64% British fans who answered poll say Terry right to go; 42% want Redknapp to replace Capello
The Football Association was right to remove John Terry as England captain, say the majority of Britons who expressed a view in our poll. A slim majority believe former England manager Fabio Capello was wrong to publically back John Terry, while there is an even split on the question of whether Capello did a good or bad job as England manager. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is the overwhelming favourite, among those who answered, to replace Capello*.
A separate poll taken just after Terry was dismissed also found that Liverpool player Steven Gerrard is the favourite among British football fans to replace Terry as captain.
- 64% of those who answered the question believe that the FA was right to remove John Terry as England captain, compared with 36% who felt the decision was wrong
- 54% believe that Capello was wrong to back Terry publically; 46% he was think was right to do so
- 32% say Capello did a good job as England manager, while 32% feel he did a bad job; 35% feel that he did neither well nor badly
- 42% would like to see Harry Redknapp become the next England manager
- José Mourinho (17%), Martin O’Neill (16%) and Stuart Pearce (15%) are next on the list
Capello resigns over Terry case
Capello resigned from his role as England manager on Wednesday after an apparent disagreement with the FA over their handling of the John Terry affair.
Terry, who is due to stand trial in July over an alleged racially-aggravated public order offence, was dismissed as England captain last week after an FA board meeting.
Capello subsequently told Italian television that he disagreed with the decision, arguing that Terry should be allowed to continue as captain unless he is found guilty in court.
While our poll shows that nearly two-thirds agree with removing Terry from the captaincy, nearly half think that Capello was right to back his former skipper in public.
Redknapp favourite to replace Capello
On a day of high drama in football, Harry Redknapp was yesterday cleared of tax evasion charges and is now the clear favourite to replace Capello among those who answered our poll question. The Tottenham manager has enjoyed a successful season to date with the North London club, who currently lie third in the Premier League. More than twice as many Britons who answered want Redknapp as the next England manager than the second-placed man in our poll, former Chelsea and current Real Madrid boss José Mourinho.
Gerrard favourite to replace Terry
Meanwhile, a separate poll of British football fans which we conducted just after Terry was dismissed reveals that Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is the favourite to replace Terry as captain.
- 43% of those asked believed Gerrard should replace Terry as England captain
- Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart (9%) and Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker (9%) were the next most popular choices.
It may now be, however, that any decision on a permanent captain will be delayed until after the manager vacancy has been filled.
These questions were asked just before Fabio Capello resigned. The question about who should replace him referred to his previous intention to step down as manager after the 2012 European Championship.
Those who did not express a view on the questions asked have been removed from the above results.
See the survey details and full results of our poll on Capello as manager
See the survey details and full results of our poll on replacing John Terry
