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A shambles. ‘Passion’ isn’t a problem. Technique and tactical nous is and has been for years.
The next manager should be a quality international manager, not a knee-jerk populist choice.
I agree with your first comment Aranalde.
Re your second comment – have you any thoughts regarding who you would like to see appointed? I see that the betting on BF suggests that it’s between Mourinho, O’Neill and Capello.England looked inept. My reading of it is as follows –
There is enough talent on the pitch. I don’t think they have as many ‘world-class players as they’d like to think they have but they have enough strength in depth to be considered among the top six sides in Europe.
Maclaren, hoewever, was clearly out of his depth from day one and teh set up at the FA needs examining (I understand five officials from amateur leagues help decide the strategy).
The main problem though, as I see it, is that rather than wanting to win the players and staff are pertified of losing. That seemed to be one of the key differences between the teams last night and has been a feature of England’s play over the last two decades.
For that I blame the ‘English’ media primarily, but also the fans (although I recognise that the fans are guided in their thinking by the media).
The professional plonker Adrian Durham on Talksport, scoffed at suggestions that England would benefit from a dose of Scottish passion or Israeli commitment as ‘they were both out’. I’ll tell you what, if that England team could play with the belief and passion that Scotland conjure up at Hampden then there would be no limit as to what they could achieve with their talent. The reason Scotland have been ‘over-performing’ is because the fans get behind them and ‘support’ them and the Scottish media are not out to do a hatchet job on them at every turn.
Sorry Cormack, but I disagree. There isn’t enough talent on the pitch. England simply do not produce enough of the right kind of player, that is players who can pass, trap, dribble under pressure and who have what you might call, ‘football intelligence’, that is an awareness of what is going on around them. We deal in straight lines and long balls.
English football hasn’t developed tactically since 1966 and we are still producing the same kind of footballers: fit, strong, competitive but technically and tactically substandard.
Mourinho would be the obvious choice, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want it. Capello would be fine. Of the British managers, O’Neill is the least worst
There isn’t enough talent on the pitch. England simply do not produce enough of the right kind of player, that is players who can pass, trap, dribble under pressure and who have what you might call, ‘football intelligence’, that is an awareness of what is going on around them. We deal in straight lines and long balls.
I agree.
There’s nothing wrong with straight lines … when it’s combined with the most sophisticated stuff.
Which is why English teams do well in Europe and why the England players look so much better when in combination with talented foreigners.
But, on it’s own, it’s just not doing the job against decent international teams … and hasn’t for a very long time.
Steve
Harry Redknapp might be a good bet at around 14/1.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
OK, I’ve just about got over it now. Apologies to Steve for my comments last night.
This morning I watched a full re-run of the game. The first thing that stood out like a sore thumb was when the national anthem was being played. There was one person who was holding his head high, pumping his chest out and singing with pride and passion……. it was a 7 or 8 year old mascot!
Another thing I noticed was that on a muddy pitch Gareth Barry at half time, Frank Lampard after about 70 minutes, Wayne Bridge and others at full time etc, didn’t have a spec of dirt on them!
Ok, these might not be football related, but if these overpaid egos are not prepared to learn and belt out the national anthem, not willing to give blood, sweat and honour for their country, and don’t have any pride or passion then they should resign from playing for their country and give someone who is prepared to make a tackle a go.
Playing for your country should be the proudest moment of a footballers career, yet it means so little to English players these days that we have top class players like Carragher and Scholes retiring from International football when they have/had 4 or 5 more years ahead of them. Whats all that about?
Yes McClaren made mistakes and I fully support him being removed from his position, but the guy shouldn’t be the only one who feels he let his country down – those players need to take a long hard look at themselves. It’s a shame, but it’s possibly true that most of the English lads would rather appear in ‘Hello’ magazine than appear in the sports pages.
As for the next manager, well I haven’t got a clue. Watching Roy Keane on Sky Sports News then just give him the job because it’s obvious to me that he knows the root of the problem. Too many egos was his opinion, and someone like Stuart Pearce would sort that out. If you’re looking for a manager with a proven track record then it has to be Mourinho doesn’t it. The fact that he gets on with the press is a huge advantage as getting them on your side is a must. But would he want the job? I doubt it.
Mike
"As for Carson, even when Robinson is in form, Carson’s still a superior goalkeeper ."
Oh dear! Seems like I’ve put the kiss of death on Carson (as I’ve done with a few horses over the years). Hope Mclaren doesn’t find out where I live.
After Carson’s clanger, the English team looked like they were going to sh*t themselves – how can so called top players on 6 figure sums per week degenerate into the headless-chickens they became for most of the first half?
England always over-rate themselves (or at least the English Press and many – perhaps most – of their fans do). But, when the sh*t hits the fan, the intensive, introspective navel-gazing goes too far the other way.
In spite of having an inept manager who couldn’t stir-up a pot-noodle, in spite of having fancy-dan players who don’t perform when the chips are down England were a cat’s-cock-hair away from qualifying.
One’s fate can hang on the slenderest threads in football, as in life. Had the ref in the game in Russia not awarded the Russians that penalty for Rooney’s tackle outside the area, then England would be through and McClaren would still be with us (so well done that ref.
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Scotland were a credit to their nation and prove that with a tactically aware manager who plays the best team not the best players, then British football can stand shoulder to shoulder with the top guns. Why can’t the superior individual players in the England squad do the same?
