ThereWEsaidit: Croatia, England Debacle End for McClaren and FA?

I lived through the Bobby Robson years which bizarrely some look back on with affection now. I hoped never to see such foolishness in an England manager only to see an unbroken line of continuing foolery. The latest incumbant may be the most pathetic of the lot. He claimed he was a break with the past 6 years despite sitting next to Svennis for almost all those years. He was given the job despite a huge and unprecedented red flag being hoisted by his club captain that he was incredibly deficient and that any success his team enjoyed last year was because the players were running the asylum. He claimed he was not Sven and had ideas of his own. Yet for 3 games he persisted with the 1 up 1 back central midfield that killed Scholes and is killing Lampard's reputation - for all his critics this is almost every pundits and journalists preferred formation.

Then without road testing it 4 days after one game he makes the biggest change one can make he goes to a back 3. Now this is not the same as Sven's tinkering in the world cup - most of the players then played for teams that play 1 up front - indeed Rooney has played on Man United teams that do. However changing your defensive alignment for one no one plays and without testing it in easier games is moronic. As it went wrong Steve just wrote in his book as Venables tried to get the stricken fool to change something.

Nothing summed up his foolishness more than the inclusion of failed holding player, right back, left back and centre half Jamie Carragher in his 5th position for England. Hidden alongside Hyypia and behind Momo and Shabby he can be the below average centre half he is but exposed in a 3? In adding Carragher McClaren added another poor technical footballer to a team unable to hold the ball. With players like C'Ashley, Carrick, Gerrard, strangly inept Lampard, Rooney who give the ball away with bottle tops another passing luddite was critical mass. Then he added Defoe and Richardson late on for good measure.

What made me realise he was not the sharpest knife in a box of blunt knives was his call for "Pride and Passion", 3 days of analysis of the Macedonia home game and weeks since the away game and all he could think to do, aside from 352, was to make the kind of moronic call from the journos for mindless headless play from the players. More shouting!

Whilst one can rattle through the desk chairs (players) and talk about re-arranging them the fact is despite interviewing better candidates and taking the safe choice England have chosen a man inadequate for the job. Quite what possessed the FA to ignore Southgate's warning and surely the fears his interview must have raised about his reasoning ability. They should resign as well without compensation. McClaren should take a short look at himself and also go. He could have stayed at Middlesborough and performed so so for years quite why he decided to take the most important sporting role in the country is beyond me. His arrogance is only matched by his stupidity. What a brains trust he and Sven must have made.

OK I cannot let the players escape that debacle. Yes management need to be sorted out and the FA but that is not going to happen. Save to say that the reason England played a back 3 was to have an extra body in the void of the ludicrous stretched 442 where Lampard/whoever is asked to cover an area the size of Germany. Normal teams do this by taking away a forward and playing 451 or 433 but that would mean choosing between wickle Wayne and Biggie Crouch. Their outstanding recent play for England, of course, meant only sane rational intelligent people would do that.

Paul Robinson's error was funny and the only entertainment in the game. His saves frankly routine and made look better than they were by his over enthusiastic need to dive when the shot is straight at him. His positioning for the first goal merely compounding the criminal efforts of John Terry and C'Ashley. As said when discussing Terry Robinson's criminal weakness in 1 on 1s mean he should be dropped if England want to play a 442 with the high line required to make it work.

John Terry is not an international centre half for me. He lacks pace and England will not play the 433 he needs to be at his best. Indeed listening to most pundits we will/should play a 1 up 1 back central midfield in a 442 which if it will ever work demands a high line be held. Terry does not play the high line for me due to his lack of pace. You'd need someone more gifted than England have to play alongside him.

Lampard should retire if only to let Gerrard make a clown of himself trying to be half as good in the void that is the England central midfield with a 1 up 1 back and 2 wide players. He is 28 with a new baby and will be 32 by the next world cup. Seriously he plays 60-65 games a year where he is a god, why would he want the aggravation? No one could come close if England naively went back to the 442 as played under Keggsie, Sven and McClown so his reputation would soar by not playing, see Beckham, Gerrard et al.

Crouch is a poor player and should not be in the squad.

Rooney. Are you a good player if play badly 20 games on the trot? Only in England. it makes no sense to me that especially with strikers where form is paramount the England manager's commit suicide by insisting on backing their strikers. This is fine in club management but international football is different. Rooney is great in and around the box but poor shooting, team work, excreable passing and indiscipline surely make him as far away from an automatic selection as you can get? Kevin Davies or Andy Johnson should be tried in a 4321 or a 451 or 4411. Give them time that has been given to so far lesser players like Crouch and Defoe, not to mention the fading remnants of Michael Owen's ability. United will have to show the way to integrate young Rooney before I would reconsider him for England.

England need more technical players who can pass, cross and operate in forward and distributive areas of the pitch. Obvious changes are Bridge for club mate Cole: the advantage being he will be fresh as C'ash gets all the Chelsea starts that matter to justify losing 3 position God Gallas and 5 million for a small poor player who can defend to a degree like C'Ash. Carragher and Richardson to be retired forever as frankly they are p1sspoor footballers.

It may also be time for Gary Neville to go. He is ageing and misses games as well as being slow in a team that needs injections of pace and size. He was probably the best back 3 player under Hoddle and it is shocking that he was played at wing back. Something that made no sense.

Picking fringe players at top clubs is silly, they are not better than say a key players at Bolton like the Kevins Davies and Nolan. Picking poor technical players in teams who play together 60 times a year and can compensate is fine but in a scratch team the likes of C'Ash are a liability.

The key though is that like Newcastle United that the changes have to start in the management above the manager before England can go forward.