17 December 2007
VIDEO: Fabio Capello unveiled
Fabio Capello is unveiled to the media as the new England Manager, and calls it 'a dream come true'.
FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick introduced Fabio Capello to the media on Monday, and believes the Italian is the man to restore England's pride.

Having successfully completed the recruitment of a new Manager in a little over three weeks after England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, Barwick is certain that he has appointed the right man to lead the Three Lions.

Barwick said: "This is a significant appointment and we are delighted with the response from the public and the media to the news he is coming on board.

"We know we owe the fans - and we believe Fabio Capello is the man to restore our pride.''

Looking back on the past month, Barwick pinpointed the World Cup 2010 draw in Durban as the moment when he collected his thoughts and decided the type of man he wanted to take the reins.

"After the Croatia game the mandate of the FA board was to identify the next England manager,'' he said.

"Whilst at the World Cup draw in South Africa I took time out to think about the attributes needed to do one of the toughest jobs in football.

"For us we saw the next appointment as having to be somebody of world-class status, a man with a strong personality, a vastly experienced coach, a person used to handling big players, big matches and big in-match situations, a man who is tactically astute, tactically adaptable, with a proven pedigree, a mature individual who can handle a big job with the pressures that go with it."

The quality above all others that set Capello apart was his winning mentality that has brought silverware everywhere he has worked.

"A winner with a capital 'W'. That was the template, this is the man - Fabio Capello.

"He has coached and won titles with AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid.

"Fabio has won the Champions League, he has man-managed some of the world's best players and he was also an international player of high repute himself.''

Brian Barwick, together with FA Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking, made sure they sought the opinions of football people and utilised that pool of knowledge to inform their direction.

Barwick explained: "It is well known I met and spoke to a number of leading figures within the game here and abroad.

"I wasn't just seeking a name, but also their views on the England team and the set-up from a number of different directions.

"While the information was invaluable there should be no doubt Trevor and I were always clear about the calibre of man we were looking for."

Barwick was also keen to stress that the work was by no means over, with much still to be done to ensure The FA is moving in the right direction.

"We have talked about 'root and branch' and there has been some scepticism about whether we will see that through and whether it was just a smokescreen to recruit a senior coach. It wasn't.

"The FA's strategic review will be published in March 2008 and it will take us through the next five years of our life at the Football Association.

"A direct part of it will be to work out how we take the England situation forward in a positive way.

"One of the ways is to make sure Fabio's skills are 'sucked out' of him in terms of getting us not just to pick winning teams but to make sure we use his great skill across our whole coaching framework.

"We also want to make sure the coaching framework Trevor is building up has good, strong investment and we are giving people chances to become better coaches.

"The big initiative we are going to put out is in March. It is a strategic review of every element of the Football Association.

"Central to it is the development of coaches and coaching in this country.''