By Phil McNulty Chief football writer

Savage drops appeal fight Least said, Souness mended

Robbie Savage left himself open to ridicule by allegedly putting his limited talents on a par with the great midfield enforcer Graeme Souness - but how Wales cried out for his presence at Old Trafford.

Savage will never make any list of Welsh football legends, and yet his current standing was underscored by his absence as Mark Hughes' side offered little more than passive resistance in the face of a vastly superior England.

Hughes may have pleaded for calm heads as Wales confronted the old enemy for the first time in 20 years.

But in reality the best chance of making life uncomfortable for England was an in-your-face, naked aggression that would get under the skin of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and company.

In other words, Robbie Savage.

Sadly for Wales, their best chance of making life uncomfortable for England was in a television studio, victim of a harsh suspension.

For all his limitations, it was impossible not to believe Savage would have made a major difference to a dismal Wales display.

Very much a case of a man becoming a better player by not actually playing. Without him, Wales showed none of the fire and passion which was the least England should have expected to face.

In its place was a tame, resigned effort that even reduced the colourful and partisan Welsh support inside Old Trafford to long periods of silence.

It was a sign of the bankruptcy of the Welsh tactics that you almost yearned for a trademark niggle from Savage

And for departing manager Hughes, presented with a glorious opportunity to move towards the end of his reign with a seismic victory, he now threatens to complete a period of progression with a disappointing whimper.

Wales' game plan was obviously disrupted by the late withdrawal of Andy Melville, but the central plank of Hughes' scheme to unhinge England was instead a major fault.

Hughes detailed Mark Pembridge to marshal Rooney - it was a flawed theory that was swiftly exposed as a desperate mismatch.

Analysis: John Toshack's view

Pembridge may know Rooney's game inside-out from their time at Everton, but he barely got close enough to England's prodigious teenager to reminisce about old times at Goodison Park.

Rooney was England's orchestrator, his shadow an increasingly despairing figure who was reduced to an admirer and eventually put out of his misery in the second half.

Wales never had enough of the ball to provide Ryan Giggs with a potential supply line to threaten England, while Craig Bellamy's role as a right-winger was another failed experiment.

Not a distinguished day for Hughes as he donned his other managerial hat away from Blackburn.

It left John Hartson starved of service, never once living up to his threat that he would "fight fire with fire" in his battle with Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell.

Mark Hughes' tactical mistakes compounded Wales' problems

It was a sign of the bankruptcy of the Welsh tactics that you almost yearned for a trademark niggle from Savage, the odd flying tackle or even the occasional ruck to unsettle England, just to add a touch of spice to a surprisingly docile afternoon.

Hughes prowled his technical area in frustration but was eventually as subdued as his team.

We waited for the fire and brimstone from Wales. And waited. And waited.

Wales needed this as a starting point, instead they were undone by their own submissive approach, ill-luck with injuries and the failure of their tactics.

Hughes, as he prepares to bid farewell, has given so much to the job that he deserves to go out with a win against Poland at the Millennium Stadium

Wales need it for the more pressing long-term reason of keeping their World Cup qualification hopes alive.

And they will need to produce the old fire and passion that has inspired all their great nights to beat Poland - something sadly lacking at Old Trafford without the much-maligned Savage.