Managing England is no easy task but the chastened figure of Fabio Capello succeeded in making the possible 'impossible' on Friday when his conversation with the media moved on to the uncomfortable subject of Rio Ferdinand.

It was Capello's failure to meet Ferdinand at Old Trafford, and so explain to him in person why he was stripping him of the England captaincy and handing it back to John Terry, that caused such a stir.

Limbering up: England captain Terry leads the players in training on Friday

Why did he expect Ferdinand to stand there in the directors' box, in the full view of every camera lens at the ground and listen to what he already knew?

Why had he not gone to the bother of calling Manchester United and asked them to arrange a meeting room? Somewhere where things could be done with dignity and, more to the point, privacy. In a corner, and without the ability to talk himself out of trouble because of his poor grasp of English, it was then that Capello said something utterly ridiculous.

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