Ahead of TheGame: Gerrard is England captain

The news in 60 seconds

GERRARD IS ENGLAND CAPTAIN
The Liverpool midfielder will lead England against Switzerland on Wednesday but that doesn't mean he will be named permanent captain. You'll have to wait until September for that announcement, according to Fabio Capello.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3312475.ece

LATE CAPELLO DEFENDS DISCIPLINE
The England coach turned up 40 minutes late and then zipped through a chaotic press conference in his native tongue. He was puzzled by the reaction of the press to his implementation of strict rules and discipline for the squad. Well Fabio, there's no money to be made from a front page splash describing a player's love for his wife. Unless it materialises in an idiosyncratic way, of course.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/fabio-capello-p.html

PAISLEY GATHERS HIS FLOCK
There are some people you just don't argue with and Rev Ian Paisley is one of them. When Northern Ireland's First Minister asked Roy Hodgson to release David Healy from a day's training for a charity appearance the Fulham manager thought it was a wind-up. Big mistake.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/fulham/article3311731.ece

REINA BREAKS CLEMENCE RECORD
Rafael Benitez has praised Jose Reina after the Liverpool goalkeeper raced to 50 clean sheets in a record number of games. That's all well and good, but Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League. Will the Spaniard be put on display in the trophy cabinet at the end of the season?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article3312106.ece

ROUX CALLS COUSIN TRANSER 'STUPID'
"There is a great invention called the internet which makes it easy to check these things. I'm sure most younger people are more than capable of using it," Guy Roux, the legendary French coach, strikes a blow for the elderly by suggesting that Daniel Cousin could easily have found out if he was going to break Fifa's three-club ruling by moving from Rangers to Fulham. Roux didn't say whether he has to get his children to set the video for him.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/fulham/article3311867.ece

CRUYFF DENIES MOURINHO TALKS
The Dutch master and advisor to Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, is annoyed at what he calls the "absolutely false rumours" suggesting that the former Chelsea manager will coach Barcelona next season. Cruyff considers them "hurtful to [Frank] Rijkaard both as a manager and as a person". Not as hurtful as when Mourinho does take over.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3312391.ece

ROMARIO CALLS IT A DAY
The legendary Brazilian goal-hanger will stop coaching Vasco de Gama at the end of March to help his country's preparations for the 2014 World Cup. We know he has always been good at waiting around for something to happen, but the tournament is six years away for goodness sake.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3313093.ece

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If you've got another couple of minutes

How should England line up under Capello?
Martin Samuel, our Chief Football Correspondent, argues that what the England team have lacked for many years is the element of surprise that wins crunch matches. He suggests that Fabio Capello works on a different game plan - perhaps a version of the 4-2-3-1 system that served Sven-Göran Eriksson well at Manchester City earlier in the season - to give the national team a new edge.

Samuel suggests the following line-up as a starting point: David James; Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate, Ashley Cole; Owen Hargreaves, Gareth Barry; Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole; Michael Owen.

His idea being that Ferdinand can break out from the back four to use his passing skills and for Joe Cole to have greater attacking licence thanks to the presence of Hargreaves and Barry in midfield.

So, how would you freshen up England tactically? Which players have untapped potential and how can Capello develop it to England's advantage? Send us your formations and teams.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/you-the-manager.html

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>>>>>THE TABLOID SCANDAL<<<<<
I know what you are going through Ashley - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Ian Wright wants to give Ashley Cole a shoulder to cry on after the Chelsea defender's recent domestic woes. 2) The former Arsenal and England striker admits he made similar mistakes as a married man, saying, "I caused so much unhappiness and I messed up lives." No, he's not talking about his appearances on Match Of The Day. 3) Wright adds that "some people thought I was a w****r and in some respects, they were right." No, he's not referring to the Chicken Tonight adverts either. 4) Wright hopes that Cole, who has his phone number, will give him a call. Hold on, who is upset here?

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A quickie before you go, sir?

CASSANO DOES CAPELLO
The one-time football wonderkid, now plying his trade at Sampdoria, had a spiky relationship with the current England coach. Capello invented the phrase 'Cassanata' to describe troublesome players which is still in use in Italy. It is easy to see why after watching Cassano's impression of the no-nonsense coach when they were both at Real Madrid. Note to the England boys: Cassano didn't play for Real again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekva-BB4TKg

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44
Years of experience that Fabio Capello brings to the England job as a player, television pundit and coach.

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In TheGame

Fabio Capello oversees his first match as the new England manager against Switzerland on Wednesday. He will be hoping to continue a tradition, stretching back almost 17 years to Graham Taylor, in which the new man in the top job has won his first game in charge. Read the full list of England managerial debuts.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/england-manager.html
In Fanzine Fanzone , Richard Allen awards Fulham's Jimmy Bullard a premature knighthood after his display against Aston Villa. Should the chirpy cockney be in the next England squad? After all, he is the "mop-haired destroyer".
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/02/sir-jimmy-bulla.html
Bill Edgar , the man with a brain as big as a planet-sized football and as pumped up as Saturn, continues his daily dose of trivia. Today's question is: Paul Gascoigne, Chris Waddle, Ian Wright and Andrew Cole won a combined 167 England caps but for which club have they all played?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/tuesday-trivia.html
In TheGame Podcast , Gilberto Silva, the Arsenal midfielder, talks to Guillem Balague and Gabriele Marcotti about his relationship with Arsene Wenger and what an uncertain future may hold for him.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/audio_video/podcasts/thegame/

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>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
* Campioni: Capello promises success - Daily Mirror
* Capital punishment - The Sun
* England feel force of Capello effect - The Guardian
* One small step, one giant leap ... Capello launches England's new era - The Daily Telegraph
* Capello orders double training and kicks out the hangers-on - The Independent
* Back to school: Dress smart and you can ditch the PlayStations, demands Capello - Daily Mail
* Every one a winner: Boss tells stars what he expects - Daily Express

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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox

"How on earth will Manchester United ever be able to pay such a huge fine?"
Like the rest of AOTG's readers, J Nicholls from Canada is stunned at the £25,000 penalty Manchester United received after they had seven players booked at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. But at least he came round and left a comment.

Wait a minute, what's this...

"David Beckham lived in Madrid for years and his Spanish was pathetic - so don't expect Fabio Capello to talk like Shakespeare after one month."
Justin from London beats the buzzer with this corker. All I can say to Fabio is,'This above all: to thine ownself be true.'

Sometimes you just say it better than we do, which is why we've dedicated a corner of this e-mail to your views and boos: sport@timesonline.co.uk

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Tomorrow's news today

Tony Cascarino says Capello is right to discipline England's naughty children.
Philippe Senderos explains why the Swiss aren't dross.
How Matt Busby steered Manchester United to European triumph a decade after the Munich tragedy.

And expect...

The England team to be late out after half-time against Switzerland because Wayne Rooney won't finish his orange.

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