“It's just little things,” Rooney said. “Like when he walks down the corridor past you. The way he holds himself, the way he looks at you. You just know he's a tough man - he has that aura about him.

“Sometimes he just walks by as if you're not even there and it can be quite intimidating.”

Overall, these are positive statements, though a far cry from the days of Sven Goran Eriksson, when the mood was apparently much more relaxed and informal.

“When we get to the England camp we're there for football - not to discuss his private life or talk about art,” Rooney added.

“We don't ask about his private life and he doesn't ask about ours. We're there to work, then we go home.”

It’s a much more professional approach, but you do have to wonder whether players talking “about art” has ever been a problem in the dressing room before.

Onehellofabeating.com understands that Emile Heskey’s failure to score is due to his fascination with postmodernism, and that his displays of late are meant to be seen as a continuous performance piece, offering a satirical comment on the historical nature of English centre-forward play, imbued with the striker’s own sense of irony. No wonder Capello has banned such talk.

“I think the key thing is that you know that if you don't play well every game under him then you'll lose your place. It's as simple as that,” Rooney added.

This can only be a good thing for team morale, banter or no banter. What ultimately matters is results in competitive fixtures, and in this regard Capello obviously has his players working for him. It’s certainly an “intimidating” record.

Has Capello got the right approach?