After a disgusting first half, England looked reborn in the second thanks in large part to the work of Beckham (sub at the half) and Peter Crouch. They were down 2-0 at the half way mark, but they were able to fight back into it thanks to a pk and a fantastic cross from Beckham to Crouch's chest, but in the end a horrible night by Wyde Bridge and Scott Carson, combined with plenty of other poor play are the reason England will not be in Switzerland/Austria next summer.
With Russia winning 1-0 against Andorra, England has now missed their first major tournament since the 1994 World Cup. Lots will be written (the bloodletting is going to be fierce with this one) but in the end it was all about quality. England just did not have the depth and style to make it happen.
So will Steve McClaren do the honorable thing and resign at the post game press conference or will he wait to be fired? Where will England look to find a quality keeper? How must Beckham feel being one game short of 100 matches for his country knowing that this was probably the end?
For the record, as far as Beckham, even at his unfit level, he was one of the few bright spots on the pitch for the squad. That says something about him and the squad.
As I wrap this up, a few more questions pop into my mind. How ecstatic do you think Lalas in the LA organization is right now knowing that they will not lose their cash cow for two months next summer? Also, how soon till someone from US soccer gets on the blower and tries to setup a match between the two countries for June? Finally, how much will this hurt the beer industry in England?
Read More...
[Source: My Soccer Blog]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment