I think Scott got it all together.

Media, "england is the best country in world" before every major event.
Training at youth level, specially tactics.
Enland must change the way it thinks when it come`s to Football. When a player like S Gerarad who`s one of Englands finest can`t hold the ball more then a 2sek

Henry, Stockholm, Sweden

The reason is known to all and its about the stupid amount of money the players earn today in England. When a South American comes to the the EPL after they have a name they never live up to the reputation because they earn way too much. If they come as unknowns they make an impact because they get paid nothing compared to the locals. Its motivation. There is none for the English players - its all too easy just because you are local - clubs pay over the odds to get locals - Marcus Bent - do I need to say more!!!!

Put half of the TV rights earnings into the grass roots and you'll develop some big time players - its all too easy for the local players because there is little competition and they for some crazy reason comand a bigger pay packet purely because they are English. All fans of the game want to see England in the finals but at the same time its great to see them humiliated once again.

ian, Sydney,

I'm glad that somebody else, Martin, has mentioned the massive error that was not putting Hargreaves on at 2-2. iw as screaming at the set during the game, but nobody else seems to have mentioned this in reports.

Hargreaves would have given us energy and closed down the space in front of the shaky back four.

Neil, Gloucester,

Football in this country has a tendency to take barely educated young men from council estates, pay them thousands of pounds a week allow them to drive around in flash Italian sports cars with huge diamonds in their ears, they go dogging, spit roasting, and they think can abuse young ladies in hotel rooms for fun and get away with it.
We have premiership players in court on assault charges, and even killing inoccent people in car accidents after a night out on the booze!!!
The players from years ago lived amongst the fans not behind high walled gardens with electric security gates, they had time for people and young kids, not just at christmas for some publicity stunt, or to promote a book, they had pride in their country and in wearing the shirt, I remember the late Emlyn Hughes being asked about playing for England after he had been left out of a squad his answer was he would "walk to wembley to play" if he had to!!
We need to change but it is cultural as much as anything else.

Chris, Weston super Mare, England

Again a good article

You make the point that it's the core, the foundations that are the problem. May i go further and say that the FA and football as a whole should look at the quality and standards of the coaching and most of all the FA Coaching badge? Who has they say on what it entails to obtain a badge and what is it's real worth?

We blame the quality of the students yet say nothing about the quality of the teachers.

Who was the guy on the touchline alongside McLaren on Wednesday? What right did he have to be there?

The FA coaching badge should be scrapped! because it produces robots who create robots that don't know the true fundamentals of football i.e. skill, control, composure distribution and off the ball movement. Instead they're drilled into the percentage game and the long ball rubbish that we still play at the highest level.

Why is there no decent England Managers/Coaches? Because they're victims of the sub standard FA Coaching Badge.

Ian Burrill, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Hey,
this is Andy from Germany & I just wanted to say that i still can´t believe it. Without any sarcasm/ irony. We will really miss u at the Euros. There are some nations that just have to be in tournaments like Italy, France, England, Germany, Spain...

In 2000/01 when german football reached its deepest point we made 3 relevant cuts: New philosophy, new generation, strong & brave coaches with new and modern systems.
So get rid off Beckham, this old man playin in a very weak league in america, just for cash.
Start to convey your own young talents. have u ever asked yourself why the expectations are so high for ur national team? its not hard for lampard to look like one of the best players when he has people like essien or drogba besides him. same with ronaldo, tevez & rooney or kuyt, torres & crouch.but in the national team lampard,rooney and crouch have to do it on their own, without help.
so get klinsmann as manager. he knows how 2 tear old structures down & start new.
good luck

Andy, Münster, Germany

You missed out perhaps the biggest fear of them all, Martin - fear of success. The fear of failure drives us on to come back from seemingly-hopeless positions, but we lack the strength of character to do what's necessary to actually win something.

Keith Wallis, Wirral, Merseyside

The demise of street football with its many opportunities to have the ball at your feet taking on your man and school football which generally was more focussed on learning the game has hampered football development. Boys club football is exclusively "results focussed" and is now so competitive, particularly at a young age, that those having skill but lacking brawn are overpowered in the game and are often left behind by coaches looking to win. In Scotland the SFA has recently gotten behind the grass roots support for small sided games with much reduced pitch sizes, goal dimensions and a focus on playing the game without the points, prizes and trophies demanded by the usual track-suited muppets. In Fife we have had 7-a-side for 6 to 11 year olds for many years followed by 9-a-side on a slightly larger pitch. 11-a-side is only played by 12 year olds with a smaller goal and limited pitch area with a retreating line for strikers to allow play to build.

Trevor should call the SYFA

Davie, Milnathort, Perthshire

Some good insight from Martin, however, one point of disagreement I have that has been mentioned in numerous other articles is that there are too many foreigners in our game.

"when Don Revie took over as manager in 1974, he called a meeting of every English player in or around his squad and more than 70 received invites".

Martin refrains from mentioning that England didn;t qualify for a world cup again until 1982. The technically gifted foreigeners in our league are great for the english game. The cream of english talent rises to the top and plays alongside and against the best players in the world. How anyone can feel this is bad for the game i don't know?

Why let our national game slip by shunning these foreign players when we can allow our youngsters to develop alongside them!

I would prefer 24 world class english players than 70 mediocre players!

Mourinho for manager - and barwick to be sacked!

MIke, Leeds,

It's all very well singing the praises of Wenger, O'Neill, Mourhinho and the rest but none of them will make any difference to England because we have not got the national talent. Give a bunch of top chefs an empty store cupboard and what will you get? Nothing.

G Don Fielder, Eastbourne, UK

I pretty much disagree with every single word, martin.

the english defence played as if they'd never been introduced and playing carson ahead of james or lescott ahead of brown was madness. brown is a centre-back. phil neville is a full-back, not a central midfielder. the defence did not look poor because they hoofed clear, but rather because each had no idea of where the others were positionally.

hargreaves has been england's and united's best player when fit - a midfield of hargreaves, barry and carrick would have served us better - they are hard-working team players. the real problem for england managers is the reluctance to drop players like lampard and gerrard. playing them both, when they in no way complement each other, is asking for trouble. lampard is the most overrated player in world football, but we need players who know how to keep possession and don't just play to make themselves look good.

wenger is good at spotting talent other people have developed.

jem, london , uk

The players know how to play.

Hire someone Inspirational.

Redknapp, Shearer, Pearce?

Mark, Woking, UK

The Dutchman was right, it was an exciting football match and the English players tried very hard and had many opportunities to score. They were so intent on scoring they were left open at the back and eventually paid the price.

