Alan Shearer: England have been a complete shambles – now it’s time to find a boss who can finally let Three Lions roar once again
Ex-striker reckons the FA must get a manager who can instil belief in players with the right tactics and passion
I HAVE seen a lot of comment this week from pros and ex-pros about England’s Euro 2016 shambles.
But none of them explain the deficiencies we saw in the character of our players in our humiliating defeat by Iceland.
Why did Wayne Rooney suddenly look overcome by panic on Monday to the point he couldn’t control or pass a ball?
This is a man who has won countless titles, scored last-minute winners and has been managed by the greatest winner of them all, Sir Alex Ferguson, who always selected players with character.
You cannot tell me Rooney hasn’t shown the ability to fight and stand up to the pressure for Manchester United.
Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and John Terry were also the all-fighting, English spirits behind Champions League victories for their respective clubs.
But they too used to look like shadows of themselves when representing England.
Now look at Wales.
Gareth Bale came through our academy system with Southampton — and he doesn’t seem to be struggling now.
He is a talisman, a leader — the presence, fight and heart of the Welsh team.
And he has a squad fighting with him, who seem to believe they are doing the right thing. Those players around him have also come through from the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Cardiff academies.
So if it’s all the fault of academies, why are Wales in the last eight?
That’s not to say academies cannot be improved. With the loss of apprenticeships, we lost the filter system that picked out the weak characters.
In the past, if you wanted it, you did the chores, you worked hard and you knuckled down. You tried as hard as you could to make first-team training.
At some clubs now the academy kids cannot even see the first-team pitches, they are completely cut off from what they aspire to become.
Also, for some young players, the wages they are earning remove their desire to make it to the very top.
I never cared what I earned — I wanted to break records and captain my country.
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The fact I was rewarded for it was a bonus. So if it is too easy to blame the academies, what is the problem?
I think it’s pretty simple.
Historically, England have performed when we had strong coaches with a clear idea of how they want to play, with teams that believe in them.
In 1966, we won the World Cup and possibly the best English striker of all-time, Jimmy Greaves, was on the bench.
During the tournament there were calls to sack Alf Ramsey because he insisted on picking Nobby Stiles. But he said: ‘It’s my way or I’m off’ — and we won the World Cup.
In 1990, Bobby Robson found a system that included drafting in Mark Wright to play a back three and the team found a pattern.
We lost on penalties again but we looked like a team.
Then in 1996 we came very close. Terry Venables created a system and put the players in it that he felt would work.
Myself and Teddy Sheringham got in ahead of Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright because he felt we suited the system best.
In 1998 we had another tactically-adept coach in Glenn Hoddle. We had a system, we had leaders and we played good football. Penalties sent us out again but it was not through a lack of heart.
Since then we’ve seen a series of dramatic failures from teams built around the ‘Golden Generation’, some of the greatest club leaders we have ever produced.
But they played in England teams out of position, shoe-horned in to accommodate all of them.
That must stop. We need to create a platform for our best players to deliver at the highest level.
