Hansen: Blame Eriksson
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Television pundit Alan Hansen was in no doubt who was to blame for England's dismal failure to qualify for the semi-final of the World Cup - outgoing coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
"You have got to feel sorry for the players who had the bottle to take the penalties, and then you have to praise the players who stood up and held Portugal out during the match.
"But the decision by the manager to play one up front was absolute folly. The system never looked like working. Everyone will question the manager now and rightly so," said the former Liverpool defender.
"Whenever the English players go to any tournament they will always want to play a system that they know and are comfortable with. And they didn't have that.
"I think the manager has contributed to England's downfall. He never got the shape or balance of the team right.
"You look at the line-up and look at the players and you have got to wonder why they have played so badly."
"You have got to feel sorry for the players who had the bottle to take the penalties, and then you have to praise the players who stood up and held Portugal out during the match.
"But the decision by the manager to play one up front was absolute folly. The system never looked like working. Everyone will question the manager now and rightly so," said the former Liverpool defender.
"Whenever the English players go to any tournament they will always want to play a system that they know and are comfortable with. And they didn't have that.
"I think the manager has contributed to England's downfall. He never got the shape or balance of the team right.
"You look at the line-up and look at the players and you have got to wonder why they have played so badly."
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