Sadly, the English, once a great nation, have been relegated to third rate by politicians who lack the skills to run the country. They split the Union, ruined the health service, law and order, education and have neither the intellect nor courage to put right the damage they have caused. The problems, and that which should be done to rectify them, cannot be achieved by those presently in government. They just haven’t the savvy. Put in a good CEO from Marks and Spencer, Tesco or Sainsbury and we would be well on the road to freedom and recovery within a year. We are only afraid when we are led by corrupt incompetents. It eats away at our national pride and the only notable achievement by current politicians is their ability to look after themselves.

C Donnelly, Beverley, UK

I agree with Martins point about the foreigners quota, this will not help improve our national team. However I do think we would benefit if more of our players and managers played abroad, experiencing different formations, tactics and methods. Just look at the likes of Brazil, France, Holland and Argentina whose players nearly all play in other countries. We scoff at their domestic leagues but it is only because of their players that the premier league holds the status it does. Unfortunately I can't see many of our players going abroad as they are just not rated by the big foreign teams and until we start coaching our kids outside the shackles of 4-4-2 this will not change. It is 57 years since England lost to the USA in the 1950 World Cup and we still haven't worked out that the rest of world football has caught us up and overtaken us and that our football coaching is not the best in the world 'cos we invented the game'.

Nick, Manchester, UK

Good article.
English Footballs real problem is not technique, some of our players are adept with the ball, all can trap, pass, some can even do tricks and volleys!
The real problem is movement. It's what each individual players does when he doesn't have the ball which is the problem. And it's right to identify youth football as the area where our young footballers miss out on the education other countries seem able to give their footballers. It's no surprise that the teams who consistently achieve success, at all levels of football, are the teams with the best movement, where players are able to adapt to where the ball is on the pitch, to make space, to make angles for passes, to have the intelligence to pull the other team out of shape and create an opportunity to score. Unfortunately - the club sides achieve that through the use of players who weren't educated here. The lump it, chase it brigade have a lot to answer for.

Stuart, London, UK

Corluka is completely correct in what he has said. The England team are well above their station and in my opinion (as an England fan) it's completely what we deserved. It's the best thing that could have happened and I bet a good proportion of the nation watched that game with a smile on their faces as I know I did as I expected nothing more. McClaren out is great and as it's 2010 before we could be in another major tournament, hopefully some of the pre-madonna fairies that are supposedly proud to play for England might never get to play again in a competitive tournament aswell. How dare McClaren say the dressing room was upset for the loss, they couldn't care less. The players there go back to a millionaire lifestyle in the life of luxury. It's the man in the street and his 10 year old kid who looks up to these idiots that I feel really sorry for as they now have nothing to look forward to next summer. The future finally looks bright, sack some of the FA and it's even better.

Danny, Manchester, UK

There are several problems with the English game and until these are solved we will never be a contender to win a major championship.

1) Children learn to pay on full size pitches, meaning all technique is thrown out of the window in favour of 'booting' the ball upfield.

2) A childs technical deficiencies are never rectified. Emile Heskey plays for England because he is strong and quick - but has the touch of an elephant. He can play well to a point, but against the top teams he will be made to look what he is - average.

3) The Premier League riches mean club is all, country is notghing - the smaller, poorer, newer nations only have national pride as their clubs make little any impact in Europe.

4) The England manager is on to a hiding to nothing with the press - lose a friendly because you change the system, you get hammered. Lose a match because you're first choice defence and strikers are injured - you get hammered.

Its no wonder no-one wants the job.

Nigel Maughan, Newbury,

Did anyone wrote that Croatia was better and much more superior than England? It's sad that you had more expectations from your last game on Wembley like there is no chance to lose from Croatia, the Balcan country, well it's just what we could expect from you, looking us from your clouds. Well it's good to know that the homeland of football is now in the clouds of dillema who will be the next national manager, but nothing much will change in 2 or three years. Sad but true.

Pero, Dubrovni, Croatia

McLaren was simply not good enough. He did not know how to beat Croatia. He picked players based on popular opinion (particularly journalists) instead of picking a player because of the attributes of that player and how they would fit into the system of playing. Like him or hate him Ericsson always knew how to get a result. Some of his team selection raised eyebrows but he was invariably right. Top coaches always know who to pick and what tactics to play.

McLaren was unable to build up confidence in the team and was relying upon "big game" players to do his dirty work. Mourinho is successful because he coaxes performances out of players, he doesn't rely on players to coax performances out of themselves.

Bring in a top coach and he will get better results with the same players. There is no point in pinning hopes on English managers. If you want success you have to get someone who has a track record of success - anything else is pointless.

Dominic Andersen, Milton Keynes, England

The arrogance and bloated egos of almost all involved in the England squad and English FA - the bling, the golden boots, the fat cat bellies, the outrageous claims of winning tournaments, etc, the pathetic boasting of the English press & TV, the 'no tournament will be great without England' drivel - churns the stomach.
And having to listen to the mocking tones of English folk (i.e. Greasy Lineker) ridiculing Scottish football ensures we'll never support a 'British' team. Britain doesn't exist anymore people. Only in Whitehall admin land.
I'm seriously peeved Scotland didn't qualify. But Scotland showed no fear, even against Italy, France, Ukraine & Georgia (no mugs). The reason? In my opinion, good coaching, allied with skill, quiet confidence and yet a just enough a dose of humility to know what could happen if they don't concentrate 100%. We show our opponents just enough respect but do not fear attacking them. As every Scot who reads his own country's bloody history knows, attack removes fear, while defending and doddering about to over complex and poorly articulated systems reinforces it.
And if a Scots manager ever stood on the touchline under an umbrella to keep his hair dry, he wouldn't leave the stadium with it still attached to his head.
So to all the arrogant, ignorant, smug little Englanders who have laughed at Scottish football, yet never really watched it, we are having the laugh of our sporting lives up here. Let's hope England appoint an Englishman as manager.
And hopefully a newly independent and confident Scotland can have a sporting face-off with England in the World Cup. But I guess most of you (though not all) won't have learned a thing from all this. I suspect you'll still believe that every English player who is the best in England is the best in the world.

A nation weeps..., Glasgow, Scotland

England has reached its level of competens. its so easy


gothenburger

kaqlle, gothenburg, sweden

I am constantly amazed at the willingness of the FA to see off another manager based on results from 18 months work. The overpaid footballers on that pitch on Wednesday proved that the English game has root problems based on an elite few clubs with a very small percentage of home grown talent contained within them.
The apparent lack of passion shown on Wednesday made me sick to my stomach. I believe a Manager can only be blamed to a certain extent - players of their character and skill, at the top of their game, should be capable of delivering a performance regardless of who is on the pitch and in their team.
There are many reasons why a club / national side can fail and they are not all at the feet of the Manager.
The overall performance was lack lustre and they all looked as if they were terrfied of getting stuck in and making a fist of it.
Part of the blame also lies with the premiership which seems more interested in generating vast revenues than building grass roots football.

