Jermain Defoe has had a fantastic start to the new season, with goals for England and Spurs; including his 50th for the club in the 2-1 win at West Ham. His hat trick and all round performance against Hull City was clearly his best performance in a Spurs shirt in either spell. When he rejoined […]

"Capello was exactly what we needed!" —Frank Lampard "He is one of those managers in that handful around the world who are the best!" —Steven Gerrard "He's given the players confidence and the team a huge amount of respect!" —David Beckham "Who knew?" —Steve McClaren Okay, so I made up that last one. And I […]

Well, there's one thing you can't hold against Fabio Capello and that's that he keeps his cards close to his chest. Today he's announced that Peter Crouch will lead the England attack against Ukraine tomorrow night and deservedly so. Crouch has been the victim of some vicious criticism over the last few seasons, undeservedly so […]

Why can't Stewart Downing show us the form that makes him such a sought after player when he pulls on the England shirt? There is no doubting that at Premier League level, Downing is one of the most dangerous and creative players in the country but after Saturdays performance against Slovakia, it's clear to see […]

Fabio Capello's quiet demeanor and considered words give him an aura of deep intelligence and authority, so much so it can sometimes seems he's foreseen everything through 2010 and beyond. But this week the aura's faded a bit under over doubts about his decision last week to call-up perma knee-knacked Tottenham defender Ledley King, and […]

Title race back on, blah blah blah, Aston Villa torn apart like a dingo on a newborn, yada yada yada, England expects ahead of international week—wait just one minute there, pal. It would be safe to say that Villa is a sort of stand-in England B side in the Premier League, at least according to […]

Anyone who's caught Tottenham in action recently will not fail to have been impressed by Aaron Lennon's recent form on the right hand side of Spurs' midfield. For me, it'll be a major surprise if he's not in Fabio Capello's next England squad for the Friendly against Slovakia and the qualifier in Kiev against the […]

I’ve wondered for a long time what it is that managers see in Stewart Downing, particularly England managers. Since his first call up in February 2005, Downing has been pretty much been a regular in the England squad, but why? I don’t understand how one player can have gained 22 caps without ever making an […]

I wonder why Sir Alex Ferguson waited until tonight to say what he said, when he had every opportunity to do so last week. Then again, he always has had a knack for waiting until the points were in the bag before opening his mouth (see Kevin Keegan and Rafa Benitez). Fergie waited to damn […]

The question is simple. Can Michael Owen still perform at the highest level? While many would say no, he’s past it, he’s too injury prone and when he is on the pitch he doesn’t do anything anyway, I tend to disagree. Yes Michael Owen is injury prone, it’s been well documented. Over the course of […]

When Manchester City signed Shay Given from Newcastle on Sunday, most at Eastlands will have been pleased by this capture. But not quite everyone. Given will instantly become City’s first choice goalkeeper, displacing Joe Hart. This in turn will leave the young goalkeeper as nothing more than a bench warmer, at least for the […]

Here are the two latest episodes of the cult hit, I'm On Setanta Sports. The first episode features Wayne Rooney as Ruud Gullit and his sexy, sexy football — as well as The Boy and Rio talking about eating chips and sauce. The second episode features Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho discussing the injury problems […]

Beckham's international future is in doubt after England manager Fabio Capello confirmed his lack of competitive action was of primary concern and reasoning behind Beck's omission against Germany on Wednesday. One cap short of Bobby Moore's total of 108 the English midfielder hopes to prolong his international career until the 2010 World Cup. Beckham has recently […]

In the latest episode of I'm On Setanta Sports, watch Wayne Rooney host the special debate between Jose Mourinho and Fabio Capello. The show includes cameos by Dave from Newcastle, Didier Drogba, Roy Keane and others. Be champions. [display_podcast]

When Fabio Capello was appointed England manager, people asked me what my thoughts were on the matter. My viewpoint at the time was that it would bring clarity to whether the England national team was still a football power or not. After all, if Capello couldn't turn England into a winning football team, then no […]