The Captain Conundrum.

Well. It's not very often that a team, never mind an international football team, changes its captain three times before a major tournament. But needs must, and Capello needs to, so we must accept it. Terry was stripped of the captaincy originally, and rightly so, but I've never seen Ferdinand in that captaining role. He doesn't even captain his club, with Ryan Giggs and co deputizing for Neville who I don't find the enigmatic captain anyway, so what makes him right to captain his country?

Gerrard has been given the captaincy following Ferdinand's injury, (change.) He's been injured more times than Peter Crouch has pinched himself for waking up next to Abbey Clancy this season. Gerrard's form is really at the low of his career at the finale of this season, so why would Capello give him the all important, and envied, captaincy? Exactly because of his poor form. We all agree he is a fantastic player. In the mold of Bryan Robson, Captain Marvel, he majestically drags his teams out of the mire time and time again. And the captaincy is the tool to get the best out of him. Giving him the impetus to play well, where in the past he's been subdued while wearing the three lion's shirt.

Ferdinand is a great loss. However, let us remain pragmatic. He's had a dismal season through injuries and form resulting from the injuries. If he had played a great campaign and then been crocked by Heskey in training, it would have made for more gutting news... but he hasn't. King, at the latter end of the season, and Dawson throughout the campaign have been consistently solid as a rock, so surely they are the better option anyway? Ferdinand is undoubted world class while in form. He's not in form though, so it's not as bad as it sounds.

Joe Cole returning is a massive plus as well. The jinking diminutive winger is class in an England shirt, and that's a rarity these days. Play well for club - play dismal for country is usually the formula, but he's the anomaly, the exception, to that rule. Well both the Coles are, and what a wing we could now have with those at the helm.

It's looking promising. Pre tournament omens aren't too bad. Crouch is at 66 to 1 to be the tournament's top goal scorer, so with all kinds of 66 connections, if Crouch plays and scores against America I'm going to Ladbrookes to put a tenner on England to win the whole thing.