Steve, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria

There is no money to invest............the players get it all even if they lose............what a joke!!! No incentive to ensure a team is built and to ensure they play at international standards.

JayBay, London,

Croatia were the better side.They were more comfortable on the ball. They were better in both defence and attack.With the score level at 2-2, they decided to go on the attack and did not lie back and defend the point.It seemed inevitable to me that they would score and they did.
Two things epitomise the game for me. The first was the pass creating the second goal for Croatia. It was made by Eduardo, an Arsenal reserve. It covered about 4 m.The second thing concerns the English attack. This consisted of long balls of about 40m mostly to Crouch who was supposed to head them down to oncoming midfield players.This did not happen once.They were easily cleared.
Until we start playing football we will never win anything.Football is not about banging the ball from defence to attack in one move.This is the British game and the whole system has to be changed.

Howard , Tallinn, Estonia

Whilst I agree 100% with everything you've said in this article Martin I have absolutely no hope that things will change. A side from the problems affecting youth development, the main issue is the 'football establishments' refusal to accept these home truths. Only this morning on Sky Sports News Tony Gales compared numerous English players (Gerrard, Lampard particularly) to their Croatian counterparts and asked if anybody in their right mind would think either of the Croatians were better players?? Then, immediately following that was an interview with Harry Redknapp who said that both players were amongst the top 3 or 4 midfielders in the world and that the players weren’t the problem as we have many world class players??? Were either of these idiots watching the game on Weds because neither stevie or lumps were amongst the top 4 midfielders in the stadium!!!!! Until we move away from this idea that the players are of sufficient quality we will doomed to spend our summers on beaches!!

adrian, london,

I think Martin Samuel may have hit on a key point re. children playing on oversize pitches. Here in Switzerland, which was a so called minnow up until recently, children up to the age of 12 play in 7 or 9 player teams on pitches less than half the uk field. Technique is pursued and clearing the lines is not an issue. I see more technique with 14 year old kids here than we did on Wednesday. Expat living in Switzerland with no England to look forward to watching is making me ridiculed.

Harding, vewv,

I was at a "coaching " session a couple of nights ago with my 5 year old grandson. There were 15 boys there all about 5 years old at least half of them were overweight a ouple severely so the majority had o little co ordination it was laughable. I could almost hear the coaches say to themselves what are we supposed to do with thisIt seemed to me that the majority of the boys had not and would not kick another ball until the next weeks session and these are the ones who are attending coaching classes. It needs hours and hours of practice practice practice to develop the required skills and a modicum of physical co ordination. Whats to be done?

DOUGLAS MUNRO, aberdeen,

Strong personality for the England manager's job, you say? What did that get your favoured José Mourinho at Chelsea? The powers that be will sacrifice anybody, backed by sentimental fans and press houses, to mask their inadequacies!

England manager's job must be the most lucrative in the whole wide world for those who would not mind a momentary discomfort for a mid-term windfall.

A musical chairs of managers will not help if whoever comes next is not given ample time to work. Capello, the so-called leader of the field, will come; do a couple-of-games’ spell; get sacked, for playing to the gallery, with a seven-figure parting bonus and smile all the way to the bank to await his next job!

There is one crucial element in football management(and that goes for any human endeavour) and that is TIME! If there is not enough of it to develop the required standard, one can circumvent it by acquiring an already developed material. But the second option is not available to national teams!

steve asafo, los angeles, california

come on guys, even with capello, mourinho and dear god zou could not beat Croatia, simply because we show you how to play football, hope to see you again in the same group for WC qualif.

cheers :)

Hrvoje, Dubrovnik, Croatia

am sorry, guys, but there is just one truth. England do not have good players. They are good in their clubs when they play with C. Ronaldo, Droghba or Essien. Without them they are average. Just like Germans. But their problem is that they are not Germans. Portsmouths manager says that there is no Croatian player, except Modrić, who could play For England team. Haha, can you believe that. We beat them twice, home and on WEMBLEY, where football became football, and we were alredy qualified, and he says that. Maybe he wants Steves job. Haha, I doubt he can better. Not with this players. And I will be so english arrogant and will say this: no one from England team could play for Croatia, even Gerrard or Lampard simply because Modrić and Kranjcar are better.
Shame for Country whit so good fans and football country to have so bad team. And for country who gave us " Only fools and horses" the most popular " "croatian" show.
Greetings to all fans in England and especially Russia

kimi raikkonen, imotski, croatia

Perhaps if schools stopped selling off sports fields and we got away from this politically correct culture that its somehow wrong to encourage kids to be competitive. Some little suprise so many become video playing couch potatoes rather than footballers etc

Richard, London,

What I find most funny is that most fans are missing the point. You blame the likes of Wenger for his invasion of foreign talent, or the Wembley pitch or Brian Barwick or the England players or the salaries, yet England is a culture with 60 million people with a huge social problem. And much of the culture problems start at grassroots. It’s no good spending millions on soccer academies that are run by hugely sub-standard coaches and money grabbing academy managers who are more interested in taking money then developing raw talent. Parents must take some blame for by feeding these academies pockets, yet not bothering to evaluate the progress of their child, like they are at school. If you want to make changes they need to happen at grassroots and far more seriousness, time and effort to regulate it would be a huge foundation to start with.

Nicolas Kozeschnik, Hertfordshire, England

We have plenty of reasonably good footballers, the Gerrards, Lampards, etc who play well in their mixed foreign/domestic club teams, however struggle when thown together in the international set-up. Passing is the key, holding on to the ball. England may well have to go back a few steps before going forward.

The problem is endemic in this country. Exemplified by an astounding quote from Alan Shearer, while commentating on the game: "we need something to get the crowd going. Even if they bring someone down just to get the crowd going...". Is this the level Engalnd have sunk to? Why not try the radical approach of getting the crowd going by passing the ball around, developing attacks and trying to score?

Paul McCallum, London, UK

Samuel is spot on to point out some of the underlying problems this country has as a nation beginning with our youth football. I remember from a very young age being taught the 'if in doubt kick it out mantra'. Playing on the park with my friends I would be confident to try bits of skill and play passes yet in a game situation the winning was all that mattered, fear would take over. Ok your small and skillful lets maroon you on the right wing on a full size pitch for the next 10 years well as long as any bigger and more physical kids don't come along in the meantime.

At 18 I was lucky enough to escape to college in the USA where I was able to play with players from Europe, S America and Asia who made people I had thought of as good players in England look second rate yet they were doing YTS with prem sides. I remember a team of Brit students playing a japanese side and getting slaughtered with simple pass and move football, the looks on their faces were similar to those on weds....!

Scott , Dallas , Texas

Alan Hansen seems to have all the answers. His MOTD analysis seems to qualify him perfectly for the England manager/coach job. Easier doing it in a warm studio though!

