Disaster!

WHAT CAN YOU SAY??

Absolutely shocking performance yesterday, think that makes it five game without a win under McClaren now?

Apart from the final ten minutes or so, there just seemed to be very little organisation to our play, and there was no urgency or drive to the side at all!

Things need to be sorted out, and fast!

That was a pretty poor performance and thats me not being typical Scots, I like to watch England normally but it was disappointing!

Our game was s**t but another excellent result, still top of the group! Bring on the Azzuri!!

Well, Saturday afternoon I saw Rovers lose at home to an 89th minute winner from a free kick won by a dive, which left me feeling pretty sick to the stomach.

But the England game left me feeling far worse. It was the kind of game that made you ponder whether or not headbutting the wall might make your day more entertaining.

Personally I don't blame McLaren that much. The players aren't performing because they can't be arsed. McLaren's at least tried a few different things but when only 2 or 3 players out there actually seem to be bothered playing what can you do?

I think players are more bothered about their clubs than playing for their own country these days........I dont understand this as for me, playing for your country should be the greatest honour that should be bestowed on you....

Said it somewhere else also
The Dutch national squad is just as bad.
Why calling up people like Landzaat & Jaliens when you got Seedorf (started on the bench) & Boulahrouzh and leave Van Nistelrooy & Makaay out of the team
Wich costed us 2 points against Romania.
Abysmal performance from our team and I expect a win against the Slovenians

I think that has been the case for quite some years now. Players are more up for playing in the Champions League rather than for their country. After all, it is the clubs who pay their wages. If players were committed to playing for their country then there would have been absolutely no way Greece would have won Euro 2004, look at how abysmal they have been since.

As for England, they were very very poor on Saturday. Lennon was their best player by a long way, even though he was played out of position. McClaren needs to drop Lampard since he adds nothing to the team really. It shows how good a player Claude Makelele makes Frank Lampard look. Play Lennon on the right, let Hargreaves hold, Gerrard to drive from midfield and Downing on the left to give the side balance. I like Andy Johnson but England only really looked like scoring when Defoe was on the pitch.

It is amazing for a team full of talent how poor they are at times, it boggles the mind.

wow thats amazingly patriotic! Ki for next england manager?

Well said mate, agree 100%.

Look at how the Scots are doing it so far - team spirit

Lampard should be dropped cause hes done s**t all year for club and country.......hes so overated its untrue......

Well if we dont win against Andora then..................Cant even contemplete that scenerio

im sorry, while i agree that lampard has done naff all for country recently (and yes deserves to be dropped), hes scored 20+ goals for chelsea this year. even if he was a striker and an out and out goalscorer, you would be happy with that contribution. let alone the fact hes a midfielder and there mostly to help set up goals.

its rediculous to say hes done nothing for his club. chelsea are still in every competition and relying on his and drogbas goals to do so


but yeah i do think he should be dropped. stick gerrard in, lennon on the right, and downing on the left with lampard coming on if some extra is needed. i feel gerrard is a more complete midfielder who seems to be in england games more than lampard who seems to often go missing.

your telling me! if cristian dailly is a player your using as a holding role against italy, its not gonna be class that tells! haha

Yeah he may have scored 20+Plus goals mate but half of those are from deflected free kicks and penalties..........Also he gets enormous amounts of protection from Claude makele so he gets so much freedom unlike Gerrad who has to virtually run around everywhere at Pool.. I was just saying that he's not performed this year unlike last yr when they won the league....think he's releying on his reputation....and this year he's really not performed that well consistenlty like for e.g C.Ronaldo or Gerrad.

Dont think Lamps and Gerrad Gel well together.......as past results and performances has proven.....

But well see! As an England fan...we always live in Hope.....................

no no i agree. gerrard and lampard dont work together. and id much rather have gerrard in the side to lampard (as tonight has proved!)

but to say lampard hasnt done anything for his club when hes got 20+ goals (deflections or not who gives a s**t. its all about the ball going in the back of the net! 20+ times is no fluke! regardless f whos around him. shevchenko cant do it and he plays upfront!) is quite crazy. id have him in my side anytime.

but yes. if its a choice id have gerrard. all day long. and the team only really seems to work with one of them i suspect.

