Robbie Earle sympathetic with Fabio Capello but says England manager should not have crossed FA

I DON'T imagine there were too many tears shed at FA headquarters when Fabio Capello resigned last night.

Managers of England are used to the turnip treatment in the press, but I bet there were some furious members of the FA ready to go after Capello with more than just a root vegetable after his very public opposition to the decision to remove John Terry as captain.

OUT OF ORDER: Fabio Capello was upset that John Terry was removed as England skipper by FA chairman David Bernstein. Right: Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is captain material.

If this had happened just after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, then I'm not sure the FA would have hung around for his resignation.

Back then, the country was ready for change after England's dismal efforts, but the FA stuck by their man.

OK, maybe they didn't fancy paying up his £6m-a-year contract, but I'd like to think there was also some loyalty involved in their decision.

That wasn't exactly reciprocated when Capello went on Italian television on Sunday to say the FA were wrong to strip Terry of the captaincy ... and that he still regarded the Chelsea man as his skipper.

The FA made their decision in the light of a date being set for Terry's trial, in which he is accused of racially abusing QPR player Anton Ferdinand.

As soon as the trial was scheduled for July – after the European Championships – the FA were in a jam. Whatever they did was bound to be contentious, but they would have surely have expected Capello's support, if only in public.

When he took the action he did, his position was surely untenable ... so much so, in fact, that you wonder whether his action was premeditated.

If the Italian wanted to walk, he got his way during a showdown with the FA yesterday.

So a new broom is required, and Harry Redknapp is deservedly the overwhelming favourite for the job.

Tottenham supporters will be gutted about Capello's decision, because the last thing they'll want is to lose the manager who is steering them back into the Champions League, and even on to the fringes of the Premier League title race.

For now, a caretaker regime involving Stuart Pearce, Gareth Southgate and maybe Sir Trevor Brooking might be FA's choice.

As late as yesterday afternoon, Capello was odds-on favourite with the bookies to still be in charge for the European Championships.

His exit is a shock, but in hindsight, the fact he and the FA have disagreed publicly showed just how poor their relationship was.

For the record, I actually have some sympathy with Capello's views on the Terry situation, I just think he should have kept them to himself.

The FA didn't want to go into a tournament with a captain and figurehead who had a race trial hanging over him.

But I'm inclined to agree that Terry should have been allowed to keep the armband because he maintains his innocence and hasn't been tried.

That said, once Capello had so publicly defied his bosses, there was only one likely outcome, so England are now looking for a new manager as well as a new captain.

Personally, I'd ask for Steven Gerrard to be skipper because he is experienced, is a club captain, and should be guaranteed his place in the side.