Club before country

Widespread focus of national passions on the conclusion of Lewis Hamilton’s dash for the chequered flag on the Formula One racetrack and rugby’s compelling World Cup muted much of England’s hostile recriminations over its inept football team’s almost certain elimination from the 2008 European championship. The diversions, however, only delayed the deluge of derision, and the buckets of whitewash will be teetering for some time yet on every doorframe lintel of the Football Association’s swish Soho offices. England are doomed unless Russia lose their last two group matches against a weak Israel and even weaker Andorra next month. From his uneasy understudy’s Act 1, Scene 1 entrance on to the blasted heath, England’s crabby manager Steve McClaren was perfectly cast for the tragedian’s leading role, and while any number of his early decisions and selections were scattily off-beam, at the last it is his sulky, uninspired players who should shoulder most of the blame.