Football: ROO ARE OUR ONLY HOPE

I'M amazed how the doom and gloom engulfing England's final two World Cup qualifying games can suddenly give way to ludicrous claims that we can win the World Cup in Germany next summer.

What possessed players like Michael Owen, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and manager Sven Goran Eriksson to make such ludicrous public declarations is beyond me.

I can only assume Eriksson wasn't standing on the grass in the dug-out at Old Trafford on Wednesday - he was smoking the stuff!

Only joking, Sven. In defence of the players they are clearly paying lip-service to their manager having limped over the qualifying line in a group so weak I would have tipped my local pub side to qualify from it.

When the draw was made I can only assume FIFA's hierarchy must have ventured out of their cuckoo clocks in the Swiss mountains and delivered a gift-wrapped box containing England's Group Six opponents with a message that read: "Here's your Get To Germany Free card, try messing this up."

And let's be honest, we nearly did, dropping five points in a qualifying programme from which we should have expected to have taken all 30.

After the humiliating performances against Denmark, Wales and Northern Ireland we have qualified with a mediocre display against Austria and one of our better ones against Poland.

Does anyone really believe that this England will win the World Cup next summer?

Even the supporters who are normally carried away on a wave of unrealistic expectation are beginning to question the team's true potential under an inflexible manager like Eriksson.

Those who have witnessed recent performances cannot possibly believe England present any threat to the main challengers. The problem is that when players start to make bold statements about England's chances, all it does is bring needless pressure to bear.

To suggest that we are second only to Brazil is astonishing.

I know from past experience that the best way to go about a World Cup campaign is quietly because once you start shouting your mouth off about how good you are there is no escape route from your critics.

I have never questioned the individual talent England have at their disposal but individuals don't win trophies - teams do.

Eriksson claims he has 10 world-class players in the world's top 50 but his entire squad could be in the top 50 for all I care - it's no guarantee of success.

That said, if I was the FA I would try to make a deal with Manchester United and stop Wayne Rooney playing for the rest of the season.

If there is one player in this England team capable of inspiring the nation it's Rooney - and without him we are doomed. I would go as far as to say that if anything happens to him prior to the finals I'd be of a mind to not even go to Germany because we wouldn't have a chance, believe me.

Even so I doubt if England's opponents are trembling in their boots ahead of the finals. We have worrying weaknesses - not least because we concede sloppy goals and rely on an inflexible manager who picks out-of-form players because he's worried it might affect their delicate egos.

England's shape against Poland was the best in a long while and on that basis Eriksson should employ a midfield anchor-man in his side - which means one of his star midfielders has to go.

It's likely that if Ledley King was to take up the role then Eriksson would axe Joe Cole and employ David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard and I'm not sure that is the answer because the balance isn't right. It's there for all to see.

It's no coincidence that World Champions like France and Brazil all employed a midfield sweeper system on their way to success.

But I suspect Eriksson will now stick rigidly to a 4-4-2 system after his disastrous attempts to tamper with the side against Wales and Northern Ireland.

I remember when I played in the World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990 and Bobby Robson was forced to make sweeping changes to survive.

During the 1986 competition we went into the final group game with Poland on one point - we were on the brink of elimination.

Robson dropped players with big reputations and drafted in others to employ a completely different formation and we went on to win the game comfortably.

In the previous two major competitions Eriksson has seemed incapable of making changes.

I suspect we all know the team that will begin the World Cup - and I fear it will be the same team that comes home early.

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