NEWS: In the middle of another pell-mell season the only continuity for England lies in their regular underachievement. The 3-1 defeat by Australia could be disregarded more easily if it were just an aberration, but Sven-Goran Eriksson's band look like a team who, in their own minds, have never quite come back from the World Cup.
The sole victory in their four international matches this season was no statement of superiority, just a garbled display in Slovakia. All of the England fixtures have seemed to take the players by surprise and Eriksson's reputation as a cool organiser has suffered.
He has endured the greatest hostility from clubs over the scheduling of friendlies, but few coaches can have had a greater craving to gather their squad and instruct it. Just as it did at the lowest point, international football is once again resembling an intractable problem for Englishmen.
The untempered tone of Premiership games is a crowd-pleaser, but the same heedless attitude provokes catcalls when, inevitably, it gets Eriksson's side into trouble. Waywardness is punished most swiftly in defence, and club managers who are indifferent to the international team will care profoundly if those flaws recur in the Champions League.
Some of the mistakes have had a random quality, as when Sol Campbell's attempted clearance turned into a cushioned lay-off for Vanco Trajanov to notch Macedonia's second goal. At Upton Park, there was a peculiar reaction from Rio Ferdinand as Harry Kewell sprinted through to put Australia 2-0 ahead.
The centre-back was intent on complaining that he had been fouled when he should have been using a formidable physique to impose his control on a lightweight forward. Despite one or two encouraging performances, injuries and the magnitude of his £29.3 million fee have left Ferdinand searching for the form that earned his move to Old Trafford.
In the England ranks, he cannot hope to find reassurance nearby. Gary Neville has performed with immense conviction for United, even attacking exuberantly to deliver crosses when opponents are preoccupied with David Beckham. Unfortunately, there were no echoes of those traits against Australia.
An early collision that laid him out could well have affected on his faculties and, whatever the reason, he was unsure of his whereabouts as Tony Popovic came barging in to head the opener. It was hard to imagine, in any case, that it had been England's intention that Neville should defend the far post against a hearty centre-half. Physiologically, it was a mismatch.
The remaining member of the back four is not renowned for intransigent resistance. Many opponents, noting the slightness of Ashley Cole, set out to put him under duress. Newcastle's match with Arsenal last Sunday started with Alan Shearer, in a legitimate manner, trying to rough up the full back.
There is no suggestion that Cole or any of the others should be ditched. They are the best men available and, at one time or another, each has excelled. The coach, however, needs to see more of them because England do not slip into a groove whenever the squad is gathered. The 5-1 revel in Munich and the defeat of Argentina cannot disguise the fact that Eriksson and his staff have plenty of work ahead if they are to shape the talent at their disposal.
The old haphazardness was back at Upton Park, with the most exciting moments arising sporadically. Despite the howls from the galleries, it is rarely a lack of endeavour that hampers England.
Beckham exerted no steady influence, but his pride in representing and captaining his country is always on view.
A little more detachment might have helped on Wednesday, but the team seemed to imagine that they could brush aside Australia and so clear the way for the youngsters who replaced them at half-time. Frank Farina's team ought to command more respect than that.
Guardian Service
