The normally brutish English tabloid press has gone all weak at the knees when it comes to national team manger Fabio Capello. Now that a place at next summer’s World Cup Finals in South Africa has been secured the sport pages have been doting on the Italian who they claim “rules with an iron fist.”

The theories as to how Capello has England moving forward in unison have come thick (some thicker than others - his full head of hair and his choice in designer eyewear?) and fast. 

There is also a wide-eyed sense of wonder that purveys many of the articles. A genuine sense of bewilderment that England has a manager - a foreigner no less - who knows what he is doing. 

But anyone with an eye to Capello’s history would not be surprised. With the exception of a second spell at Milan during the 1997/98 season Capello has brought success to every coaching job he has taken on. He has won the league at every team he has managed, many in more demanding environments than his current one.

In taking on the England job he stepped into a situation where failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championships had left far more upside than downside to whoever became Steve McClaren’s successor.

That wasn’t the case when Capello stepped into the position vacated by Arrigo Sacchi at Milan in 1991. Sacchi had taken a club that had only won one scudetto and one European Cup Winners Cup in the last twenty years and turned them into Italian Champions and back-to-back European Champions in his first three seasons in charge.

Capello’s record – four Serie A titles in five seasons and a Champions League win achieved in spectacular fashion when Milan crushed Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona side 4-0 in the final in Athens. Maintaining and some would argue improving upon a successful team - particularly one owned by Silvio Berlusconi – is perhaps the hardest task in the game.

His next stop was the Bernabeu for the 96/97 season taking over a side stung by the domestic double achieved by Atletico the season before. A year later he was fired after winning the league but with a side that lacked the required panache to satisfy the Real Madrid faithful.

It is telling that Real recalled Capello almost a decade later after three trophy less seasons and with the lunatics (or sometimes known as players) apparently in charge of the asylum.

Both club and manager would have known that the chances of a successful long term relationship was zilch to nil but so desperate was Madrid management that they were willing to acquiesce to a lucrative three year deal insisted upon by Capello.

A year later Capello’s pragmatic approach had not surprisingly alienated Madrid fans (once more) but the team had been revived and had won the Liga. Capello was duly fired.

And it is perhaps the second stint at Real Madrid that most clearly demonstrates Capello’s character. He knew that his style was not going to be accepted (no matter how many trophies Real won), he knew that he would be vilified by the media; he knew that he would not be popular with the players.

And he didn’t care then and he doesn’t care now.

So no matter how much the press, fans and players swoon over Don Fabio it won’t change him one bit. Because at the heart of the matter Capello is a leader who understands what it takes to lead and popularity is not a necessary requirement.

Post-script – Success is quickly imitated so look for teams in England to start casting their nets in search of mini-Fabios in the next few months.