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...