Steven Gerrard nets a crucial goal in another
poor England performance.
Two second-half Steven Gerrard goals and a poacher's effort
from David Nugent were enough to win the game but Steve McClaren's job
prospects now depend on the FA turning a deaf ear to the chants of mutinous
England fans in Barcelona.
During a tepid, goalless opening period, the thousands of travelling supporters
gave full vent to their emotions, abusing McClaren and his underperforming
team by the minute, rounding off their repertoire with `You'll be sacked
in the morning'.
At that stage, sacked in the evening might have been more appropriate.
But while Gerrard and Nugent at least kept stumbling England moving forward
on the road to Euro 2008, the verdict from the stands was pretty unequivocal:
'Still want McClaren out.'
Whether they get their wish is a matter of debate but as the four minutes
of first-half injury time ticked down, McClaren sat in the visitors' dugout
certainly looking like a condemned man.
A decent bloke and, by all accounts a damned good coach. Yet there he
sat, presiding over what was quite possibly the most embarrassing 45 minutes
England's long-suffering fans have ever been unfortunate enough to witness.
At a rough estimate, the team McClaren sent out to play a country whose
entire population fits into Old Trafford with plenty of seats to spare
is worth in excess of ?200million. Over-valued, over-hyped and definitely,
definitely over-rated.
It was 20 minutes before the England supporters turned on their team.
They were lucky to get that long.
The high tempo McClaren speaks so often about was missing. Instead, it
appeared as though the England team were engaging in an extended session
of keep-ball.
Any break in the exhibition of meaningless passing came through Andorra's
desire to tug and pull and grab an opponent, particularly Wayne Rooney,
at any opportunity.
Rooney's frustration threatened to boil over. England got mad. But really,
what is the international footballing equivalent of the Dog and Gun supposed
to do in the face of such supposedly mighty opposition.
Starting in his preferred central midfield role alongside Owen Hargreaves,
Gerrard belatedly tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
The Liverpool skipper forced a good save out of Andorran keeper Koldo
with a swerving shot and Stewart Downing, preferred to Kieron Dyer in
a team lacking injured Chelsea star Frank Lampard, did the same.
But they were sporadic efforts among a series of over-hit free-kicks,
mis-placed passes and disappointing shots that sailed wide. Little wonder
the thousands who travelled to one of football's citadels chanted long
and loud for David Beckham.
And that was one of the least vicious taunts to roll down from the stands
of a stadium that will forever be part of British sporting folklore because
of the Olympic champions it crowned in Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell.
This was an altogether different kind of sporting spectacle and as McClaren
turned to head for the tunnel, mercifully close his touchline berth, he
was greeted by a sea of angry faces eager to tell him exactly what they
thought.
Thankfully, England started the second period with markedly more energy
than they had done the first.
Within five minutes Hargreaves had fired just wide, Rooney drilled an
effort across goal and Koldo needed to scramble to smother Downing's low
shot at the second attempt.
The opening goal was coming and duly arrived when Ashley Cole nodded Lennon's
far post cross to Rooney, who flicked it neatly sidewards for Gerrard
to launch a 20-yard volley into the bottom corner.
Having shown the positive side of his game minutes earlier, Rooney then
got himself booked for his latest spat with Oscar Sonejee, a yellow card
that will rule him out of the June 6 trip to Estonia.
Rooney was still moaning when Micah Richards was caught accidentally by
Marc Pujol. The Manchester City man exited on a stretcher, Rooney left
as well, replaced by Jermain Defoe as McClaren made a double change that
also involved the arrival of Dyer.
The Newcastle man's direct running certainly injected some life into what
had been a pretty pedestrian midfield, although his woeful attempt to
turn home Lennon's cutback hardly helped England's cause.
Still, for a while the visiting fans enjoyed themselves, ignoring the
rain sweeping over a stadium with inadequate cover at one side and none
at the other.
Why, McClaren even managed to get to the touchline to bark a few orders
without being abused.
The atmosphere was just beginning to change again when Gerrard charged
through, as he does so often for his club, took Defoe's return pass, then
produced a neat finish.
David Nugent's arrival 12 minutes from time gave Preston their first England
international to cheer since Sir Tom Finney almost 50 years ago. He scored
too, running in to belt home Defoe's shot which was about to slither over
the line.
It was a notable day for the Championship club. But if the fans get their
way, it will be a momentous evening for something else entirely.
,
March 28, 2007.
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