England lose against Spain in a fairly dull affair, going down to a goal early on, failing to penetrate and show some innovation. International football betting fans will have been so disappointed in this display after high hopes of a fresh performance from this side.

We have the players to compete at this level but somethings not happening. Wayne Rooneys’ temperament doesn’t seem to be improving at international venues - which is a big worry. So England fans must now be feeling very deflated with the performance last night after a change of manager sprang new hope. Last night, we looked like the England of the Erikson era and that means not moving forward. It makes you wonder what is happening at the top - is the manager being allowed to do what he wants or is he trying to mould a side with one arm tied around his back by the FA?

Whatever happens, we need to see some development in the teams approach, and see it soon. Time is actually running down to the next Euro competition and even the next world cup if we are to produce a side that can win a tournament like that. Betting fans will be eagerly watching this team before placing their bets because this perfromance didn’t show that england had much to offer.

Wayne Rooneys’ lack of discipline is one of the most worrying factors. It’s not a new issue, we all know that, but it is a sign that we have noone to replace him. He should be pressured for his place so that he himself gets his temper and aggression under control. People talk about players being paid enough to act professionally but this is not the point. If Wayne Rooney is constantly selected because we have noone else, that is the point! We need more strength in depth as a squad and it looks like we need more pressure on the players in the team to work for that place.

I don’t know if people saw Jeremy Guscott’s pre-match presentation on Saturday of Jonny Wilkinsons’ awareness during a game - it was mind-blowing! These were clips from before his many injuries.

We all know how he can kick, cover tackle and run with ball in hand but Guscott’s analysis showed how Wilkinson has tremendous vision on the field, almost as though he has 3 pairs of eyes, one in front and two either side! Honestly, to us mere mortals, you can hardly understand how the guy can see so much in terms of gaps or space that open up at critical points of a match. It is becoming difficult that betting on rugby is becoming reliant on just one guy when it comes to the England side.

Not only did the clips show how he identified the spaces but also how he then moves to clinical execution of the pass, or more usually, a cut-out pass to deliver the ball and carrier through the opposition defence line to score. It was an area that I, as a big rugby fan, have not fully appreciated in the past and that’s why I found Jerry Guscott’s demonstration absolutely fascinating.

The odds on who’s going to triumph as Grand Slam Winners in 2007 have turned around after England’s dominant performance. Check out our Six Nations Betting.

For most of Sven Goran Erikson’s reign as England manager, I have argued with my friends about football betting and the correctness of foreign managers for international teams in sport.

It’s not necessarily the point that they won’t have the passion and desire of a native manager but more that, if 2 countries are going to play each other, the team - which after all includes the coaching and management staff - should all be from that country!

An argument against my reasoning was that, with reference to football, countries that are behind in the game and may still be developing, won’t have the ability to catch up with the dominant international sides unless they receive coaching and management from the best in the world. I agree that this is the case and I think their may be a case for concessions for these countries until they reach a certain level, from which they should be expected to stand on their own feet and produce good managers of their own.

Another argument was “How are England ever going to win for the Football World Cup if we don’t try to get the best manager in the world?” Well, basically, I feel that if we can’t produce our own manager, but we might have the best players in the world (hyperthetically speaking of course!!!) then we as a country are just not good enough! Look at Brazil - in their victories in the world cup they deserved to win because they were complete Brazilian teams. So, if we can’t win games with British management then that is the area that needs to be focused on to improve our internal development.

More so, from my point of view though, is my point above : For example, If international sports teams are going to compete against others then each team should be made up of personnel, including coaches and Management, from that country. If we has won the tournament in 2006, I would have regarded it as slightly hollow. Let’s see how the 2010 World Cup goes.

The same applies to our national cricket team at present. No dis-respect to Duncan Fletcher, but if we win the ICC Cricket World Cup this year (I did say “if”) then is it “England” who have won or will Zimabwe be celibrating it as theirs?