England legend Alan Shearer blasts ‘pathetic and hopeless’ Three Lions after they are sent packing by minnows Iceland
Former England striker says Roy Hodgson 'made it up as he went along' in an absolutely disastrous campaign
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ALAN SHEARER branded England’s flops as "shocking, pathetic, inept and hopeless" after their humiliating Euro exit.
Roy Hodgson’s failures were sent home from France in the last 16 by minnows Iceland — with a population the size of Coventry.
And ex-England captain Shearer blasted Hodgson, who quit after the defeat, for his tactics after accusing the former Three Lions boss of making it up as he went along.
Shearer said: “That was the worst performance I have ever seen from an England team - ever. From start to finish from the game.
“We were out-fought, we were out-thought, we were out-battled and we were totally hopeless for 90 minutes.
“I said after the three group games that I didn’t think England were good enough. I didn’t see enough in those performances.
“It looked to me like as if Roy was making it up as he was going along. He didn’t have a system, he didn’t know his best players, tactically inept, we had players in the squad who didn’t deserve to be in the squad.
“How on earth can he pick Jack Wilshere? He hasn’t played 90 minutes for over a year and played 141 minutes in a season, how on earth can he be deemed fit enough or good enough to come in and represent England?
“And he brought him on at half-time to try and save the game after taking him off after 50 minutes the other day because he wasn’t good enough.
“Raheem Sterling, he’s put his neck on the line for him and he hasn’t performed. He hasn’t been playing for his team.
“Harry Kane on corners in the first game...we can go on and on. The list is endless.
“From start to finish it has been pretty hopeless.”
Ex-England centre-back Rio Ferdinand agreed with Shearer’s forthright assessment of the woeful tournament.
He added: “It was embarrassing to be honest.
“If you get into a tournament and you don’t know your best team and you don’t know your best formation you are running into trouble.
“It was proven in all the games we played. We just got past Wales, didn’t beat the other teams and on paper we should have put them aside easily.
“One of the biggest problems we have had with this England team is when we get into wide areas we had no real idea. There was no real philosophy.
“I was excited by this team going into the tournament but I was led up the garden path because qualifying was so easy. I was buying into youth. I thought we would come out of this tournament with a bit of positivity. Absolutely gone. Bereft of ideas.”
Gareth Southgate is the bookies favourite to replace Hodgson, who resigned in his post-match press conference.
And ex-striker Shearer, who scored 30 goals in 63 internationals for the Three Lions, wants the job.
Shearer added: “I went to see the FA four or five years ago and I said ‘I’ll have that job’ and they looked at me and said ‘no, there’s a lack of experience’ and I said ‘you’ve hired experienced guys and paid them an absolute fortune and I could not have done any worse than those guys’.
“Would I take it now? Absolutely yes. I would offer my tournament experience even if Gareth Southgate got it. For him to take players who have been there and done it, that has to be a benefit also.”
