GERRARD - a match-winner as Liverpool captain, a liability as England captain - should he even be in the team?


MATTHEW Upson - football genius - or Capello's secret World-Cup winning weapon?


YOU can't tell mascots from players at Newcastle

Nobody can doubt that he is a player of great power and ability, with match-saving qualities for Liverpool.

• Yesterday's Hatchet Man

But when a more conservative approach is required to his midfield duties – when he needs to play for the team, rather than going in search of glory, he seems unable to join the footsoldiers on their march.

Every great captain is capable of turning a game but he is also capable of putting his team – and his mates – first. Can Gerrard do that for England?

We know he inspired Liverpool to the European Cup and the 2006 FA Cup but where did he disappear to when England were leading 1-0 in Russia and then lost 2-1?

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Not up to it: Steven Gerrard is a poor England skipper

Two big games, against Croatia and Russia, two impoverished performances.

Unable to inspire his team-mates, unable to lead from the front as England crashed out of Euro 2008.

Is he the right man for the job? He has the captaincy against Switzerland tonight, because John Terry is injured. Maybe Fabio Capello ought to have given the armband to Rio Ferdinand – a Manchester United player - on the 50th anniversary of Munich.

When it comes to the official appointment for the World Cup matches, surely Terry is the best man.

Gerrard may yet have other things on his mind - like getting in the team.

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James, Brown, Ferdinand, Upson, A Cole, Bentley, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Young, J Cole, Rooney.

If that is indeed the England team for tonight, it throws up a number of different options for the new manager.

The "Tradition": 4-4-2 with Bentley and Young as an inexperienced wide pairing.

The "Conservative": 4-5-1, with Rooney up front on his own and Joe Cole playing in a free role. Remember, though, it is only Switzerland.

The "Christmas Tree": Four at the back, Gerrard, Hargreaves and Bentley in a deep midfield three, Young and Cole up ahead and then Rooney as an attacking spearhead.

The "Chelsea": 4-3-3, with Cole and Young pushed right up alongside Rooney.

All would be better than the "Umbrella", the one where you pick the wrong team, see them throwing it away, freeze on the night and fail to make the right substitutions.

Whatever happens under Capello, it's got to be better than the wally with the brolly.

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Formation prancing: McClaren had little idea - even with added protection

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Is Capello wrong to ditch Michael Owen? I don't think so; his lack of form – one goal in 12 games – and his lack of movement and thrust are reasons to be very concerned about England's premier goalscorer.

But looking through the squad, who else is going to get the goals when it matters in World Cup qualifying?

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Matthew Upson did not appear in a single squad under Steve McClaren and yet he is straight into Capello's first team, it seems. That tells us one of four things:-

1) Upson has improved dramatically.

2) Capello has seen something nobody else has.

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Secret weapon: Is Matthew Upson a World Cup winner?

3) He feels you need a West Ham player in your defence to win a World Cup.

4) McClaren did not know what he was talking about.

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Scandal from north of the border when Terry Butcher, everyone's favourite English warrior, has joined up with Scotland as No 2 to George Burley.

Some of the Scots are up in arms about it, which is surprising given that they don't usually like a good moan ...

Butcher, who admits he is already calling Scotland "we", won 77 caps, captained his country and sweated blood for England. Now he has gone to the land of kilts and haggis.

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One of us, now one of them: Terry Butcher

The obsession with continental coaches here means that Butcher has been squeezed out; his passion was never enough and a succession of bad clubs could not offer him the platform he craved.

Now the former Rangers captain belongs to Scotland. It will be fascinating to see what happens if they come to Wembley later this year.

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Benjani, third top scorer in the Premier League, signed for £3.87million - and shirts without sponsors as a mark of respect for those who died in Munich.

Their owner may come from a different background and their manager may not have been up to much with England but Manchester City are getting plenty right just now.

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Following the events of the weekend, referees seem to have it in for Andrew Johnson.

Perhaps if he stayed on his feet more, he might get a few decisions in his favour.

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Mascots ... see any good reason not to take the costumes and burn them?

• PICTURE SPECIAL: Mascots Mayhem

If you want to see people dressing up and fooling around, you can always go and see Newcastle.

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They said: "It's surprising that a big nation of football must take a coach from another country." - Jakob Kuhn, Switzerland manager

They meant: "You aren't as good as you think you are."