I’m glad to see the back of the so-called “golden generation” of England players.

Fabio Capello has made mistakes at the world cup – especially his substitutions in this game. But this group of players – world beaters apparently – has bottled it in major tournaments under three different managers. Maybe they’re just molly-coddled, pampered, premier league poodles?

So who to replace them? Unfortunately, that’s an even bigger problem. I can come up with this:

Hart
Johnson, Dawson (c), ?, Cole
?, ?, ?
?, ?, ?

Maybe Crouch or Defoe upfront but they’re not really world class. Not Rooney – he can’t take it mentally, which is the problem all have them have shown.

UPDATE

Oh and about the manager – despite his mistakes, I think Capello has been the best thing about England in the 21st Century. But I don’t think he’s the type to build a young exciting side from scratch – he’s too worried about safety and experience.