Although not great I thought England were comfortably the better side. Other than the two great free kicks I thought Scotland were really poor. I was relieved we equalised but we really should have seen that off.
This is England's perennial problem. They cannot beat the minnows and that is the measure of a top class team. To be honest, they also have difficulties in beating the top teams.
Didn't we win all of our qualifiers for the last tournament and we're close to guaranteed to qualify for this one? Beating minnows isn't an issue. Beating a half decent side at a tournament is.
Important to have players coming through with a track record of success. England badly need a few leaders with a winners attitude. How England could have done with Roy Keane.
You are fully correct on the qualifications. England's issue is to be beat the "theoretical minnow" in an important game or tournament. Based upon the historical importance of the Home Nations internationals, I classified this match as "important", well at least for the Scots. Again, England failed to deliver on the big occasion. Yes, they should qualify got the 2018 World Cup and I wish them well, and hope that they can follow the lead and example of the youngsters.
It is a great result proving that England have both talent and good training at this level. I just wonder how the careers of these "Champions" will develop at the England senior level. In theory, there is a great foundation for a young and dynamic England team in 4-6 years. I will follow with interest.
England's youngsters are world champions - but what are their chances of regular first-team football with their clubs? A 1-0 win over Venezuela in Sunday's Under-20 World Cup final in South Korea gave England their most significant international title since 1966. In total, the players who featured in the final played 1,094 Premier League minutes between them last season - equivalent to about 12 full matches.
Kiwi - you very eloquently expressed the key issue. This team should be developed and nurtured both at club and national level to be the foundation of a strong young team in 4 years. But I fear that they will not get the experience a Premiership level. Hopefully clubs in the Championship, or even abroad, will capitalise on this opportunity and provide and opportunity for first team experience.
