Hold your hands up, lads

AS THE FURORE surrounding England's World Cup debacle shows no sign of slowing down, it's interesting to see various members of the football press in this country being so wise after the event.

The cream of the nation's hacks, from Brian Woolnough to Henry Winter, have been scathing in their criticism of manager Fabio Capello, and insist that the Italian should have been sacked after failing to take the 'golden generation' beyond the second round in South Africa.

That's right, the very same journalists that were praising Capello to the hilt after a successful qualifying campaign, and heralding him as the man who was set to end the country's frankly embarrassing trophy drought, have quickly changed their stance to mirror that of disgruntled supporters up and down the country, as they so often do.

It amazes me why, after topping a qualifying group in which the biggest threat came from a Ukrainian side clearly in decline, everything was deemed to be so rosy, and Capello could do no wrong in the eyes of the British media. The sad reality is that, any half-decent English manager could have secured qualification in a similar vein to Capello, particularly with such a talented squad at his disposal.

The reason Capello's fall from grace appears so brutal is because of the way he was built up prior to the tournament, and for that, the media have nobody to blame but themselves.

Sneijder set for clean sweep?

HOLLAND TAKE ON Uruguay tonight in the first of the tournament's semi-finals, and Bert van Marwijk's side will once again look to the creativity of midfield maestro Wesley Sneijder to inspire them to a first final appearance since 1974.

Sneijder has been one of the stars of the competition, and with four goals already to his name, could yet end up with the Golden Boot. It's his ability to dictate the play, and retain possession, however, which makes him such an important member of this Dutch side.

After a turbulent spell at Real Madrid, in which he was often overlooked in favour of more high-profile, stellar names, Jose Mourinho paid €14 million to take him to Inter Milan. The Portuguese boss saw Sneijder as the player to build his team around, and so it proved, with the Italian's sweeping all before them to clinch a historic treble. Sneijder was instrumental in the team's success, and his performance during Inter's Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge was a joy to watch.

Alex Ferguson is said to be lining up a £25m swoop for arguably the finest midfieder in the world at the moment. However, if Sneijder can lead Holland to success in South Africa, it will cap a truly remarkable season for the player, and Fergie might just have to dig a little deeper.

JT: No case to answer

IT'S EASY TO take a disliking to John Terry, unless, of course, you happen to support Chelsea. Adrian Durham, the talkSPORT – or talkS**T in his case - presenter last week described him as "a very limited footballer." If "very limited" means inspiring your side to three Premier League titles and being voted into the FIFPro World XI for four consecutive seasons, I suppose he's right.

However, the criticism Terry has come in for following England's disastrous campaign has been extremely harsh, not to mention unjustified. When pundits and 'experts' alike call for England's underachieving squad to be axed in order for the stars of the future to be given a chance, Terry's is more often than not the first name in the firing line, why?

True, the former captain didn't help himself with the now infamous press conference in which - in the eyes of some people at least - he publicly undermined the manager with a rallying call that went horribly wrong. Surely, though, he should at least be given some credit for showing the hunger and passion that was clearly lacking in some of his team-mates. He may polarise opinion, but Terry's commitment to the cause should never be called into question.

In terms of his performances, in the three group stage games Terry barely put a foot wrong. Yes, he struggled against a technically superior Germany, but who didn't? In the space of a few months, he has gone from playing alongside Rio Ferdinand, to Ledley King, to Jamie Carragher, and finally Matthew Upson, hardly ideal, is it?

In fact, Terry's admirers – and he has a few – might say that he is actually the only defender England can rely on.

Terry just Fab as he wins fans over

IF FABIO CAPELLO learnt only one thing at Wembley last night, it is that John Terry is exactly the type of man England will need in South Africa if they are to finally end so many years of hurt.

The Chelsea defender has had a tough time of it recently, albeit largely down to his own stupidity. However, in the wake of all the criticism that has come his way of late, Terry appeared to win large sections of the home support over with a typically solid display at the heart of the defence.

For all his faults off the pitch – and he certainly has a few – on it, Terry seldom lets his team-mates down. Playing alongside an unfamiliar backline of Wes Brown, Matthew Upson and Leighton Baines, the former captain held England together during a sloppy opening half, and by the time the final whistle sounded, the jeers had turned to cheers.

They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and if that is true, I wouldn't like to pick a fight with JT any time soon.

Lightning Theo in race against time

WHEN THEO WALCOTT bagged himself a hat-trick, not to mention the match ball, in the 4-1 qualifying win in Croatia, his place in England's World Cup squad seemed little more than a formality.

Sadly, due to a combination of poor form, and wretched luck with injuries, that place now appears in serious doubt. Walcott's performance against Egypt mirrored his career to date; a positive start culminating in mediocrity.

Of course, it's not Walcott's fault he has been injured, but with Capello only picking players who are performing consistently at club level for the national side, it is imperative the youngster begins to assert himself on a regular basis at Arsenal in the coming weeks.

Both Joe Cole and Ashley Young were left out of the squad entirely for the Egypt game due to a lack of form for Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, and the bespectacled Italian has proved time and again there is no room for sentiment.

The injury to Aaron Lennon paved the way for Walcott's inclusion this time around, but with Shaun Wright-Phillips and James Milner impressing the Italian during their brief cameos, next time he might not be so lucky.

Wenger's fury understandable, but unfair

THE FACT Ryan Shawcross had never been sent off prior to the incident should have been enough for Arsène Wenger. If that didn't do it, then the sight of the young defender walking off the pitch in tears should have sufficed. Again, not for the Frenchman.

It goes without saying, that the tackle by Shawcross which broke the leg of Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey was mistimed, sloppy even. But for Wenger to say that the Stoke City defender intended to hurt Ramsey was outrageous.

Wenger deserves some sympathy; after all, following previous injuries in a similar vein to both Abou Diaby and Eduardo, he could be forgiven for thinking that the world and his wife are out to get Arsenal.

Sadly, however, in a physical sport such as football, accidents can happen. Call it what you want; coincidence, bad luck or something else entirely. Ultimately, though, the tackle which shocked the nation last weekend was simply an accident.

Sorry Rangers not fit to move south

IF nothing else, Glasgow Rangers’ recent performances in the Champions League have merely confirmed that they are not fit to play in the English Premier League. To be beaten at home so convincingly twice in a matter of weeks is unacceptable. Losing to Seville was one thing, but Tuesday’s capitulation against Unirea Urziceni was verging on the laughable.
Every game in the competition is a struggle for the Scots, but to then make things even harder by scoring two own-goals just sums their predicament up; you get the impression that it could only happen to them, and the number of empty seats on view at Ibrox during the latter stages of the game spoke volumes; even their own fans, renowned for being some of the best in the game, have had enough.
Which brings us back to the original point. One has to ask what the Premier League has to gain by inviting Rangers and Celtic to swell its ranks. At very best, both sides would finish mid-table; they wouldn’t even get close to breaking into the top four, or being able to compete with those on the periphery, such as Tottenham or Aston Villa.
There is no longer any money in the game north of the border, and that applies to the old firm as well. Rangers and Celtic are both unable to go out and buy players in the way they were previously, which means they are both set to struggle on the European stage for the time being. For now, until either side is able to make a serious impact in the Champions League, all the talk of them moving to the English league should be put to bed.