T. Elcock
Cambridge

Terry Elcock, Cambridge,

Martin,you write eloquently about the players;the managers;the tactical choices;but you don't say a lot about the F.A. itself and the people on its Committee.
Firing the manager(regularly now);pointing out that the players are overhyped workhorses with few real skills;arguing that the team is incapable of playing anything other than 4-4-2(in spite of the fact that no Premier League team plays this formation very often);seem to occupy the media.But YOU Martin should have the courage on behalf of ALL fans of England to say that the emperor has no clothes-viz.that the F.A. are incompetent. That the structure of the F.A-dominated by the FA heads of Kent,Gloucestershire and 2 other regions as well as the head of Ipswich(!)FC -are a group of people who know little about building successful teams and even less about international football.
Why not hold a poll on whether Barwick and Co. at the FA should all be fired?We need a change at the very top!Without it,we will just waste more time.

C.Elder, London, UK

I listened to talksport this morning and the questions were asked..who is at fault...the players..the manager..the FA...???

perhaps the answer is the FANS..they call for players to show aggression and commitment and encourage the long ball game full of goal mouth incident

when Mourinho's Chelsea closed the game down with intelligent possession football he was lambasted by the media as being negative

until the English fans learn to appreciate one touch possession football the national team will struggle to adapt to the realities of the top echelon of world football

c hoey, liphook,

Every time the English side is to work wonders, it is an utter disappointment, no matter how many talented players are lined up. What are England's flaws, then? Well, I would say poor tactics. Amazing lack of imagination from such gifted players as Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, you name them. There is this strange feeling that they always seem to actually prefer to revert to backward tactics, long crosses for the big man's header at the front, rather than than try and devise anything else. As if trying to get rid of the ball. Then, there is the typically English goalkeeper weakness: how come there never seems to be a good one in England?

Nicolas Levoy, Saint-Mards-de-Blacarville, France

there's nowt to blub about. in england soccer has evolved beyond being a national game. it's a club game now. individually manchester, arsenal, and chelsea would all stomp the national team. the only trouble is the rest of the world hasn't caught up yet. they will eventually.

coffeesnob, melbourne,

Well, at last, an honest, realistic view! Someone had to have seen the truth on the pitch on Wednesday!

Crogirl, Zagreb,

Excellent article Martin, that simply addresses the main points that we as a nation need to, if we are ever to move forward.

The way the game is approached needs to be changed from the grass roots up, but who in the FA is going to implement this?

We need to look at the Dutch and other nations that encourage technically and tactically aware individuals, not the cro-mag British mentality that has established itself.

We will only win at the highest level again, when we learn how to hold possesion and control games. Third world contries are better on the ball than we are.

There is no British manager out there who has the all round ability of a Hiddink, Scholari or Cappello. None work abroad at big clubs, simply because they are not good enough. The Shearer's and White's of the BBC world are just as clueless, evident to anyone who appreciates the technical/tactical game.

We have a long way to go.

D. Brown, London,

joe cole (the wonderful talented footballer) stated the English fans who paid to attend MUST support england...at least the fans turned up.

eric, liverpool, uk

I agree with Jim of Cardiff. Part of the problem is that kids are pushed into competition too soon. Kids love to practise skills with a football just for fun and it's this that should be encouraged before they are forced into a 'win at all costs' situation.
Another factor is the loss of areas where kids can do just that, play amonst themselves with their friends, and the disappearance of PE and sport from the school curriculum which gave them overall fitness. It's hard to feel motivated when you've been vegging in front of the telly/computer all day.
I also feel that we should not abandon wholesale the English game. What we should do is play to our strengths and have confidence in our ability to play the game and take on all comers and for that we need a first class manager.

A. Watson, London,

Here's a thought: the most successful managers in English football (Ferguson and Wenger) decided a long time ago that they would only play attractive attacking football. And that style of football now defines their clubs' footballing cultures, to the point that their fans would not accept anything less. I believe if England had such a culture they would be far more successful. In fact if English fans insisted that losing in style was preferable to winning "ugly" (think Trinidad and Tobago and Paraguay (did they win that one?) in the last world cup) I think they would ultimately become (once some intelligence was added to their play) far more successful. Of course, you will still need an intelligent manager and players. I can't help feeling that football "intelligence" is very under-rated and lacking in English football.

Martin, London, England

Brilliant article - perfectly drawn analysis.

The England National side is embarassingly primitive with tactics and technique; relying on power, force, speed, running, long balls.

Croatia's team were not in any way more skillful than England. It's just their tactics and technique means they don't always rush direct in to attack.

When Croatia's route was blocked, they simply stayed patient, passed their way out of it, creating options, teasing up openings, fraying and tearing at England's collective reading of the game - until carving out an opportunity.

Even if Croatia did lose the ball, you know England are going to come straight at you, with a fast but usually crude and predicatable attack.

If England were to incorporate one of the continental styles (there are different flavours)..... some sophistication..

Against most passing sides of any quality, England are a brittle and predicatable side. Slightly dangerous as they can do what they do well, but crudely.

sherad, Heaton Chapel, Manchester

England have a couple of world class players,and the rest a re good international players,the team now need a manager who picks ateam where players play in their club positions. On wednesday Richards played at Right Back when he has been playing in central defence,Lescott at Centre back when he plays at Left Back for his club,the midfield appeared to be a collection of players,none of which appeared to be playing in a role similar to the roles they play with their clubs.The former manager looks as though he gave instruction to pump the ball to Peter Crouch but failed to instruct players to support Crouch.The situation appears to be bleak at the moment,but with the appointment of a manager who understands the basics of football,England should look forward to Qualification to the next World Cup ,without the pressure of expectation that they will go all the way,and should given the quality of the players available give a good account of themselves.

mike couch, edinburgh,

The management of the English team is, and has been for some time, at fault. As Alf Ramsay said, he picked the best team, not necessarily the best players. As an example, I don't think McLaren should have changed the goal keeper for this final and crucial game.

Malcolm Reid, Canberra, Australia

The simple reason why the premier clubs are unable to bring on young stars is because they select the wrong kids. And what's more they know it and seem not to care. All top clubs have youth teams which fail to produce the goods. Clubs do not place any importance on discovering young talent. Usually they employ an ex player, he has his network of unpaid scouts. This system has failed and will continue to fail. Kids practice dribbling, trapping, passing when they first start kicking a ball When they start playing matches these are not the skills required to win and winning is all that counts, at all ages. The strong aggressive kid shines, the others are berated for their lack of aggression. They stop playing and a potential star is lost and we end up with an England team lumping the ball up, Watford style, because that is all they know and is the only thing we excel at. Thanks to SKY and the system, it will only get worse. Watch rugger instead, now that's a real game

jim, cardiff,

Couldn't agree with you more Martin. Why don't the FA get FIFA to adopt the English physical game rules? Failing that we will have to adapt to bringing up future generations playing skillfully.

