The Secret To England’s World Cup Success? Hooray Beer!

↵England’s World Cup camp was in total disarray a few days ago, with the old guard leadership of the team calling into question Fabio Capello’s management style. Namely, the team felt they were too cooped up at their training camp and needed something to take the edge off a bit. ↵

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↵↵Enter beer.↵

↵↵⇥Fabio Capello’s desperation to reinvigorate England’s faltering World Cup campaign prompted the Italian to relax his alcohol ban on the eve of today’s critical tie against Slovenia, allowing his players to enjoy a beer to calm their pre-match nerves.↵⇥↵⇥“They were allowed to drink beer before the game, you can ask them,” said Capello. “It’s true. I changed something and used my imagination.”↵⇥

↵↵The offer came in response to John Terry’s plea during a press conference earlier in the week asking for a little bit less pressure from Capello and his staff. In addition to playing Joe Cole – which Capello did after Wayne Rooney pulled up lame with a minor ankle injury – Capello did offer the squad the release they were seeking.↵↵The Guardian report indicates that it was “unclear” whether the players took Capello up on the offer. Yet The Sun reports that some of them did, in fact, imbibe before the biggest must-win match in England’s recent World Cup history.↵

↵↵⇥The wily coach - accused of being too strict - eased his rules to help the stars relax. He invited Rooney, Gerrard & Co to join him for a cold lager at the team hotel.↵⇥↵⇥Ex-skipper John Terry was among the players thought to have taken up the offer - days after he suggested the team was too wound up. And the Chelsea ace was on top form against Slovenia, making a string of crucial tackles.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥Midfielder Frank Lampard revealed most players were wary of Capello’s treat. And he said: “You don’t have ten beers - you just have one.”↵⇥

↵↵I don’t know about you, but I would love to see them play after having ten beers. Hey, maybe that’s what France did.↵