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.