Six points from Israel and Russia and Stevie will be an England wonder

Steve McClaren must feel as light as a fairy, as if the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders. For the first time since his inception as England’s manager, old red-face has no particular overriding worries causing him sleepless nights, as expectations have ebbed to an all-time low. Should the Three Lions record back-to-back wins against Israel and Russia, McClaren will finally notch-up his first credible achievement in his new job.

'McClaren has the opportunity to revel in the low expectations and orchestrate a set of morale boosting victories'

Imagine the following England outfield:  Gary Neville, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher and Wayne Bridge along the back, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Aaron Lennon across the midfield, Darren Bent and Wayne Rooney up top. Such an array of talent looks rather tasty, with a good mixture of exciting young blood, old professional heads, flavoured with a sprinkling of likely goalscorers. Yet all these players are unavailable, leaving the boss (fortunately) with his hands tied.

McClaren is no longer employed to pick an England team according to his own vision and opinion - something which has not worked out too well in the past. His task is now far simpler; he must work out how best to put the square peg in the round hole. His role is damage control.

Added to the factual crippling of England’s selection pool, is the never-ending doom-mongering that forecasts the end of England’s so-called footballing prowess. Apparently there is a shortage of quality fresh British meat coming through the ranks. This week’s protagonists of this theory include some high-profile personalities, including Patrick Vieira and Ruud Gullit.