Cap That

There were genuine fears that the world might end yesterday. Deep in a Swiss lab that resembled a Bond Villain’s hideout scientists conducted an experiment on sub atomic particles which allegedly, had it gone wrong, could have destroyed the planet. My heart goes out to whoever had to compile the Health and Safety report. However, instead of the world’s end England fans and the national press have been treated to an apparent new dawn. Andorra forgotten as quickly as it was judged; Capello is OK after all.

Yesterday’s news is no longer today’s chip wrappers. This is mainly because its hard to fold a webpage around a large haddock, but also because yesterday’s news is no longer simply discarded. Its stored on file ready for ‘We told you so’ features and articles when premonitions come to pass. However when things are called wrongly yesterday’s news is glossed over quicker than a 1ft window sill. So for all those journalists and pundits who turned on the England manager after Saturday’s result expect precisely to be standing sheepishly on Fabio’s doorstep clutching a box of roses and some hastily purchased carnations from the nearby Tesco Express.

On Sunday the common consensus in the press was ‘Joe Cole saves Capello’s blushes’ (The Independent, Daily Mirror). The manager had begun his competitive England reign with a win, an away win, but for many it was not good enough. Even renowned world news service Reuters were questioning Capello’s credentials; “England have now played six matches under the Italian and although they have won four of them, they have rarely looked much better than they did when McClaren was in charge”. And bizarrely much was made also of the England manager shouting instructions at Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole. Too much passion perhaps?

Today the outlook is suddenly very different, as if Saturday and its subsequent doom-mongering never really existed as claimed in the News of the World’s online coverage; “[Theo Walcott] scored a hat-trick as the Capello’s quest for World Cup qualification began in earnest.” Andorra? Questioning the manager? Don’t know what you’re talking about... this is where it starts. Why bother being pragmatic when you can change your stance as it suits? A mantra seemingly adopted by The Sun (“Fabio Capello is leading the country out of the dark ages and we are on course for the 2010 World Cup finals”) and the Daily Mail (“in Capello the Football Association [has] indeed found someone who can guide England out of the darkness and on to the next World Cup”).

Another subject that is raised and forgotten as it suits is the issue of ‘passion’, and how it is shown by a manager. Unless a manager is jumping around like Martin O’Neil trying to escape from a pack of wasps then it is taken that they don’t care enough. After all how many England managers have succeeded when displaying the sort of touchline stoicism of, erm, Alf Ramsey? Last night Capello showed no passion in the House of Pain sense, but instead he perfected a very continental film noire-esque style of satisfaction. As the England bench leapt in celebration of Wayne Rooney’s goal Capello instead went for the long stare into the middle distance followed by a wry whimsical smile as if the goal had just reminded him of a fond childhood toy; probably a Mr Potato Head.