for the first time.
Come on, look at the face of Scott Brown in the tunnel before the teams came out at Wembley, he’s never had a thought before so couldn’t do it again. Never mind lights on but no one at home. Nobody has been paying the bill and those lights were cut off a long time ago and we’re talking well less than 40 watt.
Again all the Jocks had was passion and yet they came close to drawing or beating this side of Roy’s. Which firmly puts England in their place. Especially that starting line up of the usual suspects.
An awful first half full of the old failings from those with a history of old failings. The opening goal a prime example, England again useless at defending a corner, Walcott’s useless first touch and then four players converge on Morrison and when he has a pop all four jump out of the way of blocking the shot. Gerrard, Cleverly, Cahill – not his last piece of ineptness – Welbeck. Cowards. Followed up by another howler by a ‘keeper who knows he has no competition.
What followed was more classic England huff and puff. Getting nowhere particularly fast. That was easily snuffed out by the visitors clogging up the middle. Load of Chuckle Brothers passing and no width. Walcott meant to be on the right but when he was needed out there and there was acres of space he could utilise out there he was stood on the edge of the 18 yard box next to a defender. Time and again it was screaming out for him to be wide and he wasn’t there, players playing it wide as he was running inside. No footballing brain.
Read one description of his goal as Walcott, who sped into the box, deftly cut inside Steven Whittaker, and calmly stroked the ball left-footed past Allan McGregor. Walcott’s technique and quickness of decision-making and execution was too good for Scotland
. When in reality he ran fast while never having control of the ball whatsoever, first touch he knocked it to his left, second touch to his right, then in blind panic he scuffs it past the ‘keeper.
Nice ball from Cleverly to start the run. Apart from that did anyone notice he was playing? When he was replace by Milner in the second half I missed the substitution and it took me ages to figure out who had come off he was so anonymous. Next to him Wilshere was there mouth open tongue out running into clumps of blue shirts and losing the ball.
Can’t have helped being alongside Captain Fantastic in full on glory ball mode. Constantly giving the ball away with ridiculously over hit long balls. One salient point the Jock presenter made on TV – in between the one eyed view of proceedings – was asking if Gerrard was playing out there at half-time. Two of the balls came off, one for Rooney where he was wrongly flagged offside the other for Welbeck’s equaliser.
Rooney. What was the point of Rooney playing? England trying to get him fit for his club or putting him in the shop window. If the latter he should have had a big start badge on his arm reading “Reduced”. Yes he’s had no pre-season but christ he was well off it all night, bar that one offside.
Lambert should have been on far earlier, in fact should have started. Doesn’t matter that he scored a cracking debut goal with his first touch – great movement and run in the box and great header. Rooney did sod all last season, wasn’t first choice for his club while Lambert was the top English scorer in the top flight as well as being one of the top three creators. Roy says he’ll keep picking the Southampton striker but what chances he’ll start games.
The fact that England had to come from behind twice against this mob of lower league plodders really does highlight a poor defence. As said before Cahill partially at fault for their opener and well at fault for their second. Getting mugged like that by Kenny Miller. Dear god, that is an embarrassment. A 33 year old who is only a one in three striker in the MLS for christ’s sake.
Though it has to be said them being ahead twice and losing did make things better because it gave them hope and it really pissed on their chips. Their winning record against England then stopped at one game as they desperately call for the fixture to be a regular thing. I don’t know why, yes it gives them a day out but if they can’t beat this England side in pre-season then what hope have they got?