FA reveal blueprint for success: Fast-track youngsters, play like Spain and groom new English bosses

Fabio Capello will call up a new generation of young England stars, order them to play like Spain, and groom a group of top ex-players into coaching as part of the FA’s post World Cup blue-print.

The England boss held talks with the Football Association last week to find a route out of the South African debacle which they admitted yesterday left them “massively disappointed.”

On the pitch the FA say the Italian will speed through the “best younger players” into the senior line up. The likes of Adam Johnson, Theo Walcott, Jack Rodwell, Kieron Gibbs and Jordan Henderson are the prime candidates for development but Capello will have the final say.

Capello’s new generation, the FA insist, must be schooled to play football with “similar technique, mental alertness and passing ability, combined with goals” of the World champions Spain.

Off the pitch the FA want to tap into Capello’s experience beyond just coaching the senior team, by extending his role to developing our coaches.

In two years, when his contract expires, they will have assembled a “group of Englishmen” to consider as his successor.

Club England Managing Director Adrian Bevington also addressed concerns about the attitude of England stars, insisting they do care, but also accepting they have to “engage” more with fans.

Bevington told the FA.com: “We fully understand the fans and the wider public anger and frustration. We appreciate that thousands of people spent huge amounts of money to travel to South Africa and understandably feel very let down.

“We have a responsibility to put immediate and long term plans in place to give England a genuine chance of success in tournaments to come.

“We accept it is going to take time to rebuild the trust with the fans. It may be that the crowd for the Hungary is low in comparison with other Wembley crowds. That’s understandable.

“While the players have as expected been heavily criticised for the performance in South Africa, I can say as someone who has worked closely with the team for over a decade that these players do care passionately. I was on the bus and around the dressing room ahead and after all our games in South Africa and on a dejected team coach after the Germany game.

“The players do care and carry the pain afterwards. This is shown in different ways, but it is there among them all. We all carry the burden of letting the nation down.”

Bevington added: “Fabio will look to introduce the best of the younger players coming through into the senior set-up. I’m sure there will be changes.

And on the coaching front there will be another review. “Sir Trevor [Brooking] is working very hard with his counterparts at the Premier League, Football League and all club academy directors to ensure we do develop, share and deliver a long-term plan.

“There is a genuine desire across the game to get this right. There is significant investment into youth development across our clubs and has been for the past decade - but there is no quick fix.”

Ex-Three Lions Gareth Southgate and Alan Shearer have been mooted as recruits to the England set up but the FA say no names have yet been considered. Bevington added: “Fabio volunteered he wanted another English Coach to join his set-up when we met him last week. We were pleased to hear this as we want to introduce a wider pool of English coaches moving forward. Fabio was clear he didn’t want us to offer names immediately.”

But the FA chief added: “If we can increase the number of qualified English coaches and managers at the elite end of the game - to a comparable level to other major European nations - we are giving ourselves a far greater chance of achieving success in the future.

“A greater number of coaches and managers will hopefully ensure that English coaches will have greater opportunities to work for the big clubs in this country. We do already have excellent managers in the likes of Harry Redknapp, Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce and Steve McClaren to name but a few. We also have many more coming through the leagues, but we need more.”

The FA admit they have a long tough battle ahead. Bevington said: “None of us are under any illusions that we are in for an easy time. We have to do all we can to put the building blocks in place for coach education and player development for the longer term future.

“We also must give Fabio and our development teams every level of support available to offer them the best platform to achieve now and in the immediate future.”