This talk over foreigner players is irreleveant; if there was young English talent of the same standard and price of the foreign legion the clubs would have recruited them. The reason clubs import players is down to better and cheaper foreigners. Conversly limiting foreign players in current conditions will only lower the standard of our league and the level our players have to raise there game week in week out. It would stop clubs out of the top six being able to field teams of sufficient quality. The big clubs will purchase the limited English talent available.

Haider, London, England

I believe that England will bounce back and have great success in the future. There is a tone of talent in a country of 60 million people and it will take a great manager to do his homework and dig up that talent. We can all gang up on McClaren but what good will this do? Spend the money on a right manager and problems will be gone for the most part.

Joey, Detroit, USA

Cultural change is always the hardest to make. I live in Belgium and it is the same as other people have commented at grass roots level outside the UK - small pitches, excellent technique, almost non-contact in nature. Before my club training starts I watch this group of 15 year olds who are on before us - first touch amazing, never dive in, always pass short - to someone on their side....and I think back to when I was in the same situation in England getting a sore neck as the ball flew over my head from defence to attack / back to the opposition / in to touch / in to someone's garden. How do you even begin to affect such a change? An expensive or experienced national team manager is merely a band-aid solution as far as I am concerned.

Rod, Brussesl, Belgium

According to Sol Campbell, Ericsson used to tell players that were unlikely to be picked for England unless they were regularly playing in Europe. There is no doubt that this factor has contributed to the lack of patience/loyalty young 'stars' have for the clubs that nurture them in the first place. They are whisked off to the big four to become bit part players at an age when they should be gaining experience by playing regularly. SWP is a classic example of the retardation in progress such a move often leads to.

Ericsson's policy, still much in evidence, means that England pick from the small elite of wealthy clubs (and players). Some of these players believe that simply playing for one of the Big Four entitles them to an England shirt and the extra sponsorship money that goes with it. The truth is, that they only look good with their clubs because they play with technically gifted foreign players who are bought to provide the creativity and passing skills English players lack.

W Mason, Grays, Essex,

Scolari or Mourinho? Maybe it is a solution (however Scolari nearly failed to qualify Portugal). It is not only about the manager. It is about the way of playing, thinking football. If England want to win a world cup they need a real number 10 like any world champion team of the past 20 years (Maradona, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Pirlo). You cannot only play with guts and courage.

If Engald have a player able to create they might do someting. Players like Lampard, Gerrard or Rooney are not the solution. You need technical skills to play football not only guts.

England also need a strong defence with international-class player. English fans cannot accept to have a defence with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. I will not make any further comment about the keepers.

Michael, Aberdeen, Scotland

What is needed is a clear out at the FA.
The 1966 side had more skill, just a little slower.
We have to give the youngster's basic skills, before teaching them how to kick and rush. But it goes deeper than that .
A few years ago lads used to play regular in the streets and on waste ground, but now there are getting told off, or the waste grounds disappearing.

A Walton, Leicester, England

A very good article. I spent 11 years training kids from 8 to 16 years old. When I started I was the guy shouting at the kids and instilling fear. Once I learnt the lesson, trying to convince others to get the keeper to throw the ball to the full backs and take the risk of an error required some energy. In our area the situation has improved quite a bit in 15 years, but it has a long way to go. I looked for the expertise to help draw up a development plan for our club and it was nowhere to be found. I could not find a template for such a plan. The FA needs to address this to help give the small junior clubs a dvelopment structure. Unless we make technique the priority from 5 - 12 the gap will remain.

John Cook, Seaford, Sussex

I agree with Samuel's core analysis that there isn't a coach out there who will turn England into world beaters. This is the myth that the press has been peddling since Ramsey was axed in 1974. If we just get somebody new with the right motivational and tactical skills everything will be fine. The press are to blame for the replacement of Robson with Graham Taylor and the firing of Sven. The press have turned the job into a poisoned chalice. Talk about fear, the job kills careers.

Something went wrong with the English game after 1966. Ball players Best were suddenly regarded as luxuries. Samuel's is right, in 1974 there were still a lot of skillful players about, but by the 1990s the fans just wanted to watch kick and rush football, get the ball forward ASAP. Skill was for losers. Kids playing the game were instructed by moronic parents to do the same. The best hope is the style of play in the premiership, it may convince people that skills coaching is important.

mike scott, ny, USA

Martin Samuel, a god living with mere mortals LOL.

100% on the money.

It would not suprise me if in 10 years time the US becomes better at football than us. I wonder if John Terry feels as bad as the supporters or if his 140k pay this week eases the pain.

Anthony, Port Of Spain, Trinidad

first of all i would like to point that england is overrated not due top players but the financial side. players are too much in the limelight and receiving far more than they deserve. lets take a country like cyprus that players have to go and work during the week to earn their living and play with passion when it comes to it. passion is the tool to everything Steven Gerrard can display passion .I am sure that i would be the best England Manager ever with the assistance of Gerrard

michele Dheere, salford, england

You've summed it up perfectly Martin. The problem is deeply rooted in an arrogant and complacent nation who seem to think it's their God given right to automatically win while forgetting that skill, confidence and intelligence are what it takes to win. I sincerely hope we'll now see the backs of old has-beens at all levels (even some commentators dare I say it) who have contributed in supporting a fundamentally flawed system robbing the english public of a national team which can compete with the rest of the world. If the change doesn't happen now it will never happen.

Richard , Milan, Italy

Martin Samuel I regularly read your articles in The Times with interest. I hope, given Martin O'Neill's repeated statements about how he wants to finish the job at Aston Villa, that yourself and the rest of the Londoncentric UK sports media will now stop touting him for the England job.

Instead I urge you to focus on reporting to the nation how this manager helps to re-establish Aston Villa as the pre-eminent football club in England.

Mamcglichey, cORK, IRELAND

I agree with Leon of Netherlands/Cumbria and Simon of Sydney, Australia about their comments on five-a-side football and Futsal. Simon of Sydney, Australia

Futsal (Portuguese/South American-style five-a-side) is largely unknown in the UK. But I think that English/British youngsters would become far more technically gifted if the FA developed Futsal as a medium for skills development. The game is non-contact, very quick, hugely enjoyable and it's possible to get quality opposition in countries where Futsal enjoys greater popularity.

Balance, movement and accurate control of a light ball on a pitch with lines (rather than boards/walls) are essential to be competitive. These skills are notable by their absence in British kids slugging it out on the school yard or a tennis court at lunchtime. Frankly they play like donkeys.

I'd like to see organised summer Futsal camps for talented British youngsters and coaches in places like Portugal. They'd learn a lot.