If nothing else from tonight I think we've learned why Gerrard needs to play in the middle and not on the right wing.

I actually had to check the BBC website however to work out if Ferdinand was playing.

he was a defender to be fair. and the defence had nothing to do other than watch andorran players roll around holding parts of their bodys when anyone came within 10ft of them

Personally you have to blame it on the Manager, you have the best players in the world playing football like a lower league team. And they play well for their teams, so must say something.

If however they just arent stepping up to the plate for the game, then no player is to big to drop.

If they aren't playing well why didn't we just take the under 21's they would have done a better job. 3 goals against Italy's under 21's. Think they could have beaten israel.

Its worth a gamble, coz at this rate he will get sacked really quickly, maybe a bit late for England though.

I'm finding myself echoing the same comments that I made about Saturdays game with Israel - drab, no hunger or drive from England and what seemed to be a lack of organisation!

I don't think the players are entirely convinced by McClaren, and after the initial honeymoon period the doubts are starting to show through. Not that excuses such lacklustre performances, I agree with Fly that perhaps the introduction of a few of the Under 21's may bring a bit more hunger to the side, you only had to look at Nugent's brief substitute appearance to see that it can make a difference

I was thinking last night about the difference when Bolton came to Donny in the cup a few months back.

11 minutes gone, they were 2-0 up and we'd barely touched the ball - exactly the kind of attitude I'd have liked to have seen last night. Final score was 4-0 but it could've been twice that.

Personally I'd have switched to 2-4-4 after 20 mins and got rid of Ferdinand and Cashley Cole for Defoe and Nugent or Dyer. What the hell do we need 4 at the back for against a team who only put two players up for free kicks? So what if we'd let a goal in providing we scored 9 of our own? John Terry as captain should've led by example and ploughed forward at every opportunity (which in fairness he did start to do later on in the game)

Essentially last night should've been a practice match, a kickabout, a novelty game against a pub team. They should've done what Bolton did and come out the blocks steaming and just scared the s**t out of the opposition with quick passing, crossing and shots galore. Instead we did what we did against Israel and play it across the back trying to work it through their packed midfield when we could have beaten them for pace quite easily.

I've given McLaren a chance and I recognise his appointment wasn't too popular but I thought I'd wait and see to give him the benefit of the doubt. But you can't go blaming the fans and the press for bad performances - they're professionals and should be used to playing in harsh environments.

Unfortunately I think it's already becoming apparent, what with his alleged bust up with Rooney, the argument with Lampard about going home (didn't he look annoyed on the bench!), his fall-out with Venables and so on, is that he's losing the players. It can't help that he was obviously there throughout Sven's reign as well and so there's not been any sense of change as such.

I don't think we can sack him until the end of qualifying, but if they do, it needs to be now to give the new guy time to settle before the next game in June I think it is. As for who....well.....

Cashley Cole...lol! $$$$$$$

I think its a well known fact Maclaren has the lost the repect of the players...and when that happensits game over......

Obv he was the last choice by the F.A, who have given him the dreaded vote of confidence....

It just baffles me the way England play................

It annoys me that the people incharge of picking the top man do not look like they could have ever kicked a ball. The manager should be picked by legendary players and managers, not some old bald guy.

Not being English an all, im maybe not in the best position to comment but I think alot of the comments in the past week or so have been a bit much.

Ok, performances in the last couple of games have not been of Englands usual high standard so maybe alot of the criticism for McLaren is justifed. But calling for him to be sacked after the 3-0 win over Andorra is outragous. Surely people will see it as step in the right direction at least.

Its the most highest profile job in the world and he is paid a lot and i mean ridiculus amount of money for it and i think the critism is justified

We only think that because we are exposed to britains media. Im sure it wont seem like the highest profile job in the world in other countries.