England could have saved themselves all the misery by naming Fabio Capello as manager 18 months ago. Imagine if, instead of anointing Englishman Steve McClaren in May 2006, the Football Association had shown up to the press conference with the Italian, and said: “He’s foreign. He doesn’t speak much English. He’s a difficult bloke. But he’s the best.” Capello won the league with all four clubs he ever managed: nine league titles in 16 seasons as a coach.

With Capello, whose appointment was confirmed on Friday, England would have qualified for the 2008 European Championships, and McClaren would still be happily winning some, losing more at Middlesbrough instead of being an international joke. But only now has the FA grasped a basic fact about football: England need a continental European manager.