FA set to back Capello as Defoe defends manager

If Fabio Capello does indeed wish to see out the remaining two years of his England contract he will have been pleased by the events of the past 24 hours. First there was official confirmation from Liverpool that Roy Hodgson is their new manager. Hodgson steered Fulham to the Europa League final last season and was viewed as the only realistic  alternative to Capello if he was sacked following England's World Cup debacle.

Then there was the strong endorsement of Capello by FA board member David Sheepshanks, one of the more respected figures within the organisation. Sheepshanks warned against "knee-jerk reactions", saying they rarely improved the situation and often made matters worse.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk Sheepshanks, the former Ipswich Town chairman, said: "There are some very, very able and wise people around the FA board table and I have absolute confidence that they will come up with the right decision. Let's get this right. Fabio is tremendously able - one of the world's best managers - and a month ago I don't think you'd have heard many people disagree with that. He doesn't become a bad manager overnight."

Two of Sheepshanks' fellow board members – Bolton chairman Phil Gartside and Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development – have also declared their support for Capello with speculation growing that an announcement is imminent. Initial reports indicated that Sir Dave Richards, the FA's current chief, would decide Capello's fate by mid-July but the rest of the board want to endorse the coach as soon as possible so he can concentrate on rebuilding England's reputation.

But according to the Daily Mirror, Capello will no longer be able to turn to his long-time assistant, Franco Baldini for advice. The 49-year-old Baldini, has reportedly been an offered a position in his native Italy and in addition he wants a role less pressurised than his current one. That will please the FA and allow them to appoint a new assistant manager, almost sure to be an Englishman, who will take over when Capello steps down in 2012.

The news of Capello's reprieve will go down well with at least one member of the England World Cup squad. While most of the players have scuttled off to luxury island retreats following Sunday's humiliating 4-1 defeat to Germany, striker Jermain Defoe has found the courage to front up to the press. Asked if Capello should be held accountable for what happened in South Africa Defoe replied in the negative, saying: "You have to remember that the strict regime is the way the manager prefers to do things. His [Capello's] CV is second to none and he has won titles and trophies with four top European clubs and some fantastic players that way... every manager has their own different routine before a game. With Mr Capello we'd watch a video of the opposition and we'd go through their strengths and weaknesses. And I'd like to think, despite what is being said, that he has the respect of the players." ·