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. Decisive, determined, dignified - he could end up being the best manager the English national team has ever had.

Is he worth more than three times what the next best-paid manager in international football is worth? than the men in charge of Algeria, Slovenia and the USA (to pick three teams at random out of a large goldfish bowl)?

I bring this up not to criticise the Italian - if that much over the market rate is what the deemed necessary to get their man, good luck to him. But I wonder what the FA thinks about its negotiating tactics now it has to cancel meetings, freeze hiring and find 10% spending cuts across the board. One of those cuts looks like it might be the £50,000 cheque the FA sends to the every year.

Set up by former , the clinic has been helping footballers get over addictions, depression and other personal problems for nearly a decade. But its work is now threatened by uncertainty over the FA's support. That cheque - less than 1% of Capello's annual salary - was due on 1 December and there has been no word of explanation from HQ.

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"Put the athletes first...there are no Games without the athletes, no breathtaking moments of brilliance, no spine-tingling magic. Putting athletes centre stage is not just about world-class venues, it is about creating an environment where they have everything they need to perform to their limits."

(for it was he), and thank heavens have you on board to keep them honest.

The best bit about that quote, and I've heard him deliver versions of it a few times over the last year or so, is that he gives every impression of meaning it. There are a few badminton players and rhythmic gymnasts who might disagree but Coe cares. He may have become a suit but .

That, as far as I can tell, makes him a shining exception. How else can you explain ? No consultation, no consideration and no chance to defend the Olympic titles they dedicated their adult lives to winning.

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The Christmas lights have been up in for well over a month now, the first festive cards have arrived from our neighbourhood takeaways and I've run out of room on the last page of my 2009 diary. This can mean only one thing: it's time to get a 2010 version.

That tends to be the only rite of passage that marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next for me these days. Getting excited about New Year's Eve is as distant a memory as my -inspired mop-top circa 1990 and almost as embarrassing.

But for the sport of swimming 1 January 2010 is not just the start of a new year, it's a rebirth. It's the end of a two-year science experiment and a return to the sport's roots: swimmer versus water versus other swimmers in water. And not a -designed thread between them.

As of New Year's Day only suits made from more traditional textiles will be permitted in competition. , sackcloth and ashes are in.

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