It seems everyone agrees that England had major defensive problems on the left. The vulnerability of Baines  meant that Rooney had to play the role of a journeyman wide midfielder,  attempting to provide defensive cover for the inadequacies of the left-back behind him. Italy had spotted the weakness, took advantage and stole the match.

Ashley Cole, probably the best left back in the world, was not selected for this tournament.Hodgson and his friends at the FA have created an agenda designed to keep their grip on the England team.  It is the agenda of low expectations and playing our young players. They are accommodating failure  in advance so that if England fall they can hang onto their jobs by claiming the next generation of talent is coming through.

The puerile populists of the tabloid press have hounded out Cole and are now after Rooney. Wayne was doing a job designed for Milner  – and if anything should have played forward of Sturridge. He provided the perfect cross for the equaliser but missed a good chance.   Rooney did his job.  England produced poor free kicks and corners. The substitutions were ineffective. They were snuffed out by Italy in the second half.  The England management did not do their job.

Hodgson will not take responsibility for his failure and will continue to try to please and appease the journalists, the pundits, the FA hierarchy, the players, the fans and everyone else.  The former manager of West Bromwich got himself to the World Cup, got tactically taken out by an Italian, was unable to make the changes needed and whatever he said at half time totally took the wind out of the players sails.

The players looked very down returning to their base. It was a game they should have won, could have won and a game when all the problems were foreseeable and solvable.  For England the problem is the manager.  He is lovely guy but hapless and hopeless and incompetent enough to destroy players careers and England’s World Cup dreams.

In the second half Gary Neville was giving instructions to Rooney and Barklay but no-one really knew who was going where. The boys would be better off without this manager. They would be better off with Harry Redknapp telling them to go out there and simply give it a go.  They would be better off putting their heads together and sorting it out for themselves.  Hodgson hasn’t got a clue.

There are still points to play for.  Maybe against Uruguay the English attack can again find pace and accuracy and imagination. Maybe against the fierce physical challenge of the professional footballers of the one time World Champions Uruguay,  England will no longer hear or heed the failed mutterings of a failed manger and go their own way to victory.

They have the talent and the ability and are capable of it.  Now they have to really have to throw off the shackles.  Now they have to rip up the carefully presented agenda of failure and do a job on Uruguay.    Forget about all the blah blah – go out, get stuck in and play our game.

COME ON England .