Sure, Owen, Rooney, Ashley Cole, Terry, and Ferdinand were missing last night and McClaren could consider himself unlucky in that respect but, he ain’t up to it and shouldn’t have been given the job to begin with. Would Arsenal, Chelsea, Man. Utd., A.C. Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid have ever wanted McClaren as their coach? No way. But England (or the F.A. did) – so they’re culpable too.but we havn’t got a world class goalkeeper and havn’t had one for years. you can have the best manager in the world but if your goalkeeper lets in goals you’re not going to win anything.
True Moehat. Carson though can surely be forgiven that one clanger.. He’s been great for Villa this season and looked top-notch in the U21 finals.
How did you rate Peter Shilton?
Didn’t he drop a clanger in a crucial world cup game?
I believe Carson, Green (and possibly James) whilst not the very best are good enough at international level (don’t think Robinson is though).
I don’t buy that "what was McClaren doing playing an "inexperienced" 22 yr-old in a game of this importance? " claptrap. McClaren was right to pick him – but clang! The fickle finger of fate f***ed Carson and McClaren.We need two things:
1. A serious attempt to overhaul the coaching system as France did after 94 when they failed to qualify for the World Cup. More emphasis on getting young players developing technical skills rather than slogging up and down full size pitches three times a week in front of two sets of screaming parents. Dusting off the plans for Burton and investing properly in this excellent facility. English football has mass support, a never-ending supply of youngsters wanting to play the game and is awash with cash. Surely it isn’t beyond the wit of the FA to bring these things together?
2. The effects of improvements in coaching could take up to 10 years to feed through, so in the meantime we need a tactically savvy experienced international class manager to get the best out of the players we have and to build a team, rather than a collection of individuals (Insomniac is spot on). This means Mourinho, Capello, Lippi, Scolari. It does not mean Pearce, Shearer, ‘Big’ Sam or ‘Arry.
It is true that we were not all that far away from going through. But the football we have played throughout this qualifying period has been tactically niave and devoid of flexibility or imagination. People kept saying at the last World Cup that all that mattered was the result as we stumbled past Trinidad, Paraguay and Ecuador, but the fact remains that if you play consistently poor football over a period of time, you won’t win anything. At least our embarrassment ends here. Had we qualified, we’d have had our asses spanked big time in front of an audience of millions next summer.
I do disagree about the navel gazing. We need more introspection, or rather, investigation, not less. We haven’t moved on since 1966 and its time we took a serious look at the kind of footballers we produce.
We won’t do this of course, we will get diverted down cul-de-sacs and blind alleys, such as, ‘The foreign players in the Premier League are to blame’ or ‘We need the players to show more passion’. But I digress.
Alan Shearer? Cobblers. Judging by his performances on BBC, I’d rather have Alan Partridge.
Good post Aranalde and I agree with most of your comments. We certainly need better coaches to teach the players better technical skills – determination and passion can only get us so far and I think that it is mainly those two qualities that have made us progress as far as we have in the past. Now we’ve been caught out because the players have started to show less passion etc.
Of the international managers that you mentioned I think that Fabio Capello would be the best – I believe he has won every domestic title with all the clubs he has managed. May have a language problem though but this can be overcome.
Foreign players in the league are not to blame – if the english players were good enough then they would have no problem in keeping their first team places.
As for Shearer……I don’t get it. He has not even managed a club yet but is presently 20/1 on BF
I’d rather have Alan HansenGood post Aranalde and I agree with most of your comments. We certainly need better coaches to teach the players better technical skills – determination and passion can only get us so far and I think that it is mainly those two qualities that have made us progress as far as we have in the past. Now we’ve been caught out because the players have started to show less passion etc.
Of the international managers that you mentioned I think that Fabio Capello would be the best – I believe he has won every domestic title with all the clubs he has managed. May have a language problem though but this can be overcome.
Foreign players in the league are not to blame – if the english players were good enough then they would have no problem in keeping their first team places.
As for Shearer……I don’t get it. He has not even managed a club yet but is presently 20/1 on BF I’d rather have Alan HansenPete,
I don’t think Shearer has a chance of getting the job, and I certainly wouldn’t want him as manager – but don’t let the fact that he has never been a manager put you off.
It’s happened before and it will happen again at big nations where a manager is appointed without ever having any experience at club level. An even worse thought is that the players that get these jobs usually do so because of their reputation playing for the country in question.
I’m talking of course about Steve Staunton and Frank Rijkaard – both seen as great players for their country and got the national job without ever being a manager at club level
Quick, let’s all grab the 20’s about Shearer, and then when he is appointed we will use some of our winnings to have him assassinated
Mike
when he is appointed we will use some of our winnings to have him assassinated
Mike
The press will do that for us Mike
Your point is a good one though as Klinsmann did a good job for Germany without managing a club previously and I’d forgotten about Staunton. I wonder how some of the english fans would feel about having a german in charge of their team? He’s presently about 33/1. My money is on O’Neill at 5’s and Capello at 7’s but my previous success rate in this type of market is quite dire
Had the ref in the game in Russia not awarded the Russians that penalty for Rooney’s tackle outside the area, then England would be through and McClaren would still be with us (so well done that ref.
That would be the same ref that allowed England’s offside goal in the same match.
Far be it for me to introduce a sense of perspective, but a goal is worth more than a penalty so, on the balance, England benefitted from the ref’s blunders in that game.
Steve
PS McCleish should learn this lesson too. What on earth caused him to complain about a referee that disallowed a perfectly good Italian goal on Saturday?
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I’d rather have Alan Hansen
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