Drinking from the poisoned chalice

So the England manager's position is once again up for grabs - Fabio Capello proving himself a man of principle in his decision to resign over the FA not consulting him in a decision relating to team affairs.

Fabio walked away from the most lucrative contract in football, a bumper wage that always prevented fans and the media from embracing him as England manager, particularly when results started to dip.

Many feel that expectations of an England manager are far too high. World Cup victory in 1966 has proven to be the exception, not the rule, yet the press often whip up expectation ahead of major tournaments.

But then, this does sell papers. As does vitriolic coverage when we're inevitably knocked out.

For most sane England fans, it's not about failure, it's how you fail.

Glenn Hoddle's England side were knocked out of the 1998 World Cup by Argentina in the last 16. Similarly, Capello's team were eliminated by Germany in the last 16. But there's a world of difference between the performances in these tournaments. 14 years ago, the England side ran the gamut of highs and lows over four games. South Africa brought a horizontal line of intense mediocrity.

Harry Redknapp is the people's choice for England but those close to him advise caution. The national job was once labelled the highest honour in football management for an Englishman.

Now everyone is in agreement that the England job is a poisoned chalice.

If they still make chalices, outside of storing them as historical artefacts, then they owe a debt of gratitude to the world of football for keeping the word 'chalice' alive.

Should we assume that the majority of fans interviewed in the street or appearing on phone-ins are also big on their Shakespeare?

The most famous use of the term outside of football comes in MacBeth, where the central character considers the ramifications of murder.

But in these cases

We still have judgment here; that we but teach

Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return

To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice

Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice

To our own lips

Put simply, that which looks appealing could be be poisonous. Like the England job. 6 million pounds a year but potential career suicide. Steve McClaren can win as many Eredivisies as he likes but he will always struggle to free himself from his umbrella shaped prison cell.

Or you might say, he needs to get the shackles off. Again, if shackles salesmen are still making a living, it's thanks to the inhibited way in which managers send their players out.

Harry was among many of the pundits concluding that when it came to England in South Africa, the shackles needed to come off.

Seriously, when else are shackles talked about these days? When armed robbers and murderers have their legs tethered together with steel. Have eleven players ever struggled to such an extent that they might be confused for somebody on death row? Ask anybody that watched England v Algeria....

It's another example of phrases from the Middle Ages holding their own in football's lexicon. You might have noticed earlier I talked about running the gamut.

So if Harry is to succeed as England manager, I would advise him to master the medieval elements. Keep the gamut of emotions high, get the team playing shackle-less football and drink your champagne straight out of the bottle. Steer clear of any chalices.