It seems that Fabio Capello’s England training camp is a little like being back at school, since Capello addresses his players only by their last names. 
Fabio Capello - headmaster to the England players?
The disciplined regime of the Italian also started with a list of rules ,which seemed just fine to us. Of course our very own Michael Owen is with the England squad, and he seemed more concerned with Newcastle United than England, when he talked to the Newcastle Evening Chronicle today:
Michael Owen spoke today on the new regime with England:
“It’s nice to be in the squad.” “And everyone will be intrigued to see how things are going to go.”
But it seems like Michael still has thoughts of the game against Middlesbrough, and is still disappointed the Magpies dropped two points. as he continued:
“I got the goal I wanted, but we didn’t get the win, which was frustrating.“The first half was poor from both sides, and then it livened up in the second half.”
“They changed to 4-4-2 and we had to change our formation to press up a bit – and that’s what happened.”
“The game consequently improved after that and it was a case of whether we got a second or whether they would rescue an equalizer.”
“Unfortunately, it was the latter of the two.”
It’s good to hear Michael talk these days, and he seems dedicated to the Newcastle cause, and of course we all know he could become such an important player for us in the coming seasons – hope so.
Comments are very welcome.
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33 responses so far ↓
1 iraqi_geordie // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:01
Huh?
2 Victor Meldrew // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:03
Where’s me washboard?
3 Leo* // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:08
washboard? eh missed something?
4 Marguerite // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:08
Well done Capello a bit of discipline will do them no harm. I remember Bobby Robson insisting all the players ate together and finished together when he was at the club.
5 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:16
England should have an English coach, no debating the matter, and I do not see why anyone tolerates otherwise. It is nauseating to see mr capello wearing the three lions. FFS, even over here in the USA, the Americans have an American coach. England has become the joke team of the world.
6 ObaFan2 // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:17
MO finally putting the Toon 1st? Maybe it’s because we aren’t in Euro 2008 but hopefully it’s because KK has entrusted him with leading the new Toon through this transitional period to the next.
On his day he’s one of the best, unfortunately @ Newcastle we don’t always see that from him or appretiate the amount of work he puts into his game.
Stay fit till the end of the season and he’ll certainly score more Toon goals.
7 ObaFan2 // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:20
nufctj, thought NUFC we’re the joke team? Like we care.
I’d like an English manager but we don’t have anyone of Cap’s quality. Also many other national teams go for the best coach around even if they’re not from that paticular Country.
After all we could end up with another McClown!
8 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:28
Capello has the same players as McClaren, therefore the same results are what we will see. Too much importance is put on tactics and who the manager is, the game is decided on the pitch. When you cannot hold on to a draw, in the second half, against a team that has already qualified, there is no one to blame but the players. A good manager is one that knows how to put the best collection of players together and then shut his fookin mouth and let them play!
9 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:34
Cap’s quality? Me grandmama could have won with that team he had in Madrid. Players win matches.
If Caps is such quality let’s see him take over at a team like say….Blackpool.. and take them to the Champions League in two years time, without the money he has had at his former teams, then yes I will come on here and say Caps is quality, ObaFan2 was right!
10 iain // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:51
if the players arnt good enough then surely what you need is a great manager whos proven he can make great teams out of different groups of players through the tactics he employs.
capello might of had great players at the clubs he managed, but i bet 90% of the english managers wouldnt even understand the tactics he implemented to achieve those results.
also capello will make them disciplined and hard working and focused.
11 obafemimartins // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:53
obafan2 give me your email if you havent seen the list of rumours and i will send it to you
12 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:58
so what are these tactics that Caps knows that no one else does? Does he have a secret formation? No english coach would understand them? Then how on earth will the players understand them? oh wait, they won’t understand them, cuz the bloke dont speak english!
13 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:00
“also capello will make them disciplined and hard working and focused”
translation:, since we do not have the players who can get the job done, we will play a boring, negative style that will still have us crashing out of every major tournament.
14 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:03
now to comment on what the original post was about, of course Owen is more focused on NUFC right now, England’s games are meaningless until WC qualifying. DUH!
And he has to do well for us in order to get back to Anfield.
