Overall Stuart Pierce didn’t do a bad job for the time he had been in charge, it would have been interesting to see the outcome had England been under Capello. We closed down the gaps very well and dealt with the ball very well in our own half and centre of the field, Scott Parker having a 97% pass completion rate in the first half!

However, We needed to look at the facts. Robben likes to run more central before shooting sometimes cutting in on that deadly left foot. In my opinion the only players of a similar standard are Sneijder and Van Persie all of which love to fill those central area’s working off loose balls, working off each other. By keeping a man back as well as a man marker on each of those players it makes those loose balls very hard to pick up. 

Attacking needs to be looked at in a similar aspect, the dutch team is very narrow and rarely used the width of the pitch. Once you attack from the middle (Like they were doing) they always have that extra man to support the defence, in some instances both De Jong and Van Bommel were both helping out clean up at the back. Why can’t we play wide then? We have the pace and strength in Young, Walcott, Sturridge etc to beat that last man and whip some into the box! Then also the height their to pick off the headers being Danny Welbeck.

I need to stress that we were given a tough task last night, no game against the dutch is going to be easy work so that was the perfect game for our youngsters to see just what they will be needing to do in the Euros. 

The Verdict: To beat holland you need depth and width. Supporting players who are box to box, helping out at the back when needed and pushing on to collect those crosses and the wingers to outpace the likes of Pieters and Kuyt. Pressure is the key in big games like this.

So we all sit here and wait, what for you might ask? Well it’s about time England had another good opportunity at winning either the World Cup or the European Championships but with the past few years being a let down for the whole country, surely a little bit of quality should be just around the corner!

With the Euro’s just coming up and no more than a few youngsters showing their worth at this moment in time what do England have to look forward too? In my opinion, allot. What with Capello packing his suitcase and heading back to Greendale he can be sure to land a job back in club football (where he belongs). What we need is someone who the whole nation loves and appreciates and preferably British.

So who have we got and what can they offer?

Stuart Pierce: The man who is English through and through, blood sweat and tears came in most of his England games, he showed determination, power and he always looked proud to be wearing the Three Lions on his shirt and that’s why he would make a good England manager. Of late Pierce has been managing the Under 21’s and has done a brilliant job, coming out with better results than the Senior team half the time! 

Stuart also has a good amount of experience being the Assistant manager of the senior team recently and knows all the players very well (young and old). In my opinion we need to think about leaving the Golden Oldies behind mainly to get a bond between the younger players, this will boost the chemistry and chances of the team succeeding greatly and thats where Stuart Pierce could be the right man, He already knows the Young lads very well and would have no problem pulling a squad together.

Why could Pierce be the wrong choice? A recent news story cropped up saying Pierce had been made to apologise to Paul Ince over a racist attack made between the pair back in 1994. Read more here: http://tgr.ph/yWj5H0 This kind of pressure could build up over the coming months and steer him way off track. Otherwise i really wouldn’t have anything bad to say.

Harry Redknapp: I think every male and female in the country know that Harry is a big contender for the job and probably wouldn’t mind if he did get it! As a club manager Redknapp has become one of the biggest and best managers in English and European football, over the last couple of years. With the big ‘Tax incident’ over, Harry will have a clear mind and therefore give him an increased chance of winning trophies. 

What we all love about Redknapp is he is truthful, admits defeat but will often learn upon his losses to make his team stronger. For example with both Portsmouth and Tottenham he has been given very limited funds and only a handful of quality players, yet after a few months of training managed to make his existing players better and even bringing through some of the leagues best! This is the kind of Manager England needs, we want somebody who can pick out players with potential and a very rich future ahead of them rather than again ‘The Golden Oldies’.

Why might Harry be the wrong choice? He isn’t familiar with International football and might struggle with the demands. Another point would be his profile, if he was to fail his duty as an England boss thats all the country would ever think of him. His masterpieces he created before hand at Spurs would be completely forgotten about and would spoil an otherwise perfect reputation. The same happened to Steve McLaren just a few years ago.

The Verdict: England needs somebody the country can trust, preferably British and possibly familiar with Internationals or at least have a good amount of experience in club football. Somebody who can then continue their career normally afterwards if they have a disappointing spell and someone who can pick the team on quality rather than just the bigger names.