FA. But that doesn’t make him a failure. He’s still the winner of 15 major titles. He’s still won trophies and leagues with every club side he’s ever coached. And now he’s added England’s most convincing spell of results to his resume. This week’s events make a disappointing denouement in a story which was deserving of a summer climax rather than a winter anti-climax.

The problem for England is that the game they made back in the 19th century was just too good, and everyone else wanted to play it and become the very best at it. The problem for Capello was that he had just done too well in his career to go changing his ways at this late stage, or for most England fans to accept anything less than success.

Capello has won too much during his time to finish up on this low note. Whether it’s Inter or elsewhere, he’ll pop up somewhere before long. And he’ll be a success, just you wait and see. Because that’s the man he is. He has his faults, his questionable principles, his false promises and his lack of loyalty, but he also has the ability that makes him one of the very best coaches in world football even now.

England’s quest for success remains incomplete, while Capello’s CV remains practically unblemished. The legend lives on.

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