 Beattie is back for England - and rightly so |
Alan Smith's exclusion from England's squad to face Denmark - followed by the return of the very badly treated James Beattie - capped a build-up that can only be described as bizarre. The exclusion of Smith after his arrest on Thursday seriously undermines England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson in my view - he should be the one who decides who is in the squad or not.
We had the same story when the Football Association put pressure on Eriksson not to select Rio Ferdinand for the Euro 2004 qualifier in Turkey, and I am of the belief the coach must be allowed to pick his squad.
It has provided another unsatisfactory backdrop to the game, with the treatment of Southampton striker Beattie particularly strange in my view.
Why was Smith in the squad in the first place? I find it hard to believe he jumped the queue ahead of Beattie.
We've seen the good and bad of Smith playing for England, and I did not see what Beattie had or hadn't done to be included for the Turkey game and then out for this one.
Beattie was selected for squads, has never let England down, and then suddenly he's dropped for a game that is actually tailor-made for him to show what he can do.
He should have been in the squad in the first place, and as soon as doubts emerged over the fitness of Wayne Rooney and Darius Vassell, Beattie should have been the first call-up.
Eriksson went for Smith, and I believe the whole business of Beattie's exclusion has been an error of judgement by England's coach, even though he is now in the squad by default.
 |  I would like to see Joe Cole start and Glen Johnson given his debut |
As for the game, what I do not want to see is the usual parade of first-choice players in the first 45 minutes to satisfy the sponsors and television, then another team come on for the second half.
If this happens I will be furious, the friendly will - like so many others - be pointless, and the organisation of England's international fixtures will once again be shown to be a farce.
I don't actually think this is a game where any of England's established players needed to play.
It is the ideal stage for Eriksson to pick fringe players and give them 90 minutes at international level, or at least 75.
What can they learn in 45 minutes? If Beattie scores a hat-trick, does this mean he should play in Euro 2004 or he can play for 45 minutes at international level?
You need to play the full game. You need to be exposed to the full international experience.
What if a defender plays brilliantly for 89 minutes and gets done in the last seconds? He will learn he has to improve his concentration at the highest level.
As you can tell, I have become appalled by the way England's friendlies have developed into 45-minute set-pieces, and I seriously hope it does not happen again.
As for the team, I would like to see Joe Cole start again and I would also like to see Glen Johnson given his debut from the start.
But this is a friendly that has to have a point - otherwise Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford would be a waste of everyone's time.
MMIX
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