Take England to the semis or you're fired

The Football Association said today they will expect the England coach to reach the semifinals of the 2012 European Championships or face the consequences.

Guiding the team beyond the quarter-finals of major tournaments is the minimum expectation of the FA for Fabio Capello - or whoever succeeds the Italian - in their new four-year strategic vision.

England, who have failed to even qualify for the finals of this summer's European Championship and last reached a semi-final in 1996 when they were hosts, will be expected to reach at least that stage in four years' time in Poland and the Ukraine followed by the World Cup in 2014.

Fortunately for Capello, whose contract runs until after the 2010 World Cup, the FA's requirement doesn't kick in until after that date but the pressure will be enormous on either him or the next boss as they try and guide England to success.

It will be a daunting task for the man in charge of England at that time, particularly with the number of players available to him likely to be further reduced by the amount of foreign imports in the Premier League.

The FA's four-year vision, following 18 months of consultation, wants to change the philosophy of team England to a winning mentality.