http://talksport.com/football/lack-p...rous-world-cup

If you click on the link you can listen to the interview with Kevin Davies. He blames a lack of passion from the England players and a lack of leadership for their awful performances. Who could really disagree?

Someone with so many international appearances couldn't possibly be wrong.

Wow, an interview with Kevin Davies?! Sure, I'm gonna listen to that...

Don't agree with the lack of passion part, but there is a distinct and obvious lack of leadership on the pitch. There's nobody who can see things going wrong and take charge, no leader in defence. It's a team of individuals.

Don't forget a lack of pride.

We should have had Kevin Davies up top and lumped a few balls upfield to the big man.

So the international legend that is Kevin Davies has had his say. Maybe we should hear from Steve Claridge as well.

Agree, and lack of effort for some players, who have no pride putting on a England shirt.

He's painted his shed nicely though:-


http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/...rld_Cup_party/

Passion? Spare me!

How about lack of technique or lack of tactics planning? Or understanding the threats posed by a given team?

It's Kevin Davies - he must know what he's talking about.

Well everyone on this forum seems to know what they're talking about so I don't know why a professional footballer can't have his say. The attitude of people on this forum is pathetic.

Don't think there was a lack of passion, but maybe a lack of leadership from the coach.

I personally think the passion things is a bit of a myth. I think they did put their all in. The comments of leadership is interesting though. There are few natural leaders in that side and few club captains. It's a very naive side.

Agree. The players were playing to a formula that smacks of Hodgson's natural caution.

Leadership wise, it was lacking in defence as Cahill and Jagielka aren't bawlers. The younger players were less restrained but the olders ones exhibited the fear and anxiety that seems to infect all England players once they begin to fold under the expectation once youthful arrogance subsides.

A young, forward thinking, charismatic manager with fresh ideas would go a long way to help.

People are coming out with all sorts of drivel.

Danny Mills was spouting some nonsense about how England struggled because of a lack of Champions League experience within the squad.

Stacks of Champions League hasn't exactly helped Spain has it?
And a lack of it it has hardly hindered Costa Rica, Colombia, USA, Australia, etc has it?
All of whom have performed well above expectations.

The games against both Uruguay and Italy were really tight and could easily have gone either way.
I'd say England shaded the game against Uruguay. For spells of the game in the second half, Uruguay were really on the backfoot. The difference between the two sides on the day was Luis Suarez.
Speaking of which, he doesn't exactly have that much CL experience, either.

Funny how fans always know better than a professional footballer and seem to believe they are the expert in all things football.

Go to watch any team and the fans are telling the ref, manager and players why they are rubbish and amusingly even they can't agree with the guy sat next to 'em.

I agree with him about leadership on the field we didn't have anyone who took charge and marshalled the defence or organised midfield it was a bit of a shambles at times.

But when we have players who simply aren't up to the standard needed we shouldn't
be surprised when they fail to deliver, and I wasn't.

The defence was poor only Cahill was even half decent and Jagielka was woeful. If we are ever to create a reasonable team again we need to build on a strong defence trouble is we have no class defenders to build from.

Not his fault he didn't get picked. He's had a good career. Ian Wright and Matt LeTissier didn't get many caps and you can't say they're weren't top class footballers.

Does Davies actually believe that "lack of passion" rubbish or is he just playing to what the Talksport audience want to hear?

That's true to be fair.

Quite right!
It makes a change to hear what someone who's earned their living playing football thinks compared to some of the opinions voiced here which stem from which club the player comes from not how well they play in tournaments.

Anyone with half a braincell would not cite "A lack of passion" as the reason we went out. There was plenty of passion, just everything else lacking. There were probably 30 blindingly obvious factors more attributable than "passion".

Odd too, how generally the same crop of French players can alternate their "passion" in different tournaments. Tonnes of it in 1998 and 2000, none in 2002, a lot again in 2006, they lost it all in 2010 and have found it again this year. Which coincided with the years they did well and flopped.

Lack of technique is always a big problem for the British / Irish teams. When have England ever played spectacular free flowing football? It's usually very mechanical and workmanlike.

We were pretty decent in Euro96

Lack of passion can also indicate a lack of confidence too.

True.....not so good or attractive to watch in the last four World Cups though.