No not really. Sven Goran Erikson had proved his worthlessness to England in Germany, whereas Steve McClaren is only just starting! A goalless draw was an awful result for England, but a brave tribute to Macedonia, whose cause had been considered to be almost a joke. But the last laugh was at the expense of an England team that simply did not perform.
There are many questions to answer. Was Rooney just a flash in the pan, or will he recover his form, and if so, when? It's too early to make such judgements, but on Saturday, his performance was as bad as anybody else's. The whole team seemed to lack direction. It is up to the manager to provide such guidance but let us not forget his closeness to the old regime. His major decision so far has been to dispense with the services of David Beckham. Of course Beckham can't go on for ever, but he just might have provided the cohesion that England now seem to lack.
Crouch was perhaps England's best player, but that's no great accolade when most of the rest were ineffective. He had his chances, particularly in the second half. One such chance was only half saved and was delivered to Gary Neville, only a few feet from the goalmouth. He promptly fired the ball over the bar, which from where he was aiming was a more difficult feat than scoring. However, missing this sitter seemed to sum up his sides performance.
Wright-Phillips was industrious when he came on for Downing in the second half. In an inspirational flash, he penetrated the Macedonia defence, and Steven Gerrard rattled the woodwork. Just missed, but that sums England up at the moment. Just missed is not half good enough!
Tags:
England Vs Macedonia
soccer and football
England Vs Macedonia
Monday, October 09, 2006
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