When I first read it – and before I had read what the mainstream media thought about it – it sounded like an over-ambitious plan that had no chance of success. In one respect at least, their aims for Euro 2012 and World Cup 2010, the FA were setting the bar at the right height – but expecting everything else to fall into place was quite ambitious considering their past track record.
The next day, I had the (mis)fortune to read what the press thought of it. It seems that no matter what the FA do, they will get ripped a new one. The same morons who ripped into the England team for not being good enough were now criticising the FA for setting the bar too low in terms of targets.
TOO LOW? Take out James, Beckham, Terry, Ferdinand and Lampard from the England lineup and have fun trying to reach the semifinals of Euro 2012 (assuming England qualify).
The press have taken the FA to task for setting a minimum criteria for England – anything less would be considered a failure. Considering that we’ve been stopped at the quarter-finals stage thrice and dumped unceremoniously out of Euro 2008 by sides supposedly inferior, I’d say it’s a pretty ambitious goal.
So – get your thumbs out of your asses and find something else to complain about – as far as setting targets for Fabio Capello is concerned, the FA have done the right thing. For once.
Download link: FA Vision document (pdf, 2.6mb)
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