Dead before the ship even sinks.

The same old methodology, a continued penchant for ignoring talent, over-reliance on the old guard; England's recipe for disastrous showings at major competitions remains unchanged. Thanks to Don Fabio Capello. What else explains his burning desire to resurrect Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Jamie Carragher from the dead? Or to recall Matthew Upson after his abysmal defending allowed Germany to romp ahead in Bloemfontein? Or to include the listless Michael Carrick ahead of the more deserving Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker? How Aaron Lennon continues to be snubbed remains as much of a mystery as the inclusion of Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Well, Capello at least deserves some credit for being consistent. Being England manager is far from easy. But to be uniformly incompetent, is remarkable. Capello pulls it off with gumption, considerably backed by an equally inept English FA. It's hard to believe the world of football has seen a larger congregation of dimwits. The only probable difference between them and the French Football Federation is the latter has the wisdom to admit problems and remedy the situation. Such wisdom has been alien to the FA ever since Crowded House hit #1 in the UK with Recurring Dream. In contrast, England's nightmares continue to haunt them.

Before becoming England manager, Capello had never managed a national team. He plied his trade at wealthy clubs where recruits of the highest order were in plentiful supply: AS Roma, AC Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid. As a result, he could always wield fear as a weapon, knowing that should he fall out with any of his stars, there was an expensive replacement waiting elsewhere who could be summoned at the waft of the chairman’s chequebook. At the helm of English football's Holy Grail, it's a different kettle of fish. You pick players on merit, you groom a younger breed and you always have a plan B. Sadly, these tenets have never figured on Capello's agenda.

There were large-scale changes mooted after England's horror show at the World Cup. But barring the retirement of Emile Heskey, Wes Brown and Paul Robinson, there's been nothing remotely earth-shattering. The FA wouldn't dispense with Capello's services and invite more humiliation following their apparent wisdom (of its lack thereof) to renew his contract a month before England's ill-fated World Cup. While the problems continue to escalate, the solutions are few and far in between. The truth is, England's brave new world will have to wait until the FA shed their cloak of spinelessness and get England back in the saddle, in the finest English traditions.

We're back in business... and how!

Chelsea hit the ground running with a 6-0 demolition job at the Bridge on Saturday. It wasn't the most hospitable return to the Premier League for West Brom, who were ripped to shreds by a marauding Chelsea. Didier Drogba carried on from where he left off last season with Lampard and Malouda looking equally ominous. It was also a morale-boosting start for Manchester United, whose sores many believed might still be seeping after they let Chelsea slip through the back door last season. Newcastle gave a decent account of themselves although it hardly matched up to Paul Scholes' masterly display at the heart of the United midfield.

Manchester City's technicolour dreamcoat didn't exactly come through with flying colours against this season's Champions League hopefuls – Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were in complete control and should've come away with all three points but for the heroics of Joe Hart in the City goal. Roberto Mancini's glowing verdict of the game was nothing more than a veiled defence of his underperforming stars. But City will be expected to rake in the points sooner or later or else Mancini will be left to suffer the indignity that now taints Mark Hughes' resumé. Hopefully, the arrival of Mario Balotelli and James Milner might serve to complete the jigsaw.

If there's a team that's looking to mount a serious challenge this season, it's Blackpool. Wigan didn't do themselves any favours with a shambolic defensive display but a 0-4 drubbing at home was something they least expected and a repeat of which they could ill afford. There's still a bit of wheeling and dealing on the agenda of most clubs with Blackpool, Fulham, Bolton and West Ham in particular focus. The depth of Blackburn's coffers hinge largely on the status of the imminent takeover, with Sam Allardyce set to receive a cash boost of £100 million. The luxury he won't have is time, with the transfer window set to close in less than two weeks.

Arsenal and Liverpool played out a tense yet exciting 1-1 draw at Anfield. While Arsenal enjoyed lengthy spells of possession, it was Liverpool who drew first blood. Arsenal's pretty passing was pleasing to the eye but hardly troubled the Liverpool defence. In fact, Liverpool owed a measure of gratitude to referee Martin Atkinson for sending off debutant Jole Cole deep into first half injury time. Having gone down to 10 men, Liverpool looked more likely to pocket all three points until Pepe Reina's 'butterfingers' moment. There's still no sign of a new top-class goalkeeper at the Emirates stadium. It could be another Arsenal season that ends in tears.