Rhys Bridges, Mora, Portugal

hahahahahahaha England

As an All black supporter, at least I know my team has another 20 years before they will match your teams choking abilities.....hahaha

Why not get Sir Johnny to play for them, you know, he with the golden boot........

Hahahahaha Chokers. (this is in response to the thousand of bloggers who crammed our sites after we lost ), maybe you should have got Sir Wayne Barnes to ref.....hahahahahahaha

poppa, sydney, australia

Can English media not see that their constant abuse and attacks on anyone who has the England job makes it a poisoned chalice? From day one Sven and Steve had their private lives invaded they were called all sorts of names in the press - why do you think Scolari to the FA to get lost

George, glasgow, uk

Im sorry but what a load of old dross that was. This guys just as good as "Hindsight Hansen". England played a competant side and went behind early because of an unfortunate error. This would have been a difficult proposition for all of those oh so gifted continentals you like to talk about. England were forced to attack and were punnished on the break. Some good changes by the manager at half time and some good old english passion which you seem to under rate so much got us back into it. We got lucky with the pen but if you consider the carson incident I'd say we deserved it. England while iritatingly nowhere near their full potential showed that even out of form they have more quality than croatia. We were the better side and while I wouldn't go so far as to say we deserved to win, saying Croatia are better than because they won a close game is utter nonesence.

Chris C, Manchester,

An excellent view, with some long term considerations. In the meantime, a few short term recommendations to restore a team ethic, and get these muppets playing together, and not as a coleection of 11 disparate and over-hyped egos on a pitch:

1. Remove the player names from the shirts and replace them with one word: "ENGLAND". Anyone seen the Scotland shirts recently.
2. Take a leaf out of the Rugby books, and expose the players to some hardship (e.g. a session with the Marines) and see who the leaders and team players really are.
3. Put players in the position that best suits - if we only have one genuiine left footer, then let's play 3 5 2 in some fiendlies with the likes of Cole and W/Phillips or Bentley or Lennon. Similarly play Rooney where he can do most damage - off the fron two (if he is deemed a team player).

Who will make such decisions, and spell out their visions for both the short term and long term future? A strong leader...

Food for thought...comments welcome

Ian P, Northumberland,

What,s with the "we're not good enough " rubbish from people who should know better than to comment with childish emotian, It's not the arrogant English that say these players are good enough, it,s the foreign football writers, the world,s best coaches & the worlds neutral fans, the top teams & managers would love Gerrard or Rooney in their side, so lets stop the manic nattering & settle down to serious constructive debate.

REDrascal, Valley, UK.

Russia is ordinary now, but will have a say on the EURO.
Croatia is now the best country here, the embassy of Croatia is full of flowers and plenty of Russian companys offer privileges to Croatian business.
RUSSSLAND!!

Misha, Moscow, Russia

Excellent piece, Martin. I agree 100%.
Interesting point about education of football players. There's a proud anti-intellectualism in English football that often becomes arrogant stupidity. You can see it in the ex-players on the BBC - Shearer, after a half in which England pile down the pitch in a frenzy after conceding a daft goal, only to concede another on the break, declares it's all due to a lack of urgency! The rest the same: no understanding, no insight and somehow proud of it. It's all about picking the best 11 players and playing for the badge. Go out there son and work your magic.
And as you say, where was Hargreaves after the equaliser? inconceivable that a Mourinho would leave a midfield of a half-fit Beckham and a knackered Gerrard, Lampard and Cole to close out the game. Stupid Stupid Stupid

Oliver, London,

The Dutchman was right, it was an exciting football match and the English players tried very hard and had many opportunities to score. They were so intent on scoring they were left open at the back and eventually paid the price.

Sadly, the English, once a great nation, have been relegated to third rate by politicians who lack the skills to run the country. They split the Union, ruined the health service, law and order, education and have neither the intellect nor courage to put right the damage they have caused. The problems, and that which should be done to rectify, them cannot be achieved by those presently in government. They just haven’t the savvy. Put in a good CEO from Marks and Spencer’s, Tesco or Sainsbury and we would be well on the road to freedom and recovery within a year. Good management is the only cure.

We are only afraid when we are led by corrupt incompetents. It eats away at our national pride and the only notable achievement by current politicians is their ability to look after themselves and ensure they live happily in retirement. Labour member Blair and his spouse are glowing examples, shopping for £3 million pound estates on their ill gotten gains from their long stay in Downing Street.

C Donnelly, Beverley, UK

What worries me as an Aussie is that if you guys keep doing so badly at football, which no-one in Australia really cares about, how can we get satisfaction from beating you consistently at most other supports (treating recent rugby world cup setbacks as an anomaly of course)? Because it may not just be the system that explains why a nation of 4 million can beat one of 60 (or a few less, dont forget the Celtic fringes). Perhaps its the national character, or the climate (see Russia?) or even the genes? OK, not the genes, because we share a helluva lot of those.

I have an equally controversial hypothesis. England dont do well because football's an essentially working class game. Not totally, but compare it to the continental powers where there's nothing like rugby to divide interest. Sport needs brains and brawn. In Australia, parents are yelling "kill" and fight" from the touchline too, but thats in junior rugby league and Aussie rules which dominate blue collar interest.

David Roberts, Canberra, Australia

Barry instead of Hargreaves in front of the back four represented absolute stupidity and was the most likely cause in Croatia scoring three goals.....

william, st. louis, usa

absolutely and categorically hits the nail on the head - bloody good article

Eamon, Bristol,

Why not let the fans act as manager? We can vote by text, phone and email on anything these days, so why not football? Set up a website a week before the match, and let the collective intelligence of a nation obsessed with football vote on the team, formation and tactics. Then if England lose, we can all blame each other.

Fred Jones, London,

Probably the best article i have red in folow up to England match with Croatia and one can only hope that as many as possible exponents of British football "inteligentia" will have the chance to read it and think about it for a while. My compliments to the writter.
P.S. You should really keep Crouch and even "upgrade" him.
His tehnique is great yet criminally underrated only becouse he phisicaly appears less likely to posses any at all.
He is your real star and you should give him credit. I belive most international squads would be happy to have him in their amidst unlike many other of your overrated players wich fault is only that they are to old to be reworked now. Otherwise they are great in what they do. And secondly Richardson is able to become world class defender with someone of autority telling him what he can and what he can not do on the pitch.
Cheers

Petar, Zadar, Croatia

peter, why should players have their pay cut so they perform better for england?

they are paid by their clubs.

jem, london , uk

As you did in your piece, we need to separate disappointment from analysis. Why aren't the Premier League and the FA as one on building a strong national side from the ground up? I suspect the Premier League will lose money and prestige whilst a second rate England is the norm. Foreign audiences like to watch their national players in the Premiership and we perhaps like to watch our own stars - but like the national game, they're at risk of being second best, so our interest will lessen.

