Coca-Cola Divisions: Dowie disappointed with Sven

Iain Dowie has expressed his frustration with Sven Goran Eriksson's England tactics following the friendly tie with Holland on Wednesday night.

The Crystal Palace boss saw his star striker Andy Johnson employed in an unfamiliar position on the right, and admitted he was disappointed that the player's debut was marred by this misuse of his talents. Johnson's mystifying role was just one of Eriksson's decisions that have attracted criticism after the dull 0-0 encounter, and the Swede may well have to reconsider his approach in future. Dowie did concede that Eriksson had his reasons for deploying The Premiership's top English scorer in a wide position, although could not hide his desire to see Johnson in a central role for his country.

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yer, it does sound a strange one, you would think up front, running behind the defence and blasting shoots in would be the best way to use him..

though, i think in the interview sven admitted that hes better up front than on the right.

on the right, from what i have heard, he worked hard and did his best

It was a disgrace to be honest.

A friendly should be when you try out new players and see how they fit into the system and how well they perform for England. I havn't a clue as to what Sven was thinking, i guess he doesn't know either and he had a brain fart..

I can't understand why he picks players and they are not performing at the moment or not even playing.

Owen and Beckham should never have played. He should have gone with Rooney and Johnson or Rooney and Defoe. Bringing the other one on in the second half. Rooney is easily the no1 first choice striker now, well in front of Owen. Johnson and Defoe have been in fantastic form and should never have been left out. Well Johson wasn't but he played him well out of position.

He also should have played Downing on the left and Wright Phillips on the right, Gerrard and Lampard in the middle.

When does Sven need to get it into his thick skull that we need to play a 4-4-2 with a left and right winger?

Why is it that most football fans and football pundits can see whats going wrong? We can come up with the solutions instantly but the managers only see it when its too late? The same goes for all managers at all levels.

Are millions of fans/pundits wrong or just 1 person, the manager?

I couldn't agree more.

It is a disgrace that Sven earnt about 5 grand per minute for the Holland game. He came out with so much crap after the match it was unbelievable. It just flowed from his mouth as if he really believed it.

Yep a friendly should be the time to try out new players in their GIVEN positions where they PLAY for there clubs. What is the point in playing them out of posistion? That will tell you nothing at all. What happens if a few of the strikers got injured and Johnson had to play up front? What if he just isn't good enough? Or if he is fantastic the manager will come up smelling of roses, but he will look a prat as he never played him there in the first place.

A 4-4-2 is a great system but i think we are suited better to a 4-3-1-2 with Rooney in the hole behind the two strikers. Rooney is not a wide player, i dunno what Sven was thinking playing him out there. It was if he was trying to play it so that he could play beckham and Wright Phillips in the same team. Beckham needs to be dropped if he wants to play wingers and maybe then play a 4-4-2 with Downing on the left.

And WTF is plaing Owen Hargreaves all about? he is not worthy to pull on an England shirt at the moment.

where was shaun wright philips playing, did he play a bad game? noticed he was caught out of possesion a few times.

i think 4 at the back is best, in the middle, you have loads of good players.

i think wright phillips on the right, he aint a guy who can play centre midfield. downing on the left, but he needs more games at international level. other than him, is there a left sided player good enough?

i think at the minute, your best forwads are defoe and rooney. Andy jonhson could play upfront with one of them.

i aint sure about beckham, can he and shuan wright play in the same team. in the centre there has to be lampard and gerrard

He played Wright Phillips on the left..

Sven played a 4-3-3....

Owen up front, Rooney wide right, Wright Phillips wide left, Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham in midfield.

How can you play Rooney wide right? He is a striker, not a crosser of the ball.. Wright Phillips plays on the right not the left, me thinks Sven doesn't know his right from his left. Dumb Swede..

Disgracefull i agree, Sven seems to have finally lost the plot and i don't blame Dowie for going mad. Johnson has looked great this season and he deserved his chance to show what he can do. But playing him out wide was madness..