England courting Redknapp as Capello resigns

THE timing seemed just too good to be true. Harry Redknapp, the people’s choice as the next manager of England, cleared of tax evasion just as Fabio Capello enters into talks with FA bosses over his future.

To those advocating a change of manager before Euro 2012, a possible succession at the helm of the national team seemed tantalisingly close.

As the day dragged on, however, and no smoke signals could be seen emanating from Wembley, it seemed that maybe peace had broken out and Capello would remain in situ until the end of his contract in July.

Never mind that the FA and their manager had been set on a collision course since the explosive interview that revealed for the first time the difference of opinion between the Italian and his paymasters over whether John Terry should remain captain of the national team.

No, diplomacy seemed to have won the day following the summit talks between Capello and FA chairman David Bernstein.

All that changed, of course, shortly after 7pm last night when the bombshell news came through that the manager had resigned.

A reign that had begun amid a sense of hope following the failures of the Steve McClaren era had ended in acrimony and disappointment.

The abiding image of Capello’s four years as manager would after all be, as many feared in the wake of the 2010 World Cup, that horror show against Germany in South Africa.

England may have enjoyed two impressive qualifying campaigns under the Italian and claimed some notable results, most notably in Croatia when Theo Walcott seemed to have announced his arrival on the international stage.

But it is the clueless efforts in Bloemfontein that Capello will be most remembered for in the years to come.