1 That was a fairly short honeymoon period for the man with the ginger quiff.
2 Joe Cole: you are free to regain full fitness at any time and revert Stewart Downing to a comfortable seat on the bench.
3 Shaun Wright Phillips is wasted at Chelsea. He would be pushing for a starting place if he was playing regular football. Steven Gerrard’s suspension might give the chance to play 90 minutes against Croatia.
10 Conclusions: England 0-0 Macedonia continued
4 I appreciate England want to shake off the ‘boring’ tag, but that shouldn’t mean forcing passes and conceding possession for the sake of trying to create a chance at the earliest opportunity.
5 Macedonia played really well and deserved their point.
6 Michael Carrick had some decent moments, but I think Scott Parker would have been more suited to the match.
7 Ledley King and Ashley Cole made some vital interceptions and last-minute tackles. England might have lost the game without them.
8 David Beckham is not going to get a call-up if McClaren’s post-match interview is anything to go by.
9 When I see Terry Venables wearing glasses in the dugout and looking so studious, I can’t help wondering whether his tax return is attached to his clipboard!
10 Gary Neville is probably the last person on the pitch, nay in the stadium, you would want the best chance of the game to fall to.