Starting in  September, confidence, the ‘sine qua non’ of successful pitches, has been a  regular topic.  During those few weeks Gordon has gone from ‘cow’rin’, tim’rous’ to roaring ‘beastie’, giving us more confidence in the process.

Something similiar is happening with the English football team.  Give or take, it’s the same bunch of players, same old skills, same formations, same tactics but now winning and winning well.  Why?  In one word, confidence.

“Capello gives players ring of confidence on path to higher ground” A headline in the Times which says Capello believes England’s rapid improvement is largely down to increased confidence, with the Italian eradicating a climate of fear and beginning the process of instilling a winning mentality.

” We have the confidence”, Capello said.  “Sometimes there have been moments when we have not played so well, but we are always confident of scoring goals to win the game.  Confidence is the most important thing for a team”.

As it is for any team pitching. And the key role for management, mentor or coach in the lead-up to the pitch is one of boosting confidence.  Not last-minute nitpicking.

Capello’s command of English may not be that great, but the body language, the crossed arms and those spectacles shout confidence in any language!