Redknapp and Bale highlight the stupidity of Zola, Capello and Fancy Danno Italian Coaches

I know it will hurt West Ham fans to do it, but watch the Crouch and  Pavlyuchenko goals against Inter and ask yourself, where were they fashioned? Simple, on the West Ham training field under Ron Greenwood. Look at the way Crouch runs across his defender towards the near post to get on the end of the brilliant Bale cross, and think of Peters ghosting to the near post onto a Redknapp or Sissons cross; and for the Pavlyuchenko goal, remember Hurst making his run to the back post.

Last season I expressed repeated frustration at Zola's absurd insistence on playing his wide men on the wrong flanks. Time and again, we came inside, ignoring the opportunity to skin the full back and hit in a cross to an on rushing striker. The beauty of passing the full back and hitting in a cross on the run is that defenders are facing their own goal as the ball comes over and so are caught in two minds. Leave it and it could be catastrophic; intercept it and you risk an own goal. Meanwhile, any forward is guaranteed to be onside because you cannot be offside if the ball is played parallel to or backwards to the receiving player.

But under Zola, Stanislas or Diamanti received and automatically came inside; and the defenders were able to turn, face and hold a defensive line. How often did we find ourselves squeezed in a five yard space on the edge of the penalty box? If Cole made a move into the box, the flag went up. If Stanislas or Diamanti sought to dribble inside, they moved into a crowd of players. It was so so easy to defend against.

Now, lets look at the last England performance. Again, we have an Italian "tactician" playing the left footed Johnson on the right and the right footed Young on the left. How often did we get crosses into the box? How often were defenders put under intense pressure? How often did we come inside, into crowded areas? How often were Crouch and Rooney left standing around, waiting for a pass?

Mancini is just as obsessed at Man City and look at how they are underachieving!

Meanwhile, 'Arry has kept it refreshingly simple. He puts the right footed Lennon on the right and the left footed Bale on the left and tells Crouch, Pavlyuchenko and Van der Vaart to get into the box and make runs to the front post, back post and down the middle, trusting that the ball will be sent over at pace into a danger area. Do it enough times in a game, and sooner or later a player will connect with the cross and a goal will result. It isn't rocket engineering but it is gloriously effective. All you need is pace on the flanks and forwards and midfield players willing to keep making the runs into the box.

Good on 'Arry. His attitude is, "Bollocks to fashionable training manuals, football is a simple game and I know what works"; and he is being proved right. It is not the only way of winning, if you have wonderfully gifted players like Spain, Arsenal or Chelsea (by Prem standards) or Barcelona, you can play your way through packed defences. But if you have a team of mortals, just keep it simple, play to your strengths and play the percentages. Easy.

I tell you what, Greenwood was smiling down on White Hart Lane last night. "That boy", he said to Lyall, pointing down at Redknapp, "wasn't the greatest player, but he was a very good learner! Now tell me, why did West Ham sack him exactly, giving the job to that "super coach" Roeder?"