15 obafemimartins // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:05
good point well made nufctj.i dont think he has ever looked commited in a toon shirt
16 Otter // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:16
NUFC=last cups 1955, 1969; lots of talent; lots of money; huge fan support; laundry list of qualified managers; good runs but no result; relentless sniping from the press; relentless negativity on the internet
3 Lions=1966; ditto; ditto; ditto; ditto; ditto; ditto; ditto
hmm…
17 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:33
yes! Otter has found the “secret” missing ingredient!
BELIEF!
I do, I do, I do believe in the Toon!
18 ObaFan2 // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:54
Lol, England have had an abundance of potentially great players who have played well for their clubs but have never really reproduced that for England.
I’m sure that Capello will prove to be a no nonsense England manager who will hopefully make a great team of England.
I’m unhappy that we are not in Euro 08 but this is maybe a kick up the backsides of the players who have underachieved for years in an England shirt.
19 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 15:57
although I was trying to be funny, at the same time I do believe in what I said, you must have belief to succeed, and that is what KK is all about, so I know the club is in good hands.
20 Black Caesar // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:00
NUFCTJ you are such a moron! lol you really think it doesnt matter who you have in as manager? maybe we should make you newcastle manager then, afterall it wont affect results one way or the other LOL.
21 Otter // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:08
I left out the most depressing part:
3 Lions=1966 cup
Otter born= last week of 1967
NUFC=1969 cup
No cups in Otter’s memory.
(My actual “home” team, US baseball’s Cleveland Indians, last won it all in 1948’s so-called “World Series”–which even my father doesn’t remember. So it could always be worse, Tynesiders.)
And still we believe.
22 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:09
BlackCeaser, sticks and stones may break my bonez, mate, but your little names calling will never hurt me! You feeble minded pr&8k!
Did not say it does not matter. What I said was to much importance is put on who it is, and managers are given too much credit, for both success and failure. A manager is but a piece of the puzzle, not the main cog in the machine. Really when you look at the most successful clubs, especially over the last 10 years, it is all about who has the most money, and nothing about who their manager is.
And yes I should be the manager of NUFC, I don’t have my badges, but who needs stinking badges?
23 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:11
a baseball fan?
my sympathies otter, how do you stay wakie?
24 Black Caesar // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:15
NUFCTJ OK if you had let’s say McClaren as manager instead of Mourinho as Porto manager when Porto won the UEFA and CL in successive years, do you think Porto would have won these 2 trophies?
Your answer should then tell you a manager makes a hell of a difference!!!
25 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:25
BlackCeaser, ok then, outside of results, define for me what makes Mourinho a better manager than McClaren? or better yet what tactics do foreign coaches use that english coaches are not aware of, or as an earlier post stated, “English coaches don’t understand”? Has Capello figured out a way to sneak a 12th man out there?
26 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:27
Porto winning the CL was a fluke we will see less and less of as big money has taken over the game.
27 Black Caesar // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:32
NUFCTJ In every job some people will be better than other people - FACT. Football is no difference. It’s like an exam. You will take 2 kids, teach them the same things, and yet one will pass and the other will fail.
Managers like Mourinho and Capello are excellent because they have tactical nous and much more! and you say apart from results, we are in the results business. If they weren’t special their CV would look the same as all others.
28 Black Caesar // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:34
Porto winning CL was no fluke! Chelsea winning the league in Mourinho’s first season a fluke as well? You will probably say it was the money, if so why didnt Ranieri win it - he had the money?????????
29 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 17:41
Chelsea winning the league in Mourinho’s first season a fluke as well?
excuse me, but did not Chelsea break all previous EPL spending records before winning that title?
yes , some managers are better than others, we certainly know that as NUFC supporters, the only point I am trying to make is that players are what wins games first and foremost.
30 Black Caesar // Feb 5, 2008 at 18:14
If spending money bore a correlation to football, then Arsenal would have been relegated ages ago!
The manager can make all the difference. Cant believe this is in dispute.
31 Otter // Feb 5, 2008 at 18:26
Nufctj–don’t call me a baseball fan! That was just an example of a team from my hometown that’s been playing for about as long as NUFC. Not even the players can stay awake through the whole thing.
Not that it can compare with test cricket for excruciatingly slow pace…
32 nufctj // Feb 5, 2008 at 18:35
baseball! the only sport where the players can all wear the same color!
33 Phil,Gosforth // Feb 6, 2008 at 0:06
Manure have been buying the title for years tbfh.
Think in a few years time there won’t be a big 4,more like a big 10.
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