Capello calls for end to booing

Fabio Capello ushered in the greatest England victory of recent times, over Croatia in September, by saying that he would rather his team played anywhere but Wembley stadium. Last night the England manager called upon England supporters to stop the tradition of booing their own players and change the atmosphere of new Wembley as a ground in which the home side are often more intimidated than their opponents.

Having beaten Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb, Capello can be sure of a hero's welcome when England play Kazakhstan at Wembley on Saturday, but just to be sure he spelt it out to fans yesterday. With the Football Association mindful of bad publicity surrounding the £757m stadium ahead of the team's third 2010 World Cup qualifier, Capello will say in his programme notes on Saturday that the practice of booing players such as Frank Lampard has to stop.

"Ahead of the previous game [against Croatia], I said that playing away from Wembley was helpful – at that time," Capello said. "I said this because there is often less pressure playing away from home. With 90,000 supporters at home, there is great expectancy. Now that we have some of that crucial confidence back, I'm sure that it will be easier for the players to perform to the best of their ability here, and that the Wembley crowd will generate a big atmosphere for the team."

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The boos that accompanied the admittedly dire 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic in August were echoed when England left the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona goalless at half-time against Andorra. However, since then Group Six of the 2010 World Cup qualification campaign has been a walk in the park for Capello. "I was very happy with the players' attitude and performances against both Andorra and Croatia," he will say in Saturday's programme notes. "There has been steady improvement in every game since we played Switzerland in February, and we are gradually seeing the players' confidence return."

The England manager's assertion that "we must not get carried away with the performance against Croatia – it was one win" will resonate with many but it seems he is not yet prepared to make sweeping changes. Capello is also set to say on Friday that Michael Owen was left out of the England squad because he is no longer regarded as a more reliable goalscorer than Jermain Defoe. The Italian coach dropped Owen from the last England squad on the grounds that he did not feel he was fit enough – this time around, however, it was a matter of form.

Capello will say that the door is not closed to Owen but the basis of his latest decision suggests that, at the very least, Owen's international career is now in serious doubt. When Capello selected his four strikers for the squad to face Kazakhstan and then Belarus on 15 October it came down to competition between Defoe and Owen for one place in the squad. It was not Peter Crouch who was picked ahead of Owen for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers but the striker's Portsmouth team-mate Defoe.

Capello, it is understood, has drafted in Crouch as cover for Emile Heskey and it is Defoe – with just five goals for England compared to Owen's 40 – who has taken the place of England's most prolific current goalscorer. When Capello left Owen out the squad to face Andorra and Croatia in September – the first time a fit Owen had been left out in 10 years – the manager said that the Newcastle striker's match fitness was the issue. This time Capello believed that he simply could not justify picking Owen ahead of Defoe.

It is a blow for Owen that three goals in four games for Newcastle have not changed the mind of the England manager and there are no longer issues of fitness for Owen to comfort himself with. Wayne Rooney is a certainty to be picked by Capello, Crouch is Heskey's back-up and the final place goes to Defoe who, unfortunately for Owen, is regarded by the current England hierarchy as the closest they have to the Owen of five years ago.

It was not only his birthday that the Portsmouth striker, 26 today, was out celebrating in London on Sunday night. Defoe scored the winner against Stoke City on Sunday and is the top scorer in the Premier League so far with six goals. Capello is understood to regard him as a more effective all-round player whereas his concern with Owen is that, despite his goal record, the 28-year-old's contributions do not make him worthy of a place in the squad. The verdict from the Italian and his staff is that Owen can no longer be relied upon to score the goals that would often rescue otherwise anonymous performances.

Capello will say once again on Friday, when he gives his first press conference, that the door is not closed for Owen. The England manager means it because he is yet to be convinced that there is a prolific goalscorer at his disposal. However, for the time being he regards Rooney and Heskey as sacrosanct, Crouch as Heskey's back-up and one place available for the best of the rest.

Heskey will start against Kazakhstan but the Italian is worried about a yellow card that the Wigan striker picked up against Croatia. One more against Kazakhstan and he will be suspended for the game in Minsk. Given that the new England game plan, born of the success against Croatia, involves a destructive, physical presence to create the space for the likes of Rooney and Theo Walcott, Capello regards a back-up for Heskey as crucial.

Crouch may well feel hard done by. given his goalscoring record for England – 14 in 28 caps compared to five in 48 for Heskey – but there is no doubt that the latter is the flavour of the month. Capello is said to be unperturbed by Heskey's lack of goals at international level. It is what he creates for the other strikers that he regards as more important. That attitude is evident from Heskey's record this season – he has just one goal for Wigan in their 5-0 thrashing of Hull.