Get a driver, George Michael!

Just a quickie...re George Michael's freedom after his jail spell for crashing his car while under the influence...why not just get a driver, George? Surely you can afford one with all your millions, mate - it would save you a helluva lot of aggro!!

O'NEILL IN, CAPELLO OUT?

SO Martin O'Neill exits Villa Park and the thickheads at the FA haven't even noticed.

Well, surely if they had, they would be having clandestine meetings with the man who could do a job for them?

The FA have got a lot of things wrong over the last six months - including the bungling decision to extend Capello's contract as England boss before the World Cup -but now here is a big chance for them to make some sort of amends.

Adrian Bevington of 'Club England' has already said he wants an English boss next to take charge of the national side.

But there are only two realistic candidates who fall into that category - Harry Redknapp and Woy Hodgson.

Woy is hardly likely to leave Anfield - unless he gets the boot, in which case his standing falls dramatically anyway - and the FA are wary of Uncle Harry.

There is no one else - apart from Steve McClaren and Glenn Hoddle - so why not employ the BEST BRITISH MANAGER apart from Sir Alex Ferguson?

Yes, come on FA, get Martin in and persuade him to take on the job. He is the best qualified man, yes, I believe even better than Harry or Woy - he is an inspirational genuis....and as he is the heir to Cloughie, it would finally also draw a line under the decision never to employ old Big 'Ead as England boss. The best boss the national side never had...

Capello's 'brave new world'....Terry retained, Rodwell omitted

SO Fabio Capello has unwrapped an England squad that is new and daring and that will overwhelm all-comers - or so some of the Sunday papers would have you believe.

My belief is that the Italian has done nothing of the sort, that he is guilty of tokenism and that he has shown a worrying lack of clarity and vision.

His tokens to those who cried for youth to be given its chance are the inclusion of Wilshere and Gibbs...but why on earth is there no place for the wonderful Jack Rodwell??

Surely Capello can see that England's failings in South Africa were, among other things, down to his reluctance to play two holding midfielders...as did all the success stories of the tournament, including Spain?

Gareth Barry is not a holding midfielder, and with the continued unavailability of Owen Hargreaves it would surely have made sense to slot together the next best two, maybe even the only alternatives ie RODWELL and Scotty PARKER?

It means that the 'new-look England' have no recognised holding midfielders in the squad.

And what on earth is John Terry still in the squad for? Surely by dropping Terry Capello would have sent out his most ominous message that, yes, he was planning for a brave new future now. Apart from showing he will not tolerate ego-based dissent (Terry was, after all, a one-man failed coup in South Africa) Capello has permitted a man who has lost a yard of pace to continue to blunder at the heart of his team.

A big letdown, Capello...certainly not Ab Fab...

Joe Cole, Nani and Man City

Liverpool's acquisition of Joe Cole has given a much-needed boost to the Premier League after England's dreadful World Cup shows.

I would never have thought Joe would have chosen Anfield, but it is good for Liverpool, good for football and good for Joe.

My sources had told me he was heading for Old Trafford...until United got wind of the wages he was expecting. An ill wind blows through M16 as the Glazers continue to keep a close hold on the purse strings...has-beens like Michael Owen and hopefuls like Smalling and Hernandez are ushered in with open arms (because they only cost half the price of bigger names, or half the wages of free agent Cole in Owen's case).

And United continue to miss out on the star signings that could transform them.

So there will be no Ozil to replace Scholesy, and no Joe Cole to add strength and a little more magic to the squad.

Cole will thrive at Anfield (although I am not so sure of this bullshit he is going on about re playing in the middle...is he strong enough physically for that?) - and his presence gives a lift to Woy Hodgson's hopes of keeping hold of Gerrard and Torres.

As for United...well there is still Rooney, and I am convinced that Nani will become a major star over the next 12-24 months. Did you see the pics of him training today in the Mail? God, he has doubled in size...not fat, but muscles...it can only be good news..I hardly recognised him...have alook here...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1296172/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-rules-signings-Manchester-United.html

Man City? Again, very exciting for City and football. The Serb left back they are getting is class as is Silva...they just need a top striker now and they will be a force.

FABIANO FOR BERBATOV

There's talk that Brazil centre-forward Luis Fabiano would like to join Man United from Seville...

That would surely be a great piece of business for Fergie? The guy has scored three goals in four games for his country at the World Cup and is a class, proven act.

If he turns down AC Milan for United, it would also provide an excellent opportunity for Fergie to unload Dim Berbatov to the San Siro boys?

