Toxic Web v4.0

…it was a win, on the big stage.

And it’s another World Cup final and that is all that matters.

England’s 14-9 victory over France on Saturday wasn’t the greatest game of rugby ever played but it was one of the most edge of the seat, exciting 80 minutes of union played for some time.

And while those Southern Hemisphere whingers are crying about the lack of flowing play and tries they are also crying into their beer about being back home when England are in their second consecutive World Cup final and their third overall.

Yeah we all had written them off a month ago but here they are 80 minutes away from a glory that will surpass that of 2003. That team of Woodward and Johnson’s were a well trained, well oiled, well honed machine that was built from the ‘99 tournament with one aim to win in ‘03. Nothing was left to chance, every detail was planned out and all the players were at a peak never before reached by an England outfit and has certainly never really been reached since.

This lot were at the bottom only four weeks ago, after four years of going nowhere under Andy Robinson and then the shambles at the beginning of this competition this squad of players were as far removed from that previous group as they probably could be. But 36 days after that 36 point humiliation they’ll have the chance to make the last four years meaningless.

This wasn’t pretty, it was never going to be, neither was it going to be as easy as the quarter final against Australia. England did in this game the things not done in the last that helped them to win that one, there was balls dropped in contact, bad offloading and giving away stupid penalties that resulted in all the French points. They had cut all that out against the Aussies and they’ll have to make sure they cut it out against the Boks as Percy will make them pay.

All the points scored in the semi were gifted by the opposition from Damien Traille’s dithering from Andy Gomersall’s box-kick that let Leswey bundle him over for the only try of the game after less than 80 seconds of the match. Through the dumb penalties given away by England in kickable positions that saw them trail from the eighth minute until that high tackle on Robinson saw Wilkinson kick them to an 11-9 lead with five minutes remaining.

Wilko’s kicking has been severely sub his usual high standard, both place and from hand but when he had that one to go ahead did anyone doubt? And was there any doubt when he was pacing around behind the pack looking for the right angle and the right piece of flat ground with two minutes to go that he was going to finally get a drop over the bar? Cometh the hour and all that.

With France needing a converted try, they could have been at there most dangerous but thankfully Michalak was having one of his more frequent shockers and even though they made breaks and gains throughout you felt England were going to hang on. Yes they had chances but they were snuffed out time after time, never more importantly than earlier in the game with Joe Worsely’s ankle tap on Vincent Clerc and the follow up tackles by Catt and Corry that stopped Chabal rumbling over the line after he’d taken the offload from Clerc. A real turning point, France score there and more than likely it was game over.

But at least the French lost with some dignity, blaming themselves not anybody else as certain seasoned chokers and whingers have done over the last week.

So back at the place they were destroyed by South Africa only five weeks earlier England have a chance to make history and become the first team to retain the Webb Ellis Cup, we had our Dunkirk in September now it’s time for one final Agincourt to follow the last those of the last two weekends. It’s a shame that Lewsey will be missing, but I feel that Hipkiss has to start after his performance as a sub, he looked the part, strong in defence and a good step going forward.

England have to walk off that Stade de France pitch next Saturday night with no regrets, they can’t walk off head down as France did, as Australia the week before knowing it was there and they let themselves down by not doing their best. No what ifs, just do.

Don’t be like the squad of ‘91 who should have won but were talked out of it and have regretted it ever since, this isn’t some poncy girly pastime like ice skating you don’t get marks for artistic impression it’s all about points on the board. Score any way you can, if you lift that trophy at the end nobody but a bunch of whngers sat back home 12,000 miles away will give a stuff.

And then could it be arise Sir Brian of Ashton, Sir Jonny of Wilkinson and even an honorary Sir Kenny of Rogers… all together now…

…than good?

Because McClown is certainly the former, lucky to get the job and lucky to hang on to it.

Another inept performance at home against a pub side, in Estonia, on Saturday saw them somehow come away with three goals and three points yet again.

