I have to admit I didn’t watch England

England 2-1 Hungary

live last night.

I had far better things to do with my time and after all they never watched me when I was crap.

That all meant I heard the reaction to the game before I saw it. A reaction that made me think there are an awful lot of easily satisfied people out there but then more than that there’s a lot of folk who get sucked in by the same thing over and over again.

Much like your pet dog, it still chases the ball when you pretend to throw it, even though it’s the hundredth time you’ve fooled it, as soon as your arm comes round the mutt is off. Just like certain England fans, who are claiming this is a new start, new era, when the same players are doing the same thing to struggle past a nothing side. Over-hype matched by certain players.

Just a few weeks back most of this lot struggled to get past Slovenia in the World Cup, that’ll be an Eastern European side currently ranked 19th in the world, so some 43 places higher in the rankings than Eastern European side they struggled to beat last night. The one that had 6 put past them by the Dutch and when they last appeared in a major tournament Wayne Rooney wasn’t even a year old.

Ah but we had Captain Marvel last night, Stevie G led from the front and when a hero was required he stood up and was counted. You could tell what the goals meant by his reaction, these were really important.

Err it was a friendly against a very limited if not down right poor side. The goals meant nothing other than to emphasise everything that is wrong about Gerrard in an England shirt. He can perform against Hungary, in a friendly, where is he against a half decent side never mind a really top notch outfit in a tournament? Nowhere, that’s where he’s been for most of those 85 caps.

You can now add Hungary to the list of teams he has actually performed against, you know the list that includes Germany a decade ago and Andorra, twice. The second game he’s score against them, like Andorra to go with the might of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, Austria, USA, Azerbaijan, Trinidad & Tobago and Belarus. Only Germany – when even Heskey scored – Sweden and Croatia – when even Walnut got a hat-trick – are decent teams on his international scoresheet.

So this time one of his glory shots paid off – wow.

Ah but this should finally see Gerrard given his preferred position and not have him stuck out on the left. So basically it saw him in the position he occupied 30 seconds after the whistle went in previous games, last place you found him was on the left.

Anyway the game as I said the other day England would struggle to a win and would be claimed world beaters after a new dawn. Though I may have overplayed the Hungarians giving England a lesson.

Well Johnson did what we all knew he could do and what we all thought he should have been allowed to do in South Africa if the highest paid coach in the world hadn’t decided to go with Wright-Phillips. Walnut, kept hearing how good he was and yes there was a couple of final balls that didn’t suck balls but he never seems to have control of the ball at all and he hasn’t developed a footballing brain in two months. Ashley Young looked more confident than ever before in an England shirt, just wish he’d go on his left once in a while, so a decent defender would have that thought in his mind and not know Young would be coming in on his right every single time.

Zamora, come on folks, might have not been useless but do you really want him up front for the next two years? Wiltshere, might as well have stuck in the U-21 for the few minutes he got. Hart did what you expected and showed he should have been first choice in South Africa. As for the usual suspects it was a competition to figure out which was the more anonymous Lampard, Barry or Milner.

If Carragher had missed the ball for Hungary’s opener would he have been slagged off as much as Dawson? No. Would he have got back to clear it of the line? Certainly not.

So, no this wasn’t a new dawn it was just the same old day played over and over again – if Fabio had come out into his technical area last night and seen his shadow then things could have changed but no it’s just Groundhog day.

Only good news from the night was Fabio dropping in that Beckham didn’t have a future but then McClown said that after Fabio had said it with Madrid and what happened – Groundhog Day.

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