What an excellent piece of business - a winner for a loser...

But knowing the Glazers they will put a block on it, saying the Fab fee is too high for a 29-year-old.

Note to the Glazers: Berba is also 29...

Capello Press conference, why Fab must STAY

Have just watched Capello on SkySports News for his final Press conference in South Africa - and have changed my opinion on him...

I know I said yesterday that he should go...but nowt is set in stone, is it?

Now I believe he should STAY. He looked to me like a man who had learned many lessons - yes, he agrees we should build with young players and I am sure he will weed out the deadwood and the stirrers. He looked contrite and even humble...the great Capello humbled! Whatever next...

But the main reason he should stay (apart from those 12 million smackers which, rather than being used to pay him off could be employed to more useful benefit like opening up the national centre for excellence in Burton) is that here is a man who had a point to prove.

For the first time in a distinguished career Fabio Capello is being viewed as a FLOP. He has the ideal motive to make England great again - to salvage his own rep - so give him two years to do it.

Two years to give us a team we can be proud of. A young team playing with vibrancy, urgency and passion for the shirt.

I believe it is a win-win situation if we keep him.

Germany 4 England 1: Why defeat can be good for us, Capello and the future

SO THERE WE GO AGAIN.

Mass hysteria after mass expectation led to heartache.

England. Our dear England. Our torturuos nightmarish England, more like.

Well, what did you expect? The same as the last 40 years I suppose...that we would win the World Cup with something to spare...

Someone once told something very profound that we, as England believers should always bear in mind when we go over the top with our dreaming...the definition of INSANITY is doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different outcome. Ring any bells with the English national football team?

What if I said the loss to Germany might actually do us some good? That we could now use it to move forward and build what we have not had since 1990...an England TEAM...

Sure, we have the individual players, but they do not work as a team when they are imported from their clubs.

When we beat the Germans 5-1 in Munich in 2001, we were, typically, ecstatic. We were going to conquer all and win the Euros and the World Cup. The Germans, in contrast, used the agonising loss they suffered to rebuild and to plan for the future. On the surface, they simply appeared to pull themselves together and marched into the World Cup final (which they lost to Brazil) a year later.

But much deeper momentum was developing behind the scenes as they planned for the future.

Their manifesto hinged on building a team for the future - by encouraging young German players to develop and make their way through the ranks together. To play top level football within the Bundesliga and to come up through the ranks together at international level.

It worked - as exemplified by the German Under 21 team that taught our Under 21s a lesson a year ago in the Euro Under 21s final. The German team that night read: GERMANY (4-1-4-1): Neuer, Beck, Howedes, Boateng, Boenisch, Hummels, Johnson, Castro, Khedira, Ozil, Wagner.


Note the names Neuer, Boateng, Khedira and especially OZIL, the star of the show. Yes, key components of the team that also helped thrash the English national team a year later.

We need to rebuild from now, encouraging English youngsters to move forward and break through in the Premier League, finally setting up that centre of excellence in Burton, and bringing youngsters who have the talent and who could BECOME a team into the national set-up for the Euro qualifying campaign.

We need to put JOE HART in goal...now. He has the most amazing confidence to back up his burgeoning talent.

We need a new right back to put pressure on the inconsistent Glen Johnson. Maybe Micah Richards will come good again with proper management?

KIERAN GIBBS can come in to put pressure on Ashley Cole.

IN central defence, JOHN TERRY survives, but it must be made clear to him that any further attempts to delegate himself as skipper/manager will result in him being dropped from the squad...for good.

RIO also survives for the Euros, but we need to find another quality centre back, who is speedy and classy. Maybe CHRIS SMALLING will fit the bill in a year or two?

In midfield it is time for ASHLEY YOUNG, JAMES MILNER, JACK WILSHERE and JACK RODWELL to be given a run. And THEO WALCOTT must be brought back in.

With ROONEY up front and GERRARD behind him.

Rooney becomes skipper, the responsibility could bring the best out of him.

Manager/head coach? Hard to see how Capello can survive. He clearly is not in tune with the English psyche and sending on Emile Heskey as a sub when we needed three goals probably nailed the lid on his coffin.

Put it this way...would we have lost 4-1 with Mourinho in command?

Given we cannot get Jose now, I would put HARRY REDKNAPP in charge, with DAVID BECKHAM his assistant.

And if we need a boost right now - and hope that we do have the talent for the future - let's not forget that England won the Under 17s Euros recently.

As Arnie once said, 'we'll be back'...but we must get it right this time, not waste the opportunity to use this crushing defeat for our benefit.