A pearce-ing scream: The U21 coach is taking over for the Holland friendly

The players are all coming out of the woodwork. After keeping miserably silent and not offering an ounce of support for their former manager. Man, those must have been the toughest five years of their lives? But they are now tweeting their approval of Harry Redknapp as favourite to lead the Three Lions. Rio Ferdinand who has a bone in this whole sorry episode led off, followed by Wayne Rooney who mercifully put down his imaginary red cards for a minute or so, to state he could work with ‘Arry.

In the meanwhile, the FA has to go through the motions of managing a national team which they have delegated to Stuart “Mad Eyes” Pearce aka the stunt double for Daniel Craig. They also have to pretend to look for alternatives to Redknapp and one will be sure to bandy about a few other English names, including Alan Pardew, Sam Allardyce, and the obligatory reference to Guus Hiddink, as the non-English candidate.

But it is Redknapp’s job to turn down. The media have willed, the players have willed it, the FA internally have already cut the contract, and unless Redknapp discovers he has a boil on his arse that prevents him sitting down or thinking straight, he is going to sign on. But meantime he too has to play the coy, “I have not even thought about it” game. The one where the Oscar winner says, “I’m honoured to be in the midst of such geniuses like Jack Black, Eric Roberts, Richard Greico, and Seth Rogen, as my fellow nominees” while chuckling like a banshee inside.

Meanwhile, in Italy, the reaction is an unsuspecting Capello was mowed down by a ruthless FA. His interview on RAI, a turning point, is being portrayed in the media as words twisted by bad Google translation or worse, a convenient excuse handed out to fire him.

“The English could not stand him any longer and he could not stand the English any more,” said La Repubblica on its front page. “A politically correct excuse was required to terminate a marriage which has never been consummated, and the Terry case, with its racist undertone, was perfect.”

Which of course brings us to John Terry, the central figure in this King Lear tragedy. The body count is high. His ideal friend, his partner on the pitch, and now the manager of the national team, all wrecked. That is an impressive track record and more than the tackles he put in the World Cup.

So what lies in store for Capello? The Inter job could be his as Claudio Ranieri struggles. The resurgent Russian league with its wads of cash and players like Nicholas Anelka, Roberto Carlos, Samuel Eto’o could be his next stop. Or it could be Juve to take up a desk job.

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