Simon, Leicester,

The only way to improve our national teams are for youth coaching like in Holland,and for league football matches to be played in the summer when the grounds are dry and it requires instant ball control,like they do in Brazil.

m cooper, Hattem, Holland

Martin Samuel does it again! The level of technique within the England squad is woeful. The last ten minutes of a game when Arsenal are a goal down you do not see panics in their youthful ranks but rather direct and precise passing trying to create chances. Compare this to the frantic long balls that were being delivered by the hapless Carson on Wednesday night and you have a wonderful idea of the root of the problem.

LMN, Bath,

At last, an analysis that i agree with.

Typically after defeats of the type England faced on Weds, you hear England fans complaining about "lack of passion", "overpaid" etc.

Its all tosh, England players want to win as badly, and are as well paid as footballers from any of the top tier nations.

The difference is that, in the tough matches England crumble due to lack of confidence. This lack of confidence (or fear), Martin rightly points out derives from the players themselves knowing they are technically inferior.

The odd naturally highly gifted English player makes the exception, and they continue to have faith in their technical ability under pressure (gascoigne, hoddle, roonie, etc) but for the most part England teams are riddled with people who arent comfortable on the ball and who wilt under the pressure that technically superior teams pose.

England need 20 years and to introduce the "Ajax" developmet system.

A winter break and a smaller league would help also.

Zer, London,

It is uncontentious that increase in the quality of the Premiership has coincided with a decline in the number of English players in the top teams. However, I question whether this indicates a decline in the quality of English football. This is because simultaneously there has been a massive increase in the quality of the football in the Championship and the lower leagues, which remains dominated by British players. This indicates that the quality of football players in England has remained similar, but the quality of the football being played in England has gone up. The players which Revie had to call on are now not playing in the top division.

This leads two problems: a lack of experience for English players at the highest level and our best players not regularly playing club football. But neither of these problems indicate a malaise in our football which has only recently emerged. Today, if you want to play at the highest level in English football, you’ve got to be very very good

Pat, Bristol, UK

STOP. The players are there. Its the manager. You seriously trying to tell me that Mourinho would turn out a team like that given the same ingredients. No chance. the only change that needs to happen is a quota. Two or Three players from ENGLAND in every first team evry saturday. SORTED.

Richard, Leeds UK,

Haven't the media industry built around commenting on England football got a lot to answer for too? The "fear" that you talk about could also be thought of as a fear of completely exaggerated media comment?

ross, london,

This writer is correct. It is all in the psychology of the players. It's plagued them for 40 years, and the sooner they realise this and change the way they think the better! Scolari or Mourinho for manager!!

Gary, brighton,

Here's what I don't understand. In every qualifying campaign, in every tournament, everybody touts England as potential champions. Everyone in England that is. Everyone says how talented our current crop of players are, the best in a generation. And yet in a recent poll of British clubs, the overwhelming opinion is that there are too many foreign players in the premier league, and it is one of the major reasons why the national side fails to perform. But if England are that good, and the players are the best in the world, then there would not be as many foreign players playing in the premier league. Basically people need to wake up, stop deceiving themselves, and stop living on past glories. And by that I mean the Empire and 1966...

Chris, Chamonix , France

It is the wealth factor that is the problem, The manager can only do well when his footballers are good enough, hungry enough perhaps,
They are over paid pseudo super stars, simply out classed by many national teams.
Knock off three even four noughts off their monthly pay check until by their fitness to excel routinely in the international arena justifies higher rewards

Peter Senior, Saumur,

Although Don Revie was able to invite over 70 professionals to a meeting when he first took over,we still failed to qualify in '78. As was the case in '74 which was the reason Alf Ramsey got the sack.Our problem is that if we have players with flair and skill(Hudson,Marsh,George,Worthington,Bowles,Le Tissier etc.etc) we never know what to do with them,and they play only a handful of games.They are dismissed as lazy,and not hardworking enough.David Batty on the other hand got 42 caps,and Carlton Palmer 18 caps.Something very wrong.

Mike, Dunstable, England

McClaren was , of course, not the man for the job. How Barwick and his colleagues can stay in post defies belief but they will, of course.

The real fault, however lies with the poor coaching. I think someone should go and watch Croatia at their next coaching session. We produce players who simply do not have the ability to instantly control a ball or pass accurately. I am a Liverpool fan but save us from Benitez as a serious contender for the job. More endless rotation and presumably a bit part for Crouch who frankly shames some of the regular England players, with his control of the ball .

John, Hove England,

Not a few people criticized Benitez when he subbed Gerard and to quote him for "too much passion". Football games are won not by passion but by calm and skill. I think every Englishman who desires to be a great footballer should watch Andrea Pirlo.

Keme, Loughborough,

I lived in Barcelona for 3 years and whenever I saw kids playing it was usually on concrete or gravel. Everything was pass and move, pass and move, and the ball was placed in the net at the end of a series of passes. It never left the ground. All English kids are interested in is scoring a screamer from 30 yards or utting their opponent in row Z. And it's true - there's no emphasis on development - it's win win win at junior level, hence the fear so accurately described in this article.

David, Perth, WA

I do not agree with you that the team had pride and passion, look again at the TV pictures of the line up for the National Anthem and check how many were singing, and even worse check the mascots why did no one teach them the anthem and instruct them to sing. For pride and passion check the same line ups for Rugby national anthems!

favier, dorchester, U.K.

It's not just football. The UK now struggles to have top performers in any major sport, while other hand leading footballing countries tend to be competitive not just at football but other major sports too.

We've been under-investing in all sport for a long time, particularly in terms of paid full and part time coaches working at the grass roots. It's not so surprising that the UK has the fattest children doing the least exercise at the same time as national sporting prowess descends.

Saul Dobney, Barcelona, Spain

So Arsene Wenger "develops more young world-class players - note no mention of nationality - than any manager in England". Sorry what you should write is he "buys more young world-class players from other European clubs academies". How many of his current team actually learnt their skills through his academy from the age of 10 or 11, I bet there isn't hardly any.

Lorraine, Oxford,

Whilst I agree with the majority of the article it seems a bit too simplistic. 2 semi finals of major competions since 1990 (both of which were lost on penalties) as well as 3 consecutive QF appearances and (another 2 lost on penalties, and a defeat by Brazil and we're never going to better than a nation of 180m football fanatics) does not correspond with "41 years of failure". Especially when you compare it to what the Spanish or Dutch have achieved over the same period of time.

And why on earth would Wenger take the England job? It would represent a step down from any prespective, I'm biased being a Leicester fan but it has to be O'Neill. 3 league cup finals in 4 years (2 victories) with an British spine playing successful football within our capabilities (Walsh, Taggart, Elliot, Izzet (born in England), Lennon, Savage, Heskey, Guppy, Cottee) none of which are individually world class should surely be enough to enough to persuade the FA to pursue him properly.

