Barclay Talks Sport

There's going to be a whole lot of fall out after England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008. A load of soul searching, star gazing. What I'm fearful of is that everything else other than the obvious will be blamed. The number of foreign players in the Premiership, the pitch, the occasion, the position of the planets, biorhythms. Whatever. The bare fact is that, we do not have enough players of the requisite quality to qualify for tournaments, forget winning them. We were without five of our first team last night and the holes they left were enormous.

It should be blindingly obvious to everyone that the reason there are so many foreign players in the Premiership is because they are BETTER THAN THE ENGLISH PLAYERS. Wake up. Our technical skills are woeful. Croatia gave us a lesson in how to play international football last night. Their players are not based in the Croatian league. They play in Holland, England, Italy... all over the place. If we really want English players in the Premiership in greater numbers, they have to prove themselves good enough. And cheap enough, for that matter.

It is clear that our coaching and schooling of young players is wrong at the most basic level. Youngsters should not play anything other than five a side until they are ten, or even older. Physical presence can be developed as a player grows into adolescence. What they need when they begin is to learn the abilities to trap, hold, pass, move, shield, press, control. I don't care how fast they can run or for how long. It is immaterial. I cringe with embarrassment too often seeing how 'lesser' countries are so comfortable on the ball. How easily they pass and move.

There is a reason why Owen Hargreaves is the best technical player in the England side. It is because he learned to play football in Germany.

You do the maths.

England 2, Croatia 3. Actually, you won't get the chance because he'll resign. Or he should. It barely matters that this was the game that decided our Euro 2008 fate. The fact is that it was so abject and depressing that had it been the first game, we'd have been howling for change. I'm not going to point the finger at individual players, that is pointless. The real problem is that in a game we only had to draw, we didn't ever look like doing anything but losing. The formation was wrong for 45 minutes, the players were lacklustre, scared I think. They played poorly (apart from Crouch). There was a fundamental failure in leadership and management here and Maclaren has to carry the can for that. We were given a second chance and we absolutely blew it.

I'm too disappointed to say anything clever and incisive. Next summer is going to be a desert for England fans. And that will hurt.

Stuart Pearce among many others is standing in support of Steve Maclaren. And, amazed though I am given my stance earlier in his tenure, I am too. We desperately need long-term continuity in the England set up. We've cast off the dull tired and negative tactics of Sven and have in recent games looked a decent side. Five straight 3-0 wins is good. Yes, losing to Russia was very disappointing but we look a side playing with some definable shape and purpose now. And we are scoring plenty of goals.

It is traditional to call for the manager's head at times like this and Mac did have a slow start. But he's into his stride now and dumping him will not help anyone. And who will do a better job? Martin O'Neill. Well, possibly but does he want it? And it isnn't like Villa are challenging for the title. And don't anybody say 'well he doesn't have the players' because it is exactly that situation he will face with England. Jose Mourinho? Dear God, no. I do not want that strutting peacock in charge of my national side. Just because a man can win championships by spending piles of cash does not make him good international material. National managers have a limited pool of talent. You cannot buy in any more. Unless you're Irish and keen on geneaology perhaps. That's why Bobby Robson was such a good manager. He never had the money to spend at Ipswich and so had to know how to get the best out of the squad available to him. Think about it.

Anyone else? Errrm. Not a host of names are there? Hiddink is too old and cynical, Klinsmann is a German and Wenger doesn't even know that the English have football players of their own. A knee-jerk sacking only benefits the appetite of the press for blood. If they wanted him sacked, they should have shouted louder after the 0-0 against Macedonia at home. That was where this campaign went wrong. And if he goes and the 'best man' whoever he is, tells the FA to go forth, what then? Another bloody shambles.

Leave it be. Let him take on the next World Cup campaign and please, please, remember this. England aren't that great. Good on their day but no strength in depth and a confidence that is wafer thin.