Embarrassed to be English

9:30am Tuesday 18th December 2007

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AS REGULAR readers of my column will not be surprised to learn, I am so angry about the appointment of Fabio Capello as the new England manager.

I see him as the easy, short-term option and, call me a little Englander, but I feel the national team should be about national pride.

Even FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who can be an arrogant so-and-so, is looking down his nose at us now and said he doesn't think it's right and that it would not happen in France, Germany or Italy.

He's right on this occasion and I'm sure the likes of Alf Ramsey and Brian Clough would be spinning in their graves and it's a shame they are not around now to share their thoughts.

I also can't understand why we have to pay three times as much in wages than any other country and I'm an embarrassed Englishman.

It's galling that Capello will be bringing four other Italian coaches in to work with him. His appointment would still have left a sour taste in my mouth but I could have accepted it more if the FA were putting something in place in terms of grooming possible English successors, who could work alongside him.

I certainly won't be watching England now and even if they win the World Cup in 2010 it won't mean anything to me.

In the Premier League, meanwhile, I watched both big games at the weekend between Liverpool and Manchester United and Arsenal and Chelsea and they were just what you would expect - crash, bang, wallop stuff played at 100 mph with tempers frayed. I think Manchester United came out of the weekend looking the team to beat however.

Arsenal are very pretty but United look the better team and have more experience. Arsenal are also more volatile and I think Cesc Fabregas is getting away with murder at the moment.

He over-reacted to get John Terry booked and then got involved with Ashley Cole. He's doing that a lot now and you can only be classed as an exuberant kid for so long.

I think he will be making the long walk a few times soon if he carries on in that manner.

Closer to home, I was pleased to see York City equal the club record of five consecutive away wins at the weekend and hope they go on and beat it at Stafford on Saturday.

I came into the 1983/84 side that also achieved that feat and it was a very, very good team so if they have equalled that record it's great because people were writing them off just two or three weeks ago.

I'm delighted they have started to pick up.

Football is all in the mind and a couple of wins can make you a totally different team.

If they can do it at home as well, it could create a really good vibe at KitKat Crescent because there was a party atmosphere every time that 1984 side played at home and that was like a goal start for us.

At home the onus is on you to win and to play in a particular way though and that's why I think the three at the back system is proving successful in away games for Colin Walker at the moment.

When I was Hartlepool manager I was always looking for three really solid centre halves and two good full backs to play that system away from home because you can keep it tight, frustrate the opposition and look to nick something.

At home, your full-backs need to play more like wingers otherwise it can look very negative.

Some managers swear by it though, home and away. Brian Little, for example, always plays that way.

Finally, I would like to wish all The Press readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.