1966 was a fluke
Posted by chrisfox on November 22, 2007
To be honest, I’m not that surprised. We’ve got a bunch of players who really believe their own hype. And a manager/coach that didn’t work out how to get them playing for them. Compare them to Scotland who have not got anything near the talent that England have (kenny miller v michael owen etc). They care about their national team. They play with passion and pride. They have good team tactics and a good manager who can bring a team of individuals together.
However, there is a bigger problem than just Steve McClaren or even the team of players. The problem is the Premier League. It doesn’t care two hoots about the national team. It is the best and most successful league in the world which means that it is a magnet for all the best players and coaches. Sadly this doesn’t give our managers and young players chance to develop because instant success is what is required. Also, none of our top players go abroad because the money is best here in England. And they’ve not got the balls to give it a go. We can slag Beckham off all we like but he succeeded in Spain and did his best to change the game last night. At least he cares.
A few other things. Steven Gerrard is NOT the best midfielder in the world. We don’t have world class players (defined by being class on the world stage). The best thing that we can do now is get either Martin ONeil in or Mourinho and give out a 3 year contract (till end of World cup 2010). And hope that there are significant changes in the FA.
1966 was a fluke. A great one but still a fluke.
