Has England’s World Cup proved club triumphs over country?

It cannot be denied England performed abysmally during their four matches in South Africa. They lacked spark, creativity, basic skills but most importantly passion.

The depths of despair came against Algeria, when the ability to pass a football ten yards or control it escaped players of the calibre of Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard - simple technical points one would expect from those who earn upwards of £100,000-a-week.

It was unexpected, these men just don’t perform that way when they are at their clubs playing in the Premier or Champions League – but perhaps this is just the problem.

The latest generation of English players seem more committed to their paymasters than the Three Lions which was once proudly sewn onto white or red shirts. Rooney failing to trap a ball into feet on the edge of the Barcelona penalty area in a Champions League final is unfeasible, and he would most likely make the opposition goal keeper make a half-decent save.

The comments of Harry Redknapp demonstrate how the opinions of professionals have changed. He has had a long and testing managerial career and for the first time has the opportunity to test himself against the greatest clubs in Europe after guiding Tottenham into fourth spot. However, he has already publically expressed his desire to take the reins of England if the FA board decide to part ways with Fabio Capello.

Mr Capello himself is in a rather unfortunate position and the calls for him to go are quite harsh. There were arguably question marks over his choice of formation, but the desperate way his star men performed meant he could have organised them in any pretty pattern on the pitch and they still would have been as incompetent.

The players have no excuse as, almost to a man, they did not show up at a tournament which has been earmarked for a while as ‘England’s Time’.

Perhaps England need a native manager to stoke the fires of desire in the players bellies – but surely the chance to win a World Cup, to be only the second English team to ever achieve this feat, to be heroes of a nation forever and adored by fans irrespective of the club side they follow week-in-week-out should be enough drive.

But then again, they don’t get paid £150,000-a-week to turn out for the honour...