Footienotes

[Sweder]

I'm horribly optimistic about 'our' football at the moment.
Having seen the beautiful game ravaged by speculators, moneylenders and Olygarks in recent times it's been a week for getting back to basics. I love the fact that the FA will charge Macherano - and believe me I would feel almost the same if it were a Rowdie - following his repeated attempts to shrug his shoulders and make out he has been wronged. It sounds like the new Grand Fromage at HQ is right behind this Respect campaign. Before we all snigger into our pints let's not forget racism used to be the scourge of football in England. Whilst it still lingers on the lips of the stubborn and the ignorant the problem here is a fraction of that displayed readily at continental grounds.

Then there's Capello, the man who Fighting talk introduce by playing The Godfather theme. He appears to be the real deal. I know he's won nothing and he may not ever, but with his direct, no-nonsense style and apparent disregard for a mewling media desperate to affect his judgement he's already a big hit in my book. No nods to friendly journo's, no winks to matey senior players; captaincy announced for the first time over the compulsory team luncheon. No hint of mercy for the wounded John Terry, no regard for the inevitable outcry from the tabloids about Rio's chequered past.

Of course the press will crucify him if he doesn't get results. The comforting thought is he doesn't give a monkey's what the papers say; he's paid by the FA to do a job. Other nations laugh at us for employing a foreigner to run our national side. They find it risible that the country that brought football to the world cannot find an Englishman worthy of coaching them. Perhaps, but with Fabio we appear to have a man impervious to media manipulation - or should I say unwanted media manipulation; he didn't get where he is today without playing the game to some degree.

I'll be proved wrong when France turn us over tonight but for me the sight of players looking concerned for their places - no Lampard in the starting line-up I see, and none of the papers I've seen guessed his starting eleven correctly - warms the cockles of this old heart. Mike Ingham interviewed Ferdinand last night for Sport On Five. He commented that when Capello announced Rio as captain for the France game Ferdinand was the only player at the table who knew he was in the team. Rio chuckled and offered his usual 'yeah . . .' before going silent for a moment.
You could hear the reality sinking in.

Picking players on merit?
Few, insignificant leaks to the press?
Respect for officials?
Whatever next?

[SIZE="1"]Starting XI: James, Brown, Ferdinand, Terry, A Cole, Hargreaves, Barry, Beckham, Gerrard, J Cole, Rooney[/SIZE]