Even if we have qualified, we (England) aren't exactly in a position to laud it over anyone. We are paying a fraud 4 million a year to not make tough decisions and this will once again be our undoing in the World Cup. Someone might as well start a "hahahaha England are out" thread now, ready for next year because you know we'll need it.

I don't think Crouch was that bad. England are severely lacking in decent tall centre forwards so we have to look to the likes of Heskey, Beattie and Crouch. None of these guys are going to do much at international level but Sven must make the most of what he's got, something which he is evidently not capable off. The Lampard - Gerrard midfield partnership was disappointing again. When will Sven realise the pair are too similar to play together?

Playing one or two youngsters should not jeopardize our chances. If MGP had not played in that Cardiff FA cup tie (I think Emerton might've pulled out late) he might not have broken into the team until much laster. The league cup should be a platform to introduce one or two of our top young players and see how they fare.

Heskey or Crouch. I'd go for the Birmingham man. Both are pretty similar in their goal threat (as in poor) but Heskey will win headers.

Taylor might've already had a first team appearance this season as replacement right back for the suspended Lucas Neill but for some bad luck. Having featured throughout pre-season as Neill's under-study, there was a strong possibility that Taylor's league debut would've been out-of-position against Villa. However, I believe he was injured at the time and Steven Reid deputized.

Former Celtic defender, Raphael Scheidt is worthy of a mention. And some people find Nwankwo Kanu's name funny.

He seems to resurface at irregular intervals to play a first team game and earn public words of encouragement from Hughes - only to disappear again after that. So is he injured?

People were saying we got Bellamy for a snip. I was of the opinion that the reported 5/4 million price tag was the upper limit for someone so injury prone. At one stage at Newcastle there was talk of him never being able to play two games in a week ever again due to his persistent knee problems. Whilst that might have been hyperbole, the latest injury is proof that he is not a 38 game a season man by any stretch. As for the game - fantastic to see Kuqi grapping two goals. Fulham and Sunderland spent of 1 million pounds on Kuqi-type forwards (Helguson and Andy Gray) whilst Hughes got him on a free. Shefki might not be top class but he will offer something different.

Is see a S.Youla bagged two goals for Besiktas today. Is that the guy who gave Lorenzo Amoruso and Co. the run-around for Genclerbirligi?

Jody Morris. Souey wanted him to realise his masterplan of fielding 11 central midfielders in a game. But head-in-the-sand Jody demanded a ludicrous wage (supposedly in the 25K - 30K bracket that Chelsea had offered him) and that ended that. Thank Almighty. Another name that has surfaced in my mind is Lucien Mettemo (sp?). African defender who I think ended up at Man City and didn't make much of an impact.

And Bothroyd struck a fine goal against Hartlepool and has apparently been very impressive in the reserve games he's played. Wonder how long that'll last.

Well done, what did you say...? "Mr Grabbi, I presume?"

Cercle lose 3-0 to Standard. Jones had a bad game and has also confirmed that he wants to return to England, probably at the end of this year, to try and earn a new contract.

Okay! Hughes was quoted as saying that he was very surprised that Nelsen was snapped up by someone else, which indicated to me that he didn't know too much about him before he came on trial. Maybe I've interpreted that wrong, however, both the Nelsen and Mokoena signings started off, as far as I have heard, with agents contacting Hughes. BTW: It's okay r'mum, I'm not coming around for tea - you can come out of your wardrobe now.

We're all quick to tap away feverishly to elongate this thread when Souey suffers a calamity, so it's only fair to give him credit when Newcastle win. Well done you lucky sod but you won't be around for the reverse fixture. There.

Time for Hughes to dispose of his belts and braces approach. Mokoena in midfield is one centre half too many on the pitch - regardless of the fact he tries to play in midfield and is totally pathetic in defence.

Or he got lucky after an agent's recommendation. I don't even Hughes would boast about doing a lot of 'homework' on Nelsen.

Very well. He's playing regular, which is something that Jerome Watt, Paul Weaver and 3 year contract boy, Sergio Peter, failed to do. However, the news is that he wants to return to England at the end of 2005 to try and win a contract over here - either at Rovers or elsewhere as his current deal expires in the summer. Apparently, no-one from Rovers has watched him yet at Cercle. He's more likely to get attention from English clubs playing in Rovers reserves.

Don't forget Luke Jones. He's the central defender who's at Cercle Brugge in Belgium. Helped them pick up their first point of the season in a 0-0 yesterday.

Incidentally, Brian McBride or Jon Stead?

Oh, so that world class player had yet another off night. At least if Rooney's having a bad game, he'll start roaming and looking for the ball. Owen just disappears. And since when has Owen ever excelled as a lone striker? Sven is so spectacularly supine that he will play Beckham and Owen regardless of form, fitness and suitability for a particular formation. 4-5-1 was only adopted to accommodate a lacklustre Beckham. The sad thing is, Sven will most probably be excused for his inadequacies if England qualify. I would have Sven out now - although the alternative options are limited.

Sven is an idiot.

I would take a guess that Ralph Welch is too old to qualify to play for the U18s this campaign.

That is nonsense of the highest order. To even begin suggesting Wright-Phillips is an inferior player to Cahill is lunacy.