On The Departure Of Fabio Capello And The FA.

He should be English?

Yes, but only from the point of view that he should have to HAVE to be English. Just as players do. Simple, really.

He needs to be there a long time.

England need/needs a complete overhaul. That cannot be done in two years. A manager needs to be the figurehead for the LONG term. That's about eight years; England will be able to regain an identity, and develop youth players INTO that identity so the succession next time will be well-managed and smooth. He should work closely with the Under 21s and Under 19s and beyond to ensure that those teams are working to create the best players for England - playing formations the first team uses, even mixing with the first team, I would say, so if they do make the step-up, it is within familiar faces.

Accept that he will not win anything, more than likely.

England are a good team. They are probably one of the best 10 teams in the world at any one time (one could argue top five on their day) but because the other 9 are in the world, and about half of them are in Europe, it would take something of an alignment of stars for the England team to win anything they compete for. It is not failing if they fail to win a tournament, it is failing if they do not consistently reach the level expected (Quarter-Finals, I would say, for World Cups; Semis for Euros depending on draw). England have no 'right' to win anything, this needs to be realised. Going home after being beaten by a better team on the day is no disgrace - things can be learned from it. Going into a tournament with unrealistic expectations will only result in unrealistic reactions when they do not come to pass. The FA need to lay this out long before finals come around.

Failure to qualify is not the end of the world.

It would be desperate, for sure, but if the next manager does not reach the World Cup, it should not result in his sacking. His methods (given the reason he has the job is because he has met the FA's approval for a long-term plan) need to be maintained, even if the present is not as positive as hoped. You cannot tear up everything that has gone before every four years. That way long-term failure lies (see England 1974-2012 inclusive).

Harry Redknapp is the man for the job.

He might be. Does he fit in with what the FA are trying to achieve? Will he be able to incorporate a countrywide footballing plan that will see improved players turned out consistently by the end of an at-least eight-year tenure? If the answer to either of those questions is no, then he is NOT the man for the job. He's just a shortcut to exactly the same level of disappointment in four years' time. He might be a short-term plan (he could see the FA through until the end of the Euros, or even World Cup 2014, by which time they will have infrastructure in place and the right man appointed, for example) but that needs to be made crystal clear before he starts. If you're looking for a short-term man and damn the consequences, then Jose Mourinho gets results and leaves, seemingly, not much more than a shell behind. That would not be a bad option in this scenario.

Discipline within the squad needs to be collaborative between manager and association.
If this whole sorry charade has taught people anything, it shows the FA and Capello were not working together. They need to. All meetings about John Terry should have been behind closed doors (and months ago) and the result could be presented by any FA representative, because the views would be agreed and uniform.

Anyway, I whole-heartedly expect that none of that will happen. Harry Redknapp will probably get the job, do well for a bit, then something will happen and he'll end up looking stupid, get sacked/resign and we'll be in exactly the same position in 24/48 months' time.

That's my two-penn'orth, any roads. Feel free to agree/disagree as you like.