A statement from the FA read: “The index ratings had not been seen or approved by Mr Capello, were published without his knowledge and that his representatives have taken immediate steps to have the material taken down.”
England’s miserable campaign came to a shuddering halt in the second round when they were humbled 4-1 by Germany to suffer their worst-ever World Cup defeat.
Goalkeeper Robert Green was the lowest ranked player in the Index, scoring 51.67 out of 100 following his blunder in the opening game against USA which saw him dropped for the remainder of the tournament.
Out-of-form striker Wayne Rooney scored 58.87 for his efforts over the four games, with Emile Heskey managing 60.15 and Jermain Defoe – who scored the winner against Slovenia – managing 62.47.
Shaun Wright-Phillips was regarded as England’s best midfielder with a tally of 61.09 while captain Steven Gerrard scored 60.98 and Frank Lampard 58.58.
The leading player in the Capello Index was Uruguay forward Diego Forlan, who scored 65.77.
Clearly Fabio Capello is probably wishing he never got involved with this web venture and one wonders the legality of the use of his name after the England boss has made it abundantly clear he is in no way responsible for the ratings on the site.
That said, the ratings seem about right although naming Robert Green as the worst player in the entire tournament is a bit of stretch, especially when you take into account all the French and Italian players who partook in the South African adventure.
Will Fabio stay in charge of the england team after this shocking revelation, the football odds seem to think so, what about you?
England were favourites to win both friendly games this week, and they proved the football odds right with wins against Mexico and Japan. The games were used as run-outs for the players which Fabio Capello may take to the world cup. Here are the highlights of both games, you can make your own assumptions of the final 23 man squad which is to be announced later today.
After the shocking relegation of Newcastle United last year, Portsmouth is confirmed to be out of the Big Boys’ list for the next season. But Avram Grant’s side showed some determination that helped them to beat Tottenham and reach the finals of the FA Cup. Frederic Piquionne and Kevin Prince-Boateng were the stars of the night. Portsmouth is going to fight the battle out against the mighty Chelsea in the final. This is surely great news for the long-suffering fans Pompey who can still end the season on a high.
Initially things looked bright for Tottenham as they started very well. They created their first chance within five minutes when David Bentley’s corner almost found Defoe. Another corner taken a little later was saved by David James as Crouch’s header dribbled past the post. But Portsmouth never lost their calm and slowly began to move the ball nicely. Dindane was playing with confidence; he provided a nice pass to Piquionne in the first half that failed to beat Gomes.
The second half was also dominated by the Spurs. Mokoena tackled Crouch very well throughout the match and their had been flashes of individual skills. But none of the teams was able to make it look like a thrilling FA Cup final. Pavlyuchenko replaced Defoe and Bentley was replaced by Kranjcar in the second half where as Pompey were yet to use their bench till then. The Wembley Stadium was stunned in the 99th minute when Piquionne coolly placed the ball inside the net from a close range. The centre back Michael Dawson, generally a reliable customer in the defense line, slipped that helped Piquionne to score the first goal.
Crouch converted Bale’s beautiful pass only after a couple of minutes of the first goal. But luck denied to stand by the Spurs as the referee ruled the goal out for a foul. Spurs created a few moves this time but all of them were defended away by the firm and determined Pompey defense line. Things turned even worse for Spurs when Palacios brought Aruna Dindane down inside the penalty box with just three minutes remaining on the clock. Boateng then made no mistake to drill home the penalty against his former team. John Utaka almost made it 3-0 but Gomes made a fine save. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
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