UR TV CAST

If there are many more performances like the shambling one against Australia on Wednesday, the England manager’s prediction, in terms of his current employment, will come true.
Eriksson’s refusal to put England’s needs above the parochial demands of Premiership managers would be less of a concern if the shocking first half at Upton Park could be viewed in isolation After three poor performances in succession, it cannot. There is now a damning body of evidence to suggest Eriksson has overseen a steady process of decline from the high-water mark established in Munich 17 months ago. Since the month of that triumph England have won four matches out of 16 and produced only two stellar displays (against Argentina and Denmark), and two other encouraging ones (against the Netherlands and Paraguay). The rest have been fitful, or dreadful.This is why Eriksson should be maximising the rare opportunities to field his leading men. Bizarrely he indicated his 45-minute policy is a unilateral protest against fixture congestion. “In an ideal world they would play longer but you will kill them,” he said “I will not do that.

I will defend 45 minutes until I am dead because I think it is the right thing to do. If no one thinks about the fixture list, someone has to do it.”I do not think it is fair to insist players play 90 minutes even if I have only one friendly in five months. Most of those players played Sunday, will play Saturday at 12.00 and again on Tuesday. I am not saying the FA Cup is more important than England, but this is a friendly I had them for 45 minutes and that was good for them. Every time they have the chance to play together, even if just for 45 minutes, is good.”Few of Eriksson’s international counterparts concur. While England’s eight potential participants in tomorrow’s Old Trafford FA Cup tie played no more than 45 minutes apiece, Thierry Henry had 66 minutes for France, Juan Sebastian Veron 74 for Argentina, Ireland’s John O’Shea 82 minutes and, in China, Brazil’s Gilberto Silva played the full 90. He, it can be assumed, will not be turning out tomorrow although the Arsenal manager, Ars? Wenger, may like to consider that, were it not for Gilberto Silva’s international appearances in the World Cup, his club would not have thought of signing him.David Davies, the Football Association’s joint acting chief executive, yesterday pointed out that Eriksson had agreed to limit friendlies in the interests of the clubs before.

He added that he has also brokered an unprecedented summit meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson, Ars? Wenger, G?rd Houllier, Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and Eriksson in an attempt to ease the increasingly one-sided club/country conflict. The FA is anxious to persuade the managers of the the value of a friendly ahead of a proposed August fixture against Croatia which would will precede the qualifiers against Macedonia and Turkey.Davies added: “Non-competitive matches matter. It is not sufficient to only think about England in May and June, and somehow believe magically we can win major tournaments in that way. There has to be a better way to support the national team while recognising the interests of the clubs. It is our responsibility to find it.”In Eriksson’s defence he has lost just once, to Brazil, in 13 competitive matches.