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DAVID Bentley reckons England are geared up for success under new boss Fabio Capello because the Italian has transformed the atmosphere from a holiday camp into a boot camp.
Blackburn midfielder Bentley, who has been named in Capello's squad for next week's friendly international with France in Paris, has hinted that the players, rather than the manager, called the shots during Steve McClaren's ill-fated spell in the England hot-seat.
However, the arrival of strict disciplinarian Capello has led to a complete shift of power, to the extent that Bentley now believes everything is in place for England to flourish.
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The Rovers star said: "He's got everyone moving in the right direction. He's got great discipline and that's good as far as I'm concerned.
"Players need reining in. If you give me an inch, I'll take a mile - that's the way young British footballers are sometimes.
"If you can do what you want then you literally do do what you want.
"When you know you have to be focused for training, and training's hard because you've got double sessions, and you have to be working because training isn't a jolly-up, it's a good environment to be in, and I can imagine the success that's going to come because of that.
"Hopefully, I can be a part of that because I can see it being very successful, to be honest."
Capello has already introduced a strict code of conduct as part of his tough new regime, with players ordered to eat together and abide by a rigid dress-code.
But, while that might have come as a culture shock to some, Bentley has welcomed the moves, believing it instils the kind of discipline that is required to succeed at the highest level.
"It's simple. He manages you and tells you what to do. He has rules and I find that good, because I like having rules," said Bentley.
"We all eat together, we all have to turn up to training in a certain tracksuit, and go to games in a suit.
"I think it's a mark of respect and you know when you go in there that you are going to work, and it's business, and you're all moving in the right direction; everyone's not going off on their own and doing their own thing.
"Any team game has to be like that.
"If it's not and it's run by the players, then it's not a good environment.
"That's why you have managers; that's why top managers are paid a lot of money to manage clubs; and that's why the top managers always bring success because they manage in the right way.
"If you don't do it that way, then you don't all move in the right direction. It's a team game, and you have to move in the right direction together."
Although Bentley stopped short of directly criticising the previous regime under McClaren, it's clear he feels the whole England set-up is now more geared to success.
"I'm not going to comment on what happened before, to be honest. What's happening now is really good and it's going to be successful, you can see it," he said.
"When you look at what he's (Capello) done, and where he's been, and what he has won, you think, Right, I'll have a look'.
"It sort of inspires you to become a better player, and I imagine that's the case with the whole group, because we all want to impress him, and try to do do well for him.
"Nothing changes in football. You play for the manager, and you play for your team-mates, and then you probably play for the fans thirdly.
"You don't play for the media, or to be Mr England, or to have all the headlines - you play for your manager and your team."
Although Bentley was bitterly disappointed by England's failure to qualify for this summer's Euro 2008 finals, he believes some good could ultimately come out of it.
He added: "Sometimes failure brings success. Sometimes you have to be knocked down to see the bad things that are going on. So I think failure will bring success."
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