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As the sun rose over Europe on Wednesday morning, British hopes
of progress into the European Championship Finals looked bright.
England seemed to have found rhythm, confidence and belief as they
flew out to Russia while Scotland continued to chalk up the victories
they needed to put themselves out ahead of Italy and France. Trips
to the former Soviet Union awaited both, victory putting England
through, three points in Georgia leaving Scotland on the brink of
qualification for the first time in a dozen years.
But life never is that simple is it?
For Steve McClaren, England’s last five games, five wins, 15
goals scored, none conceded, had seen him clamber from the post
Croatian wreckage and suddenly resuscitate a reputation that was
in ribbons. In typical fashion, the English media had gone into
overboard overdrive, this time suggesting that England were world
beaters and would swat Russia to one side on the way to the European
crown.
Yet if you’d watched England play during that winning streak,
you’d know only too well the frailties that continue to lurk
just beneath the surface. Yes better balance has come about with
the arrival of Gareth Barry, but even so, how much real quality
is there in that England side? The 3-0 win over the Russians at
Wembley was flattering – had the onside offside goal stood
at 1-0 to England, things might have been very different –
while Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of Estonia was efficient but insipid,
workmanlike but dull, lacking any spark.
The injury to Heskey was disastrous – who’d ever have
thought they’d read a line like that – the return of Rooney
opening up questions as to whether he and Owen can play together
up front. Certainly Owen was conspicuously quieter alongside Rooney,
though again, perhaps he was back from injury too early. Yet where
Owen goes quiet, Rooney seems to thrive on the partnership, a knotty
problem for the coach.
Napoleon always wanted lucky generals so he certainly wouldn’t
have fancied McClaren – Steve’s new set of teeth wouldn’t
have done much for him either. The injury problems that robbed him
of important players did little for the cause, but in the game in
Russia itself, his luck was about as far out as it can get. Would
Steven Gerrard have missed that six yard sitter in a Liverpool shirt?
I don’t think so, and had that one gone in to add to Wayne
Rooney’s first half cracker, England would have been cruising,
a
draw the very least they’d have achieved, putting them all
but home.
But Gerrard missed and that turned the tide, which was clearly coming
in from the Russian end on the sodden artificial pitch, the Russians
soaking it with water cannons before the game and at half time.
But no excuses about the surface. England did well enough on it
for 45 minutes and should have made he game safe against a home
team that looked overwhelmed by the demands of the occasion. Gerrard’s
miss breathed fresh life into the Russians and they came rampaging
forward. They got another break with the penalty for a foul that
appeared to be outside the box, then Paul Robinson’s miserable
qualification group continued with a weak save that gave Russia
chance of a second. The verve and drive Russia showed in the second
half meant they were worthy of at least a draw and, in truth, probably
shaded it.
The real issue for England is that once again, when it comes to
playing decent opposition, they fail to control the game because
they simply do not keep the ball well enough for long enough. Tactically
our players are found wanting, technically they do not always measure
up and when it comes to guts, we think that means standing toe to
toe with our opponents and kicking them. It doesn’t. In top
competition, it means having the courage to get on the ball and
keep it, not lash it 75 yards and wait for it to come back. England
might still qualify from a moderate group in a moderate period of
European football, but the old failings mean that even if we do,
we’ll not be coming home with any prizes. Perennial quarter-finalists,
England continue to make no real progress.
However things end up for Scotland, this has been a hugely successful
qualifying campaign for them, although failure to finish the job
now would be galling in the extreme. The win over Ukraine was a
strong performance, the team driven on by the Hampden crowd, but
in Georgia, they were tentative, suddenly aware of the enormity
of what they’d almost achieved – four points away from
winning through.
Like England, they were shorn of some key players, and in the end,
they turned in probably their least impressive display of the competition
at a time when they needed their best. They are woefully short of
depth to their squad and it showed out in Georgia who were well
worth the 2-0 win, the Scots only showing the fight you’d expect
in the last dozen minutes or so when it was all too late.
Yet unlike England, all still remains in their own hands. One game
to go, Italy at Hampden. Win that, and they’re through. Yes,
it seems unlikely, but so did victory in Paris last month. One last,
great heave and they’re there. I wouldn’t bet against
it.
While McClaren’s future is in the balance, McLeish looks ever
more firmly in control. Elsewhere though, closing time is surely
coming. John Toshack insists he’ll carry on but after a bumbling
defeat in Cyprus, a 2-1 win in San Marino did little to calm the
critics. The cupboard is bare as far as Welsh talent goes, with
most not even bothering t turn up these days, but Toshack has run
his course it seems. New inspiration is required at the head of
a team going nowhere.
Steve Staunton must know how he feels as the boos rang out across
Dublin for another inept display against Cyprus, Ireland seemingly
slipping to defeat until Steve Finnan’s late equaliser salvaged
a little pride – a very little – from a game where they
should have produced a morale boosting thumping. To the north, Northern
Ireland’s slim hopes of qualification all but bit the dust,
but a 1-1 draw against Sweden has finally given Nigel Worthington
a shred of credibility.
Who’d be an international manager? Not three of them, not for
much longer anyway.
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