We do not tolerate players who don't need a change of shirt at halftime!

If Pirlo was English and played a poor game in which we lost, he would be crucified for being a lazy SOB who should never be allowed to pull on an England shirt again. They'd forget how most times he effortlessly controls games in the crucial area of the pitch, and highlight the only weak part of his make up.

Last night was full of fans phoning in shite about sweating blood, passion and effort, but what we lack is a cool, calm head in the middle of the pitch. Yes, the defence was poor this time around, but in midfield we were back to giving the ball away all too often and lumping long balls.
At 35 Pirlo is still on another planet to every English player, while our best player is looking past it at 28 after having run around the pitch like a headless chicken for his entire career. While Rooney has run himself into the ground, Pirlo continues to play like he's having a kickabout on a beach and looks like he could go on for a few more years to come as well.

What we lack are players who are good enough and who want it enough.

Look at some of these tiny countries- their players are on peanuts compared to the likes of Gerrard and Rooney, yet they belt out their national album, brimming with national pride, and play out of their skin for 90 minutes.

They've got more to play for, they want to show the world how well they can play, perhaps so they can be earning the big bucks someday. England players don't have that- most of them are millionaires already, so their drive is lost.

As for the Rooney/ Pirlo comparison, I think Rooney had an ok game last night. He's never going to be at his best when the likes of Gerrard and Henderson can't get the ball up to him well enough, but I think he did the best with what he was given, and the fact he still made chances and scored is testament to that. Of course he'll run himself into the ground quicker if he's not getting the ball from midfield- he's a totally different player to Pirlo. Pirlo sits in midfield casually lobbing balls up to the forwards with great precision- he doesn't need to move as much, he's more of a tactician and controller of the game- what Gerrard should be, but isn't.

It's all no biggie for the England squad though, they'll be back in their mansions, driving their supercars around by next week.

I don't believe the players don't care or didn't try hard enough.

I wish people wouldn't do this. Effort, pride and passion (add any other meaningless synonym) isn't the problem, neither are they distracted by money. Spain have come off the back of an unprecedented hat-trick of tournaments, I doubt they're nervously consolidating their debts into one manageable payment plan.

The likes of Suarez and Cavani will get those big contracts one day.

We have an orchestra, but lack a conductor and lead violinist.

Yes, but my point is, even if we had one, if he didn't run around and sweat blood he'd be crucified.

I think it is the problem, or at least a part of it. Of course, having great skill is a bigger part of it, but passion plays a big part too, and I think the English players lack it.

The only people to blame are English FA who care about Sky paying for match rights than building an infrastructure to produce world class players.

Clubs like Chelsea, Man City etc has shown the Premiere League is being propped by foreign players because there isn't English players who world class in their positions.

The Premiere League has become nothing but a oil baron's playground and they have no interest in developing home grown players when they can spend $40m on someone from Europe.

Rooney, Gerrard, their all just products of a failed system because world class players don't come England but other countries.

English players have the token players of their team and the FA couldn't care less as long the wonga rolls in from Sky Sports etc.

Why? It seems an easy way to excuse footballing shortcomings.

It wasn't the only reason I gave.

I do, for year's apart from Beckham, no player has really given a toss about England, apart from getting the call up, so they can do adverts and get a new load of money.

I really think it's a combination of what you say: having run around the pitch like a headless chicken for his entire career and genetics with Rooney - he's old before his time. He always looked older than he was and probably would look 40 plus if he hadn't been a well cared for, kept fit footballer (bald, fat, no teeth, arthritic).
Pirlo doesn't look young with that beard but he does have the natural lighter body frame and build that is easy to run up the miles on.

Yes quite, I was thinking the same thing.

This argument about England players not caring becasue they're all mega rich is absolute nonsense. Don't people realise that all the top players from every country are paid big bucks!

It's not the FA who negotiate the contracts with Sky, it's the Premier League. The FA is just the governing body and gets none of the money directly from Sky. The Premier League is owned by the clubs not the FA.

I'm sure the FA would be more than happy if there were more top class English players however they have to cope with what's available and that essentially is what the Premier League provides.

Unfortunately not at a high enough standard because most of the clubs spend their money on foreign imports rather than developing home grown talent.

Roy's Boys turned out to be toys but they can at least console themselves in that they did marginally better than the current World Cup holders.

The FA being the governing body could then state they expect English to field a certain number of home grown players or the squad in invalid.

In a team of 11 how many foreign players would you see on a NFL team ? The American's continue to dominate the world in their national sports because they have a system in place to make sure home grown players are trained there.

It's really up to the FA to change the sport in this country to benefit the next generation of players, because if they don't it England will be a laughing stock at World Cups.

Its the coaching mentality. Look at the way Barca train their kids - its a philosophy that has won them Champions Leagues and the Spanish side WC and EC.

Look how confident South American sides are with the ball (Chile v England last year was a perfect example). English players are not confident with the ball and their is no "blueprint" to their style, no philosophy - its all smash and grab.

Yes quite, I was thinking the same thing.

This argument about England players not caring becasue they're all mega rich is absolute nonsense. Don't people realise that all the top players from every country are paid big bucks!

Yeah, it's a point certainly worth reiterating.

I agree that the media and a section of the fans want players to run around like headless chickens and show 'spirit' and then criticise lack of effort for their failings. Pirlo would be criticised for not running around enough but he has something that England lack and the media don't seem to be aware of - guile and intelligence.

This is the most absurd thing I think I've ever read. Americans 'dominate' their national sports because no one else cares enough to play it to a serious level. What international competition is there for American football?

Apparently the PFA met in November to discuss the possibility and suggest to UEFA.

Naturally there are EU laws in the way

Basketball is played world wide and has international championships, baseball also has it's own world championship.

As football is England's national sport and all the team does is continually fails at then obviously something is wrong.

It's obvious that the system American's sports have to developing young players is years ahead of what the English clubs have in this country.

You might want to check but even the majority of Major League Soccer players in their teams are American and it looks like they might qualify past the group stage(unlike England).

I know its easy to dismiss it but I think to a point it does have merit. I know some people make out they are treating it like a normal job and thats not true, but the level of passion is going to be far lower and its not exactly anyones fault.

Let me compare it to something many people can also relate it too. Music. When people talk about a bands hayday it isn't when they are older and rich after the fame, its when they are young and hungry. When no one expects anything from you, you have a lot to prove. Its no surprise that time and time again you see people who struggle in a day to day life, those parts of the world pump out these amazing individuals. They are often given very few choices in life. If Ronaldo was a Brazilian superstar, what do you think he would be doing. Many times sports and music and the media in general are the only realistic way out, and that creates a bred of player.

Take some kid who dreams of being the next Messi or Pele, he puts in the hours day in day out for his entire life. He lives in some part of the world were options are low, low pay or a strong pull to gangs, football is their life line. Not only theirs, they know they can lift their entire family out of poverty if they can become one of those superstars.

Compare that to say Rooney, who is pretty rich at this point, he may still really want to win for England but the drive isnt as extreme. He isnt going hungry, his family are not in dire straights and he wasnt living in some crime ridden part of the world (OI no jokes please haha), his drive is simply his passion for football. He can still put a lot into it, but at that very peak of the game, he cannot compete.

USA whilst a great sporting nation in some areas, look at who gets them the medals. Which ethnic group pretty much owns the NBA, African Americans make a large portion of the baseball players also. The racial situation in America is very different from here and the old divides still exist. The ghetto seems like the stuff of nightmares, but it will also give rise to people who are really hungry for the top prize, they will live and die by that.