England Football: Pick A Team Not Players

The England journalists got their wish and David Beckham was axed only to be replaced by another non winger in Steven Gerrard. OK he plays there for Liverpool but Liverpool play a different system and frankly one spawny underdog triumph aside have not won anything yet. Plus international football does not have the turkey shoot element of 80% of club football where it is about putting out the trash. Yes, many international sides are rubbish and need to be dismissed but eventually you have to win 3 or 4 tight tactical encounters and maybe even score some penalties. Plus often international teams set out with more determination and negativity than say Sunderland last season.

Myself and the comrades have traded the Lampard in or out or the "need" for more of Man United's lesser players backwards and forwards without many points being score positively for a while. Indeed peoples' judgments on most players go backwards and forwards after each game or tournament. The exceptions are of course are Rio, Rooney and Gerrard, the latter two having cheated, sorry treated, England fans to over 2 years of at best mediocrity and worse poor performances. A measure of the up and down nature of the debate is the current status of last year's England player of the year Lampard (should have been Joe Cole). Indeed Joe Cole was player of the year right up to the game against Sweden when it became so obvious Hansen spotted it and then he stank for 2 games!

The point is that we can argue backwards and forwards about individual players BUT "the chinaman is not the issue here, dude". One day I am sure I will get a flood of told you so's when Roonaldo finally plays like the great player he has already been elevated to. However most games are won by the better team not by the actions of one player.

Assessment of players in England seems almost to be down in some cases ability and achievement - Terry. In some based on their ability to do what others cannot, pure ability often physical, rather what they achieve game in game out - Rooney and Gerrard. In others like progression in life the Alpha Male/Self Esteem some players have. Honestly Ashley Cole a determined under sized left back with minimal ability at set pieces or crossing and hence at best a decoy runner is elevated to the "Best Left Back" in the world*. Or Rio Ferdinand despite not being that good that often has twice been the most expensive defender in England and even with Chelsea about still is. What about Jermain Defoe who is passed over at Spurs for the confidence needing Robbie Keane - seriously reverse their self esteem and you may have one of the best players in the world and one of the most ordinary.

* In England at least. Besides Gordon Ramsey might be our leading chef as Rooney is our leading player, does anyone care who the best waiter is? Ditto Centre Forward compared to Left Back.

The point being that it really does not matter. I argued for the balance of the team and to go to a more modern formation than 442 we should drop 2 or 3 of our stars Owen, Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard and Beckham. After watching only 2 of them play against Macedonia and recalling the world cup I was wrong we could drop them all and be no worse. Indeed removing them and their huge egos from the team would probably help. I felt Sven's team too hierarchical and now we have McClaren's team with 'stars' and players he 'knows' (Phil Neville, Downing and Defoe).

Of course this is not going to happen but it should not stop the lesson being learned, that the team will be better when these players subjourn themselves to the team. Indeed then their flashes of individualism would make a great team stronger. The problem with stars is illustrated by Gerrard's indescribably self indulgent bio where he cannot contain his pathetic dislike of managers trying anything new with him. Yet of course Liverpool under Rafael Benitez has and they no longer rise or fall on such a dominant but inconsistent player in the centre - he even plays there for England now. Ditto Rooney who blew the experiment with a 4321 by behaving like the child he is against Northern Ireland last year. He blew the 451 by getting sent off as he was frustrated not having the ball to blaze over the bar 5 times a game.

If of course you still want to play the stars and pander to them with a 442 then all you are doing is mining the rich seam of failure that this country has become famous for over the last 40 years. Look at our results and I think it will confirm it is not about any individual player. It is not about who plays and who does not. Therefore my recipe for England is:-