Capello should go after qualifying campaign

Fabio Capello is under intense pressure and should go after tonight's Montenegro game

If England are to have any chance of succeeding at next summer's European Championships, they must sack Fabio Capello as soon as qualification is secured.

The Italian arrived with a terrific reputation but will leave as a man battered and bewildered by his experiences on these shores.

It was all going well for him until the 2010 World Cup, but that calamitous campaign and several high-profile embarrassments since have left him an unwanted man.

Capello still hasn't fully grasped the language and does not seem to have anyone - players, fans or the media - on his side anymore. That is not a recipe for success at next year's tournament.

Every man and his dog knows he will leave after Euro 2012 and that is another reason he should be discarded beforehand.

England's squad of 1990 knew Bobby Robson would be leaving after that year's World Cup but Robson was such a popular man it galvanised the squad into reaching the semi-finals.

You get the sense there isn't the same strength of feeling towards Capello.

England need just a point tonight against Montenegro to book their flight to Poland and Ukraine, something which should be a shoo-in.

However, England's qualification should not mask an underwhelming campaign.

Capello will say the end justifies the means and that all that matters is England have qualified, but some of the performances against relatively lowly nations have been inept and proved he was not the right man for the job.

The likes of Wayne Rooney have impressed in qualifying but the team has failed to convince everyone

There have been signs of what this team can do with impressively comfortable wins in Switzerland, Bulgaria and Wales, but the dour displays which saw Switzerland and Montenegro leave Wembley with a point, as well as the Wales home fixture where Gary Speed's men should have snatched a draw, have been unacceptable.

This England team ought to be vibrant and free-flowing - like they were in the game in Bulgaria - but too often, particularly at Wembley, they are found lacking in ideas.

Whether that is to do with Capello's poor grasp of English or down to the players, there is one man who will pay for it and it will be the Italian.

There have been many rumours linking Capello with other jobs around the world since he became England manager, the latest of which linking him with mega-rich Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

The FA must be praying someone comes in for him in the near future, as that would solve any problem with compensation and allow the side to move on in a new era.

The stench of the 2010 World Cup campaign is still lingering

The World Cup debacle of 2010 cannot be allowed to be repeated in the 2012 European Championships and that is why Capello mustn't be allowed to take charge for the tournament.

It is unlikely England will be able to win in Poland and Ukraine with the likes of Spain and Germany so impressive, but progression to the semi-finals would represent a real step forward and something to build on for the future.

There was a horrific rumour this week - which was denied by the FA - that Capello may stay in charge until 2014, and that really would have been a disaster.

The negativity and pessimism which surrounds the England team at the moment is a legacy of the 2010 embarrassment so appointing a new manager may be the only way to turn that around.

The trouble is, there are not too many candidates to take over.

Roy Hodgson was in the frame before his failed spell at Liverpool and is still rebuilding his reputation at West Brom.

Stuart Pearce's failure to succeed in the recent European Under-21 Championships has put an end to his chances.

Overseas managers like Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger could be very successful, but it seems highly unlikely the FA will go for a foreign coach after the disaster of Capello.

It may be the ideal time for Redknapp to take over

That leaves just one other obvious candidate: Harry Redknapp.

Whether he would be willing to take charge of England for the 2012 Championships remains to be seen as he has a big job on his hands at Tottenham, but he is seen by many as the ideal man to galvanise the nation.

Many would quickly get behind Redknapp but I'm not convinced he's suitable for the role.

Many have simply assumed he will be the next England manager without explaining why.

He has won just one major trophy in his managerial career and still has a lot to prove tactically, so appointing him would be a major risk.

Whoever was to take over, they would be under no real pressure to do well in 2012 as the main target would surely be the 2014 World Cup after they have had time to implement his ideas.

Wilshere (centre) and Jones (right) appear to be the future of England

With the players England have at their disposal - Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and the like - and the excellent crop of youngsters - Jack Wilshere, Joe Hart, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Kyle Walker, Micah Richards, Andy Carroll and so on - success should be just around the corner.

As perennial underachievers, any talk of England winning a major tournament in the near future will be scoffed at but with the players coming through, they ought to be contending soon.

Euro 2012 may come too soon - with or without Capello - but it would be a major benefit if the new manager was appointed now to encourage optimism for that tournament and beyond.

Capello has no future and no support so it seems pointless for him to take charge in Poland and Ukraine as it will only end in one way: disappointment.

If he is not picked up by a club side, England should sack him anyway regardless of the compensation they will have to pay as it is clear Capello is not the right man for the job.

He should have been sacked after the South Africa debacle but it is not too late to right a few wrongs and get rid of him now.

Capello will go down as a legendary football manager but not a legendary England manager.

He may not be as stern as he was in 2010 but under tournament strain next summer, the same problems could arise again.

A new manager would bring a freshness and would be unstained by the failure of 2010, so it's time for England to cut their losses, admit defeat with Capello now and appoint the Englishman.

A new era should start now.