Rich, Leicester, UK

I agree with Scott that the media is an is an enormos problem for England. They give England a God like status before a game.
When they loose there is nothing write. It was in the second half fantastic football. The first half Enland Thougt the were Gods and got punised. but when then everbody thouht it was over. England came. It was a great game when you don` t mind who wins. They played much better then Holland but we go on.
What is in Holland much better is tranning of goalies. We have 10 keepers beter then the best England goalies. In korea you didn`t go a had because goalie wasn´t goed enough. This game was again a goalie who wasn`t ready for the job, but your other keepers are not much better.
But on rest of the field tallend enough.
Gr Eddy Helsinki

eddy van der meer, Helsinki, Finland

It is amazing,I have heard the word passion said a million times since Wednesday. Passion does not make you pass the ball better, passion does not make you retain the ball and passion does not win you tournaments. It is an ingredient that when used in conjunction with other elementary components of the game, can help you, but the underlying problem of English football is technique and lack of coaching - pure and simple. We do not have it, our continental cousins play the game on the floor, with quick interchanging of passing and they are adaptable to various formations. Italy won the World Cup playing all different sorts of formations at the drop of a hat. Their players adapted perfectly well to the system and their coach Lippi knew how to introduce it.

Rob, London, UK

I am Dutch and have played five-a-side football in English sports halls for many years now. It still baffles me how there can be such a difference in approach between two nations. In the Netherlands it is non-contact and can the ball go out of play; in England you need shin pads and they use boardings.

I know it's just an example, but it contributes to the typical rushed football that is played in England.

Leon, Cumbria, UK

I took charge of my first under 7s game last weekend. My lads were 2-1 up, with 2 minutes to go. I'd asked my son, who had gone in goal for the second half, to do one thing (aside from enjoy himself) - make sure he found a team mate when he had the ball. No lumping it high and long, but try and play from the back. From a goal kick he tried to roll a pass out . It was cut out and the opposition scored. From the kick off the lads lost possesion and the opponents got in again. We lost 3-2 having been seconds away from a win. I was sick to the pit of my stomach, thinking that it was my fault that the boys got beat, and that any coach worth his salt would have instructed his man to ignore everything that had been said earlier and crash the thing to the other end of the pitch. But unless I stick to my guns, I'd be as guilty as all the other youth coaches who only see the result - not the long term learning curve. What does a lad of 6 learn by smashing a ball 35 yards upfield?

Marc Sinfield, Hoddesdon,

Shearer as England manager?

At half time last night his big idea was to kick a Croatian into the stand to lift the crowd. And in 2004 was advocating that Rooney should punch Ronaldo in the face when they met up again at United.

Appointing that tactical genius is the very last thing that England need.

N Carter, Cheadle,

The English game is too fast. My hope is that global warming will force a change of style upon English players.

Latin American football uses the ball to do the work. I have played at 6000 feet, in blistering heat, and when you do that, you don't make some poor sod 'work the channels' and so on. Playing on baked mud instead of grass also takes sliding tackles out of the game, so the incentive is to stay upright.

The other thing in Latin America is there is less variation in height, so the difference is made more by skill than physical attributes and teams do not use target men. Lastly, people value skill for its own sake, not this 'clear the danger' thing of sending the ball into row Z every time an opponent approaches.

jason kennedy, La Antigua, guatemala

Why is there such fear Brian? I would imagine because the England Manager's job is the poisoned chalice. The UK press continue to deride the national coach and his team every time we lose, yet proclaim world domination any time we put together a decent performance. English players are so overvalued that they've convinced themselves they are the world's best and are bestowed with a divine right to win the world cup.
On behalf of all fans I would ask the press to give the next manager a chance. Let him do his job. Who knows when the market will realise the likes of Darren Bent are not worth 17k let alone 17m. Gerrard and Rooney are world class but the sooner the media realise the rest are not, and more importantly the sooner the players realise it, the sooner we will have a national team worthy of the shirts they pull on.

Scott, Sydney, Australia

I agree with you Martin that the problem is at youth level. You talk about the "howling" from the touchline at boys'games "that freezes the blood and saps all creativity". The howling comes from poor coaches, you say. But I say the worst howling comes from parents. Well-meaning perhaps, but just as damaging. At game after game I see parents yelling inept instructions at their 8 year old children ("Get him Johnny"), or offering ludicrously over the top support ("Fight, fight, fight"). My fellow parents are well-meaning but inept, rather like McLaren in fact. In my experience the youth team coaches are considered and restrained by comparison.

Magnus, Woodbridge, UK

Great article, have to agree with most if not all, just thought I might expand and explain the difference in contrast to football in England and here in Australia, my opinion is England have a lot of issue's culminating in them not reaching Euro 2008. you can point your finger at the coach/manager, the condition of the pitch, the long ball game, too many foreigners in the game, the amount of money players are making, technical ability etc... I coach my two boys teams and have been involved in junior football for over 15 years now, football is the biggest sport played in Australia and is growing, but one thing is different it doesn't play that big a part in the media, other sports hold the back page and quite frequently the front as well, you can go over to any child here and ask them to name more than two players/ or teams for that matter, who play professional football, and nine out of 10 would mention Beckham and if they know another maybe Ronaldinho, which is amazing as most wouldn'

David, Perth Western Australia, Australia

Roy Keane

robertZ, melbourne, australia

We are the three lions but without the hearts of LIONS. I guess the only problem is that the FA doesnt give the players 80,000 pounds a week to play. Is that what it has really come to. The likes of Lampard, Gerrard all score at the club level but what happens when they play for ENGLAND. Its your country and as far I remember it used to be an honour to play for your country. Is it really about the money now. Is england going to be one of the laughing stocks for the entire world. I would think the new manager should get rid of most of the big headed big names in our team. Besides BECKS, Terry, Rooney, Owen name a player who shows the desire to be there for England. Sure kick out Beckham but that man had the team skills to bring everyone together. Come ENGLAND WAKE UP, its late but never too late to show up for the world cup qualifiers.

Simar , Madison, WI, US

Good article. But there are not 60m people in England.

Tom Miller, Beijing,

A great analysis of the problems confronting the English game (Scotland and Wales suffer the same problem but expectations aren't as high). Unfortunately it will take a long time to change things in this country as attitudes are deeply rooted in the "get rid of it" and "let the ball do the work" culture, especially at grass roots. I fear it will take another generation of failure before things begin to change.

John , Tallahassee, US/UK

Martin Samuel is spot-on. He touches on the need for a more intellectual approach to the English game. In this area he is dead right - the need to pass the ball more