England get what they deserve

When they have everybody fit, then i would say they are amongst the top ten teams in Europe, but what this group has proved to me is that there is absolutely no strength in depth. Even the first choice eleven is only average, it is nowhere near the golden generation that it was laughingly referred to as a while back. There are loads of things wrong with English football, one of the first is kids football, this article by Martin Samuels explores some of the deficiencies in the way our kids are taught football
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article2910642.ece
This is not a new problem though, when players like Lampard are made out to be world beaters that shows you part of the problem. There is no way he would get any where near getting into that Croatian team last night. The way they kept the ball with superb technique, neat passing triangles, a great first touch and never a thought to just hoofing it at the first hint of trouble is a complete anathema to the way our players are taught to play. And to be fair most of the fans in this country don't really appreciate this style of play either, how many times at a match or in a pub will you hear somebody shout, just hit it, put it in row z, get rid or what are you doing if there team try to pass the ball out from the back. How many times do you hear, just get it up there and launch it. In any other country they would have thought it mad to have put Paul Scholes on the left hand side leaving the technically inferior Lampard and Gerrard in central midfield. Yet with not even a murmur of disapproval that is what Ericsson did in the last European championships in Portugal. In fact that is what the majority of our press and sheep like public wanted. I do like Gerrard as a player but it is laughable to class either him or Lampard as world class, there technique is just no where near that level. Look at the players who you would put at that level, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Messi and maybe Henry and Ronaldo over recent years. These are players who seemed to have the ball glued to their feet at times, does anybody really think that any England players are up to that level. Rooney is the only one who has got it in him to get up to that level, and he has got miles more chance of showing that at United surrounded by similarly talented players.
I would support quotas on foreign players, although for me that would not be about helping the national team, but if it is going to stay the national sport, youngsters have to have some encouragement to take part in the sport and if they are any good have a future in the sport.
It was great watching that FA press conference this morning, apart from Gill ( and that isn't a biased United thing as i don't have much time for someone who is doing the glazer's dirty work for them ) they all reeked of second division amateurishness, none more than that scouse blob of lard Barwick. A nice quiet summer for United's England men then, pity a few others didn't make it.

Music
Nightmares on Wax - In a space outta sound : Good album, with a lot of dub influences to the trip hop
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor :More out there music from the jazz bassist drum 'n' bass man. There are a few tracks a bit too experimental for me, but the majority of is as good as usual.
The Pipettes - We are The Pipettes : 60's girl group pop meets indie, sounds good and is. Not earth shattering but pleasant enough.
World psychadelic classics 3, the funky fuzzy sounds of west Africa - Various artists: I really like this, lots of great guitar playing, but the best tracks usually have the brass section bursting over the top of it.
Liars - Drums not dead :It has it's moments but not enough for me to keep wanting to put it back on to be honest. For an album that tries to be percussion based as the title implies, there is no real kick to it.