The big debate: Do we now forgive Fabio for the World Cup debacle?

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog

Published 23:00 08/09/10

• 

With two wins out of two Euro 2012 qualifiers, is it now time to forgive Fabio for the World Cup debacle?

Here two managers have their say - and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below...

YES says Ron Atkinson
You can’t knock Fabio Capello’s ­reputation on the fact he never had a good World Cup.

Yes, the Italian had a bad time this summer but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad manager.

The fella is highly experienced and enjoyed success at AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.

The World Cup is gone and we should qualify for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.

England are in a comfortable group along with Bulgaria, Switzerland, Wales and Montenegro.

And I’ve been very impressed by their opening qualifying victories. Both were deserved and could have been won by even greater margins.

Capello has been bold enough to make some radical changes after the disappointment of South Africa.

Jermain Defoe was very sharp against Bulgaria when he scored a hat-trick.

And it was also good to see Wayne Rooney scoring again for England against the Swiss.

Now we top of the group and if England keep this up, the fans will forget their World Cup disappointment.

Like everyone, I thought England had a poor tournament.

But football moves on quickly and Capello remains in charge and I think his reputation as a coach is intact.

Certainly, Tuesday night’s performance over Switzerland hints at much better times ahead.

NO says Neil Warnock
It's all very well getting these impressive results in qualifying, but Fabio Capello still has to prove to us that his England can do it at big tournaments.

There is no denying the side have been playing with a confidence and a freshness that is fantastic – and you really must congratulate him for that.

But in many respects he has been helped by the injuries and ­circumstances that have taken certain decisions out of his hands – and he has seen things work in his favour.

After the World Cup, the jury must still be out on whether he can get the team to perform on the big stage until we get to 2012 and the European Championships. Clearly, there is no chance of him going before then because the FA are going to stick with him, so we have to get behind Capello.

But he, in turn, has to persevere with the fresh blood like Adam Johnson, who has been such a joy to watch.

I know Rio Ferdinand and John Terry are both great players, but Joleon Lescott and my old player Phil Jagielka were ­excellent in central defence against a very good Switzerland team.

It’s just so nice to see England playing in a way we can be proud of again.But I think with the group of players at our disposal in this country we will always do well.

It is Capello who has to change after the last tournament. Otherwise in two years we should go in for Harry Redknapp.

Fancy winning £3,000 for FREE this month? Play Mirror Football Streak for your chance to win cash prizes! Start predicting now!