Don't Blame The Bobble!!!

The Premiership season gets shut down for two weeks for the second time in five and England's reward for such a closure is a miserable 1 point from 6, or a 0-0 draw at home to Macedonia and a 2-0 defeat away to Croatia.

A home win to Macedonia followed by a defeat in Croatia would have been hard enough to accept, but a 0-0 and a 2-0 defeat is JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE. Not acceptable considering the quality of players that are available to the NEW England manager.

I always give any new man in charge of England the benefit of the doubt and that doubt was extended to the 'Gormless' One Sven Goran Eriksson when he first took charge.

Ex-Middlesbrough man Steve McClaren was extended the same courtesy from my point of view, now that his record in FOUR Euro qualifiers reads P4, W2, D1, L1 and not scored in two matches, for me he is not the man for the England job.

SO BEFORE THINGS GET ANY WORSE, GET RID OF HIM!!!!

A victory tonight in Zagreb would have had the England folk forget about the two dropped points at Old Trafford last Saturday and would have put England in a strong position at the top of their group and clear of Israel and Macedonia (who beat Andorra 3-0).

As it is all three countries are level.

Steve McClaren's record as a club manager at Middlesbrough wasn't that great to be fair. OK he could get great results at the Riverside against the top clubs ie Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea and of course he had those remarkable and sensational results in the UEFA Cup last season, except for the final of course!!!!

But after the last two England games I think Steve McClaren's shortcomings have been severely and cruelly exposed.

The first was dropping David Beckham after Beckham decided that he wanted to resign the England Captaincy. Brave decision and a decision he should certainly stick by.

JT has done a marvellous job so far as England Captain.

His second was picking one of his old boys, Stewart Downing for the game against Macedonia. Downing isn't England class, but what can you do on the left when Joe Cole is injured.

Well play Shaun Wright-Phillips. For twenty minutes on Saturday Shaunie terrorised the Macedonians and thats despite not starting regularly for Chelsea!!!

Rooney is out of sorts. Crouch played like the 'Freak' he is and McClaren opted for a 3-5-2 formation in Zagreb which wouldn't have been too bad had the formation been offensive and not defensive.

We had Ferdinand, Terry, Carragher, Cole, Neville, Parker, Lampard and Carrick as thethree and the five and then Rooney and Crouch was picked as the two.

How the hell can you have a 3-5-2 that was so defensively minded?? Picked in hope of the draw and in eternity picked for a salvation thank you and the becoming of the Lord for nicking a win.

Instead we got England conceding two goals in the second half. The first, a header sandwiched between JT and Ashley Cole and then the second a Gary Neville own goal after he laid a back pass to Paul Robinson who completely missed his kick, AFTER THE BALL HIT A MASSIVE BOBBLE on the pitch and the ball nestled quietly and gently in the England net!!!

So. Don't blame Robinson, don't blame the bobble JUST BLAME McClaren he is not England CLASS even with Terry Venables!!!!

l8ter