Three lucky goals, between Poom’s legs, deflection and an own goal by a player that was obviously trying to make New Wembley folklore with a Tommy Hutchison type effort.

It was the usual suspects doing their usual worst, that should have shown McClown certain things don’t work - Owen and Rooney up front together, I don’t know about Rooney, he got rave revues and eight out of tens but he was annonymous for so much of the game after the first fifteen minutes until he got frustrated and started a Beckham style headless chicken hunt for the ball. He needs to be involved with the play and is he really a striker? Personally I see him as a Paul Scholes type player and maybe that should be the position and role for him in a 4-4-2, central to play, scoring and setting up a front two of Owen and a big feller. Also removes the Gerrard or Lampard debate.

And that 4-3-3 he tried when Lumpalard replaced Owen, but of course the media have talked him into that latter formation for the Russia game. Hasn’t he learned anything from his predecessor? Rooney wide left oh yeah that works, works to get him riled up, frustrated, booked and maybe sent off. And what exactly does Lampard offer to stiffen up the midfield, yeah it means Russians will have more to run around but that’s it.

The booing of the Chelsea player has been widely criticised after Saturday, mainly by those prawn eaters who get in for free, indeed are all expenses paid. Lampard should be booed, it’s the only way fans can show there displeasure at things, such things as being useless in the last World Cup, then when faced with the criticism didn’t hold his hand up and say “Yup I had a bad one, I deserve this at this time but I’ll work at getting back in their good books” he turned round and started spouting about how he deserved respect - I’m surprised he didn’t leave off the t .

The thing is Lampard shouldn’t be the only one singled out, Gerrard was useless at the WC, unlike Lampard he was useless before the tournament and he’s been useless after it. Again on Saturday against a piss poor pub team did Gerrard dominate, did he run the game, did he boss the park? Did he buggery, found wanting yet again in an England shirt. For years we’ve wanted the Gerrard of Liverpool to turn up for his country, now we are getting it cause he’s been this crap for his club of late. But Stevie G has friends in the media, print and especially TV, so no reports of how bad he was in the post match analysis, all too busy falling at their knees to kiss his ring and no not the one on any finger.

He brings to mind another player from ‘Pool who has had his say about the booers, John Barnes who doesn’t like Lampard’s treatment. Of course Barnes was also booed, mainly cause he used to be outstanding for his club and then turn out England, be useless for 65 minutes before hobbling off with an injury that would miraculously have cleared up for his next great club game. Though they like to use other excuses for the fans reaction to this.

Ashley Cole is no great loss, though that could depend on who he is replaced with, you just know it’s going to be the unacceptable face of English football - Phil Neville - the talking up of this dire player since Saturday is amazing. Surplus to requirements at ManUre cause they have Fletcher he wouldn’t get near an England cap if he hadn’t been at Old Trafford.

The back lot looked shaky from the off, Campbell slow and fat, Cole usual inept defending and going forward and the replacement for Ferdinand in Lescott who I thought before the game should have started had a shocker, indecisive, ponderous unable to find a white shirt but of course they blamed Robinson for Cole’s injury.

But the main problem with Saturday’s performance was on the left wing, I can’t believe the crap I’ve read about Joe Cole since the game, high marks out of ten, talk of being the new Zidane all totally ridiculous on that performance.

He had the freedom of the left side and every time he received the ball instead of running into all the space there was on that left side, making to the byline and putting in an unopposed cross he stopped, stood there waiting for the Estonia defender to get close so he could do some fancy Dan showboating, lose any momentum of the attack and ultimately lose the ball. So useless I was willing for an Estonia to crunch him with a knee high challenge, get Ashley Young have him do what he does for Villa, run fast down wing, cross ball.

Unfortunately Joe Cole is that thick he will believe his own hype and we can look forward to seeing more of this from him in future as the fanboys in the media are enthralled and therefore so will McClown.

Will McClown be lucky against Russia, on the plastic on Wednesday, certainly won’t be good but will he out think himself with formations.