Best of 2007: Fabio Capello as England's New Coach

2007 was a year of many peaks and troughs for British sport—a year of surprising emergences, near misses, glorious victories, and bitter disappointments.

However for fans of the England football team, perhaps the best of 2007 has been saved until the end, with the appointment of Fabio Capello as national team coach.

The shambolic reign of Steve McClaren heralded England football’s worst year since 1993, when Graham Taylor’s team failed to qualify for the USA ‘94 World Cup. Defeats to Croatia (both home and away) and Russia, as well as scoring only once in two meetings with Macedonia, epitomised England’s dismal effort to qualify for the European Championships. A spirited 1-1 friendly draw with Brazil and impressive 3-0 home wins against Russia and Israel were not sufficient to save the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, nor McClaren’s job.

The team’s abject failure at last convinced the FA of what England fans had believed for a long time—that in order for England to become the world’s best again, wholesale changes were needed. After Sven-Goran Eriksson’s tenure as national coach, there was a clamour for an Englishman to take over. After McClaren’s term, a similar movement began, this time for the "world-class" manager that the FA had promised. The FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick and the Director of Football Trevor Brooking, who were put in charge of the selection process, swiftly secured the appointment of Fabio Capello.

Most recently employed at Real Madrid in his second spell as head coach there, Capello has also managed Juventus, Roma, and AC Milan. It was at Milan that Capello had his finest achievements, where he won four Scudettos in five years, while his team of "Invincibles" set a record of 58 consecutive league games without a loss.

Having won nine major league titles and a European Cup in his coaching career, "Il Professore" has a record far surpassing that of any other man to become England manager. Perhaps of equal importance to the silverware are Capello’s past statements professing an unequivocal passion and dedication to the task—sentiments that were noticeably not forthcoming from the previous favourite for the job, Jose Mourinho.

Several notable figures in the English game have voiced their opposition to the appointment of a foreigner as national coach—but wisely, the FA have ignored those who have sought to invoke the spirit of John Bull. Managers and ex-players including Harry Redknapp, Steve Coppell, and Gareth Southgate have been loudest in their criticism, with Coppell rhetorically asking whether an English manager would get the same opportunity in Italy.

At present, the answer to the question is undoubtedly negative—no English coach has credentials good enough to manage the Italian national team, and neither do they to coach England. After the humiliations of the McClaren era, no longer should England be satisfied with second best.

The complaints of Redknapp, Coppell, Southgate, and Ince—men who between them did not acquire any silverware throughout their managerial careers—smack of self-interest and a misplaced sense of entitlement. The England manager’s job should be a prize awarded to those who have career records of excellence; it cannot be the exclusive domain of English managers, irrespective of their achievements—and it should certainly no longer reward mediocrity.

In Fabio Capello, English football fans have a man in whom they can have confidence, who they know is comfortable in high-pressure situations, and who—as Brian Barwick stated at the press conference to announce the appointment—is "a winner with a capital W."

After England’s annus horribilis in 2007, there is ample reason to look forward to the year ahead with renewed optimism, anticipation, and excitement.