England Team Is In The Dark Ages

After last nights dire performance against those giants of the world game the Republic Of Ireland Gary Linekar has been scathing of England declaring " it was a tactically regressive display from Roy Hodgson's side, describing it as "a step back to the dark ages of two lines of four".,

So why has the England team become one of the most tedious predictable and uninspiring sides in world football that if we are honest has not produced a side to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck since Euro 96,well look at the following list of names that may give a clue

Tony Currie
Rodney Marsh
Stan Bowles
Frank Worthington
Matthew Le Tissier
Glen Hoddle
Chris Waddle
Steve Mcmanamen

What do all these players of the last 30 years have in common,well 2 things firstly they were players of immense flair and secondly to varying degrees they were either underused or not used at all by their country.
Most countries would have build their teams around these players but England underused them with the usual excuse that their work rate was not good enough they were not team players etc etc,as a result England has more and more become a team of journeymen.
Look at the "Stars" of the last 15 years the so called Golden Generation and the 2 members of that group who have been idolised Steven Gerard and David Beckham,both of these are hard working players who will run all day and give their all for the team but rarely have they come up with the touch of inspiration that makes you gasp ,in fact the most skillful player of that group Paul Scholes was as with other marginalised and played out of position so often that in the end he gave up on his country.

So what has this to do with the current state of the team,well basically the "idols" of the last 15 years have not been the players of skill and flair but the hard workers the blood and guts true englishmen type of player and this is what has inspired the new generation.
So until we encourage the flair player again the maverick  who will inspire we will never produce  a Messi or Ronaldo a Hazard or a Mata and will continue to trundle along on the fringes of world football,and more importantly if we do produce one of these gems by luck more than judgement we must allow them to flourish and build the side around them not marginalise them as has happened so often in the past