Codswallop. Balderdash. Utter tosh. What a crock of shit. I don't know where to begin really. England's performance was flat and unimaginative as chances were reduced to long-range shots from outside the area. Clearly Mr Bird perching below there on the Algerian goal wasn't too concerned about being disturbed by England ripping the back of the net.
It boggles the mind. Is it the players' fault, a bunch of 'talented' prima donnas who can't function as a unit? Or is it the cabbage man's tactics? I would be inclined to lay blame to the team. After all, what's the constant here? This set of players has competed in four major tournaments and been managed by three different coaches, none of whom have been able to get the best from them. On the other hand the players just did not look happy on the field this evening, which begs the question, what is going on behind the scenes at the England training camp? Something is definitely wrong, exemplified by the body language on show tonight.
I honestly believed that before this World Cup started the difference between another mediocre showing and a respectable performance would be Capello, the iron sergeant. He instilled a regime of discipline and cohesion that had been lacking in the national team since 1996. However, it could well be this which is the source of agitation amongst the players, who only find out if they're going to play two hours before kick-off. After tonight's rigid, inflexible commitment to the 4-4-2 system when it clearly wasn't working I have had to question even Capello's handling of the nation's beloved chavs. There were just no ideas from England and instead of maybe putting Joe Cole on for Heskey so that Gerrard could move in from the left and play off Rooney, Capello made substitutions in a like-for-like fashion, bringing on Shaun Wright-Phillips (groan) for Lennon, who was actually one of the better players, and Defoe for Heskey, who was shit.
This side is such a far-cry from the team that showed a real gluttony for goals, qualifying in an outstanding and convincing manner. In every major tournament England seem to play with such a nervous disposition and total lack of confidence, completely inhibited by the occasion. And this is supposed to be the best team we've had since 1966. Why these overpaid superstars fail to replicate their club form on the international stage is beyond me. I can still live in hope that we might have some sort of mini miracle in the 'Mike Bassett: England Manager' fashion, but I seriously doubt it.
Still, at least Germany lost today. Deutschland Deutschland UNTER alles.
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