Timing of Capello’s exit at least offers hope of stability for finals

WINNING football tournaments is not a strong point – but if trophies were handed out for blowing your foot off ahead of them, crumbs, England would be world champions.

Drinking escapades in Hong Kong (1996), a manager confirming he was leaving as soon as the tournament was over (1990), big-name player trashing a hotel room (1998), coach telling the “Fake Sheikh” he would quit (2006), manager putting his name to a public assessment of his players, having failed to talk a 35-year-old out of retirement (2010). And now this. No manager. No captain. No hope? Well. Not quite. If nothing else, FA chairman David Bernstein deserves credit for sticking to his guns. In that, he has shown a clarity of vision and a consistency lacking in many of his predecessors.

It did not need the seismic events of the past few days to understand Capello is capable of similar traits. Just a pity that, in this instance, he is out of touch with public opinion.

There was a strong argument for saying John Terry should not have been allowed to skipper England in their friendly against Sweden in November, so serious were the allegations levelled against him. Now he has been charged, he definitely should not wear the armband. As Capello argued, Terry is an innocent man. Far better he is allowed to clear his name before he captains England again.

With no common ground in the middle and the certainty that arguments will fester, the correct conclusion has been reached. If there is a mercy, it is that this time the damage has been done in February, rather than the eve of departure, as was the case two years ago, when the ill-fated Capello Index was launched and the phone call to Paul Scholes made. At least now there is time to stabilise the situation and steer it towards a brighter conclusion. If England end up walking out for their opening Group D game against France in Donetsk on 11 June with Harry Redknapp in the dugout, the outcome will be a plus; if not, yesterday will not be regarded as a good one judged purely in terms of the success of the national team.

Redknapp, cleared of tax evasion charges hours before Capello’s exit, has spoken often enough in the past about how difficult it would be to turn down England.

But Tottenham are unlikely to want their manager to depart three months from the end of a stellar season, and Stuart Pearce or Gareth Southgate could temporarily take the reins. Providing Redknapp is around in June to take the job, all the hurt, upset and recriminations will have been worth it.