Fabio Capello draws battle lines.....

[stuartmccallsfall 4]

.....as Scotland plan new invasion

Fabio Capello, the England manager, has given his backing to a friendly against Scotland at Wembley in the spring and the fixture is likely to be ratified at an FA board meeting today.

The date has yet to be finalised, but a home fixture will take place in the last week of May, with the Friday — May 30 — pencilled in after the success of a similarly scheduled match against Brazil last season. It will be the first time the nations have met since England knocked Scotland out of the Euro 2000 play-offs under Kevin Keegan in November 1999 and the first non-competitive fixture between the teams since the collapse of the Home International tournament in 1989.

For the past 19 years England Scotland matches have taken place only if necessary — there was another meeting at Wembley during Euro ’96 — because of the potentially volatile nature of the fixture, but talks have been continuing between the FA and the SFA since England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

With Scotland also failing to qualify — the first time that neither country has made it to the final stages of a leading tournament since 1994 — it provided a perfect opportunity to renew hostilities. Scotland officials have long wanted the match to become an annual event again.

Senior figures in the English and Scottish FAs shared a plane journey to South Africa for the World Cup draw in November, when Gordon Smith, the SFA chief executive, attempted to persuade Brian Barwick, his opposite number, that it was time to revive the historic fixture.

England had no manager at the time and were reluctant to make a firm commitment without first checking with Steve McClaren’s successor, but summer fixtures were high on the agenda from the moment Capello began work this month and the new manager has given the proposal the thumbs-up. He will also seek an away match for the first week in June, with a plan to release his players no later than June 3. The identity of the second opponent is under discussion.

England and Scotland first met in 1872 and have played 110 times, but it was believed that Capello might shy away from reviving the fixture in the belief that a match against British-style opponents would not be good preparation for England’s World Cup qualifying group, which includes four opponents from Eastern Europe.

It was also felt that Capello could be made a hostage to fortune by such a meeting, with England enjoying little credit for a victory but massive humiliation if defeated. Capello clearly does not think in such a negative manner. Certainly the FA’s marketing department will be pleased, with the match guaranteed to sell out.

I think this would be a cracking game.

[JR 1,480]

Bring them on!

[Jelle1880 236]

That would be fantastic

[Mike Newells Sexist Army 2]

Don Hutchinson recall!