That's the problem. Sven has established the norm, regardless of whether it works or not. He's established it so well that it is almost impossible to change without major upheavals. For example dropping Beckham if there is a better option. Sven will never do that for whatever reason and he is not man enough to admit he made a mistake in appointing a prima-donna (even though he is working hard to lose that image) as captain. He can't strip him of his captaincy because of the consequences, not just to the team morale but also the media frenzy that would follow.
There is always Euro '08 to look forward to.
Allardyce on CrouchFrom The Times: "I heard someone say on Saturday that Peter Crouch had failed to show that he can be an buttet for England...
....add to that a formidable back line and the old English fighting spirit then the equation is almost complete. It is only unbalanced by the tempered and inept nature of Sven. Who knows, he may borrow some balls off Nancy between now and then.
Maybe all this will be a moot point and England will answer the critics with a magnificent performance against Poland and in the wave of fickleness all this will be forgotten and everyone will be back on the pro-England bandwagon. Maybe this bandwagon will roll on through the scheduled friendlies right up until the placebo effect peaks in the summer. Then it will be all down to the tournament itself. There can only be one outcome then. The only outcome that will appease the mbuttes this time will be a historic victory. Anything less will be the end of Sven and consequently maybe even the FA in its current shambles. The media and the fans will collectively see to that.
We have the personnel on the pitch to perform great things and even, dare I say it, dominate world football for a few years. The domestic league is seen as the strongest in the world, which is further backed up by having an English team as European Champions. The next dominant force in club football, overtaking such luminaries as AC Milan and Real Madrid, will be Chelsea, a team with a distinctly English backbone. All the ingredients are in place, but if the chef can't break a few eggs and cook an omelette then it will all be a moot point.
