Tuch of class would be nice, but results matter most for England

TONIGHT England play their Group K World Cup qualifying match in Belgrade against Serbia. England head this weak group with the only 100% record having won all four matches to date.

- By SIMON PEACH

Serbia are second in this table and won 1-0 in Latvia on Saturday. They are being painted as tough opposition in terms of England’s hardest group match.

That may be true but expect England to win or at the very least draw. They will be judged on their performance.

That is England’s problem - performance. Too much is expected at times. Any defeat, even in a friendly, is treated as a disaster. England winning is assumed here - it’s the performance that has become the yardstick - even against negatively defensive opposition.

Vince Lombardi, the legendary NFL coach of Green Bay Packers, once said: “Winning is not everything - it is the ONLY thing!”

England went close under Sir Gareth Southgate, reaching finals and semifinals of major competitions. Some of the performances were not great but the progress his England made earned him that knighthood.

Managers' (or head coaches') careers depend on winning.

Do not get me wrong, I too would love to see England play well and score lots of goals.

But at the end of the day it is about results. Sir Geoff Hurst is the only member of the 1966 World Cup winning England squad still alive. England are still trying to repeat that feat at both world and European level. His hat-trick in the final helped achieve his knighthood.

Talented as our young players are I would be really surprised, but delighted, if England win the World Cup in the USA next year. I cannot see it happening.

Once the opening goal went in at Villa Park on Saturday, England were always going to win against the minnows Andorra who basically parked their team in defensive roles.

The main thing is that England keep winning and soon will qualify for a place in the final stages group draw in next year's competition in the finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico where the summer heat will be a big factor.