Capello confident of success

Barwick happy with appoitment

Luton plead not guilty

Fabio Capello has been officially unveiled as the new England coach and faced a barrage of questions from hungry journalists at a media conference this morning when he claimed he was capable of taking the national team “right to the top”. The Italian will officially begin work in his new role on January 7 but in the meantime he will work on his mastery of the English language. Speaking through a translator, Capello said:

“I believe that it is very important to communicate to the players and I will undergo a strict routine with myself and I will apply myself everyday to communicate with the players. I am convinced that in one month when the national team meets, I will be able to talk English. Like I said earlier it is an honour and it is a dream come true, a job that everyone wants and as everyone knows, there are great expectations and I will work with the FA to achieve these. I unofficially started yesterday watching Super Sunday, from now on my main objective is to meet the players and the coaches. I am convinced this is a great team and I can achieve great things.”

Capello claimed that it was his idea to have an Englishman involved in the coaching set-up.

“Since the first day I spoke with Sir Trevor Brooking I have asked for an England coach to be integrated into the staff, I think it is vital we have someone who understands the league and is from the environment. The staff I have brought in have worked with me in Rome, Turin and Madrid and with them I will bring in English staff and when you manage, you need to be surrounded by people who understand you.”

The 61-year-old is also confident that he will avoid clashes with club managers when picking future squads:

“I have always had an excellent relationship with Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, as with the two big Spanish coaches Rafa Benitez and Juande Ramos and there will be no problem working with them. I believe there is a parallel between English and Spanish football, although it is important you should look at the club - we need a philosophy in the international team so we can get the results.”

Meanwhile, Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick seemed pretty satisfied with the appointment. He said:

“We are delighted to welcome Fabio Capello as the new England manager. I think we have an outstanding man, with an outstanding record and I look forward to working with him from the 7th January next year. After the Croatia game I was given a mandate by the FA board to identify the next England manager. Whilst I was at the World Cup draw in South Africa I took time out to think about the attributes needed to do one of the toughest jobs in football. It is well known that I met and spoke with a number of leading figures in the game both from here and abroad. I wasn’t just seeking a name, I was seeking their views on the England team and the England set-up from a number of different directions. Whilst the information was invaluable, there should be no doubt that Sir Trevor Brooking and I were always clear on the calibre of man we were looking for. For us, we saw the next appointment as having to be somebody of world-class status. A strong personality, a vastly experienced coach, a person used to handling big players, big matches, and big in-match situations. A man who is tactically astute, tactically adaptable, with a proven pedigree, a mature individual who can handle a big job and the pressures that go with it. A winner with a capital ‘W’. That was the template, this is the man. Fabio Capello. He has coached and won titles at AC Milan, AS Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid. He has won the Champions League and man-managed some of the world’s best players. But he was also an international player of high repute himself. This for the FA is a significant appointment and I’m delighted with the response from the public and media that he is coming on board. We know we owe the fans and we believe that Fabio Capello will restore our pride.”

Chelsea captain John Terry may be sidelined for up to six weeks after breaking three bones in his foot following a challenge with Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue during yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez met up with the club’s American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, after yesterday’s 0-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield and the clear-the-air talks obviously went well as George Gillett has pledged his full support to Benitez through the pages of the Liverpool Echo. Meanwhile, chief executive Rick Parry admits Liverpool have had to scale down plans for their new stadium though it will sill boast a capacity of 70,000.

AC Milan’s Kaka has been voted as FIFA world player of the year to complete a clean sweep of the top individual player awards. This latest prize completes a remarkable year for the talented Brazilian who also won the Ballon d’Or award for the European footballer of the year, FIFPro’s world player of the year voted by fellow professionals and World Soccer’s player of the year.

Wales will visit Denmark on Wednesday 19th November 2008. Venue and kick off time yet to be confirmed.

Watford assistant manager Keith Burkinshaw has parted company with the club to spend more time at home following a serious family illness.

Marcus Evans has completed his takeover of Ipswich Town after shareholders approved his purchase of the club. Evans now owns an 87.5% stake in the Portman Road club and has appointed Martin Pitcher, Ian Milne and Jonathan Symonds to the board of directors.

Luton Town have pleaded not guilty to Football Association charges alleging breach of regulations regarding payments to agents.

Nathan Davies