[The_Dealor]

Well, that was a shock. A week spent making the most of all potential excuses, in which we heard continuous bleating from the media and the England camp about the plastic pitch, as though they knew that defeat was inevitable. Then again, defeat is always inevitable with England. Any progress at international tournaments is generally the result of luck and desperation. There are few cool and efficient performances, nor outright destructions of the opposition. A couple of good games in the last 15 years, yet we are still convinced that the right man will come along and see our nation prosper and regain our 'rightful' place at the top.

But it's all nonsense, isn't it - because we aren't very good. On a technical level, there has been little change since the 80s. We all refer back to some of those players who represented us, highlighting how much worse it could have been, without taking note of the fact that this current generation are no better than those who came before them. Any (marginal) technical superiority is negated by a lack of fight. Where once we could at least rely on a blood-and-thunder display in the face of the controlled passing of the opponent, we now can only expect to see yet another meek capitulation, followed by hours and days of hand-wringing, finger-pointing, and media-whoring.

The mailbox is full of people desperate to name and shame the villains of the piece, but that is a naïve and short-sighted answer; we have been doing the same thing for decades, and it has got us nowhere. The problem is not McClaren, nor is it the players per se. It is a far deeper rooted issue, one that betrays us the moment we set foot on a football pitch. We are technically deficient. We rely on things such as bravery and courage to win us matches, and while these are important attributes, they will only ever get you so far. This is not a sport where sheer physical prowess wins, but a game of skill and guile. We complain that no-one will put their foot on the ball, and slow the tempo, but that is simply because we cannot do it. A player with a splash of technique (Rooney) comes along, and we hail him as the messiah because we never see such ability in home-grown players.

We would be out-passed by most nations in the top 50. Over time, the flaws inherent in England will only become worse, and we will become nothing more than spectators at our national game. This is something that must be dealt with immediately, and at every level. The out-moded old-boys network of coaches must be smashed, because they focus so heavily on strength, speed and will to win, without any real understanding of how to win matches WITHOUT resorting to physical dominance. Players such as Riquelme, Kaka, and Messi would have been cast aside as youngsters in this country for being too slight and fragile, and not being able to outmuscle an opponent; Cannavaro would have gone the same way, as he is 'too small' to be a centre-back.

We spend far too much time pushing ten-year-olds into competitive matches to see 'if they can hack it', when we should be teaching them the basics and allowing the natural side of their game to flourish. Give them the coaching they need, and see where that takes them. Just let them spend time with the ball at their feet for hours on end, rather than in an under-11s free-for-all where they all chase the ball like a pack of hounds with a fox, and the biggest comes out on top.

Don't bemoan the 'golden generation' for their failures, because they are simply doing what has been instilled in them since their first coach told them to 'get stuck in'. If you want a scapegoat, blame us all, and the mentality that winning is everything. Blame the youth coaches who pick the 6-foot 12-year-old striker because he dwarfs the opposition, or the 10 year-old centre-back with the physique of a grown man. Blame every mother and father who stands on the touchline at their kid's match, screaming abuse at all and sundry, rather than applauding the rare moments of skill that have yet to be smothered from the children's game.

We f***ed this up a long time ago. If we want to fix it, we have to start all over again. Next time you take your kid to training, ask the coach how much time he/she will spend actually kicking a ball, and then ask yourself if he/she is any better off for it. They may be quicker, but we are trying to develop footballers, not athletes; if they haven't got the ability, then running ten laps isn't going to change that.

Another article, this one written by the guy the first article was intended for. so fair to say he has knowledge of the game as hes an editor for a football website/magazine.