In his fifteen months on the job, England manager, Fabio Capello has done a splendid job navigating the choppy waters of international football for the first time. Sure there have been a couple of squalls most notably against France and Spain but who doesn't lose to the French on their home turf or the Spaniards who are quite rightly regarded as the best team in international football right now. 

His squad selection has been fairly predictable, I mean, the best players pick themselves, right? However he has added the odd dash of Tabasco now and again to spice things up and keep the rabid English press on their toes. His most controversial moves perhaps have been picking David 'I'm going to beat Bobby Moore's record' Beckham and ignoring Michael 'I score a goal every other game for my country' Owen - and then came Ledley King.

Those choppy waters became a tempest of outrage, as the Italian seemingly was to about to embark on a truly spectacular gamble. No one doubts King's ability to play football especially at the international level where he has earned 19 caps however there are huge question marks over capacity to play two matches in five days. The Tottenham defender has only managed this feat twice in the last two seasons and if reports are to be believed his knee swells up like a party balloon after matches.  His club manager, Harry Redknapp, said, "I'd love to see him play for England. But he simply cannot play two games a week."

One can't help but wonder why Mr. Capello would select a player who was this fragile. The last time I checked, World Cup tournaments are seven matches, played under the most insane pressure in the space of thirty days and that's if you plan on making it to the final. There just seems to be no physical way, Ledley King could compete under those circumstances.

Had the spirit of Steve McClaren morphed across the channel and infected the Italian, was the hype and demands of the job beginning to get inside his head, picking King certainly suggested that the words 'lost and 'plot' may soon be joined together to form the perfect phrase and then it came to me.

Fabio Capello is the most cold-blooded, hardnosed man in football. He used Ledley King - that's right he used a man he knows won't be playing in South Africa to send a powerful unmistakable message. The message he sent though was extremely subtle and many have missed it's meaning except the two people it was directed at - can you guess who those two might be?

I firmly believe that Capello put his captain, John Terry and his defensive partner, Rio Ferdinand squarely in his crosshairs. Of course, Capello knows that this is the partnership that will lead England to ultimate victory but he is not blind to the fact that both men have not been at the top of their games recently. 

The Italian was at White Hart Lane on Saturday and would have had the opportunity to judge Terry and King first hand - a head-to-head battle that King won hands down. He will have also noticed, Ferdinand's, recent mini slump against Liverpool and Fulham. For sure, players of this quality, playing at this level have little dips in performance but it won't happen on the England managers watch and that is what the selection of Ledley King was meant to convey.

This was a kick up the backside to multi-millionaire footballers. The meaning of the message was that no-one is safe, no-one has a divine right to play for England, you will be selected on merit and that you have to bring your best every single time you step onto the field for not only your country but your club.

I am positive that Terry and Ferdinand have exchanged looks and words over the last few days training bucking each other up and demanding more of each other. After all you're only as good as your playing partner and neither of these two excellent center backs wants to be exposed by the other.

At the end of the day I do feel sorry for King as he was an unwitting pawn but at the same time I admire the true brilliance of Capello. He used a situation that seemingly had him making a ridiculous unfocused selection to focus two vital players for the road ahead. England hasn't had a manager thinking this deeply and ruthlessly since...Sir Alf Ramsey - that didn't work out too badly did it?

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.