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McClaren and the boys should do more to make England a formidable side

November 21 - 27, 2007
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If England avoids defeat against Croatia at Wembley tonight then they will qualify for the European Championships next summer.

In fact, if they win by a two goal margin then they will actually top the group.

This position seemed unimaginable after the crazy 10 minutes that saw them go from a comfortable 1-0 to a losing 2-1 away to Russia last month.

Their fate is back in their own hands and Steve McClaren could not have asked for more given the torturous campaign he has put the nation through. It is the fact that a draw will suffice that is probably most in his favour given England's problems in the past when chasing a game.

This is particularly true given that his first choice striking partnership of Rooney and Owen is unavailable which in the Newcastle man's case is ridiculous, as his absence is because of a meaningless and bizarre game in Austria on Friday.

It is inconceivable that they do not take advantage of this turn of events, but, if England fails to win then McClaren will definitely be sacked.

Whether they deserve to be there is another question entirely, especially considering the amazing group performances that Scotland have put up culminating in a heartbreaking loss to Italy on Saturday.

The answer to this question really depends on which position you come from.

If England are a world-class side with a world-class manager, then the answer is an emphatic no. This was a relatively easy group with no 'big guns' to play, and, to be frank they have made a real mess of it.

However, if England are a decent side with an average track record and have performed reasonably to find themselves needing only to avoid defeat in a home match with Croatia to qualify, then the answer is yes, they do deserve to be there.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle in that any team deserves to qualify if they get more points than the competing teams but the idea of this team going on to win the tournament is almost fanciful.

There is plenty of evidence that England do not have the required skills particularly in keeping possession of the ball which is crucial at international level, to succeed next summer.

It is always possible to do what Greece or Denmark did and have a fantastic run of games at the right time and win out of turn but this is what we are left hoping for.

We have no historical pedigree of dominating big events and there is no reason to see why this time will be any different if this team and manager finally make it to Austria and Switzerland next year.

Without a complete change in culture of how young players are coached and the battle between club and country is resolved then England will forever be trying to write cheques that their abilities just cannot cash.

They are certainly one of the best 16 teams in Europe, if not top eight, but they are not in the top four and that is where you consistently need to be if you expect to win a tournament rather than just hope to do well.

If the unthinkable happens and England actually lose tonight then Russia will go through and to be honest I am not sure they will deserve to be in Austria next year either given they have only taken one point off Israel.

Croatia losing to Macedonia on Saturday 2-0 confirms that Group E was probably the weakest of all the groups.

This is the real issue to focus on about this whole situation. While all the exciting quality football has been taking place around the rest of Europe over the past two years, we have been left watching a standard well below what we should expect.

We have been subjected to such poor football over so many games that our football world is now at its lowest common denominator, where Russia playing Israel in Tel Aviv becomes an essential part of our viewing. Only the broadcasters benefit from this dire truth.

McClaren or this team are not entirely to blame for this depressing situation as it spans more than their tenure but while they remain it is impossible to see the tunnel let alone the light at the end of it.







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