1. Sack the board of the FA.
2. Appoint a director of football with real power who is a football man with authority over the development of the game in England.
3. A minimum of 7 English players in every premier league starting 11
4. Reduce size of premier league to 18 teams
5. Instigate a winter break
6. Break up current national team. The “golden generation” is flawed. Only Cole, Gerard, Milner and Rooney should remain.
7. Build a new team for the long term, with the expectation of improving in the next world cup and peaking for the 2018 world cup. Should be made up of only players with the necessary technical skills, the ability to take the ball under pressure, control it, pass and move, some tactical and positional sense, and the ability to be part of a team.
8. Look for this team in the academies, Under 21s, Under 20s and under 18s. Build it and allow it to grow. No pressure to achieve results for the first 2 years.
9. Keep Capello. He is an excellent manager. It’s football in this country which is rotten.
10. Recognise that the media are part of the problem in the way they set the agenda, hype the team up and then knock them down. They are creating a climate where the players are playing with fear. It’s time to educate the public, improve the standard of punditry and set realistic expectations.
We were promised a root and branch review of the English game in 2007, but the FA appointed Capello and swept the problem under the carpet, and no review took place. If it doesn’t take place this time, nobody should go to any England games, nobody should buy replica shirts, nobody should watch internationals on TV, and the England supporters trust should be organising sack the board demos outside Soho Square.
Then lets see if there is a change in the way football is run in this country.
