By Terry Butcher Former England captain

England coach Steve McClaren has come under a deluge of criticism since the goalless draw in Israel - and this has acted as a convenient shield for players who failed to produce what was required.

Wayne Rooney is not getting the right service and his frustration is growing Terry Butcher

A lot has been said about the performance of McClaren and his coaching staff and he will accept that criticism because it goes with the territory of being in charge when a nation with the expectation level of England is not producing results.

The coach prepares the players but he can't go out and play for them. It is up to them to produce results on the pitch and they did not do that against a poor Israel side, especially when we know England's players are capable of delivering so much more.

But we have to ask ourselves when was the last time England turned in a real performance, something that had the whole nation excited?

We played well with 10 men against Portugal in the World Cup but even then that wasn't a great display and we still went out.

The criticism of McClaren has taken away the onus from the players - and that has got to stop. It is time for these players to take responsibility and come up with the performances.

Every bullet has been fired towards the manager and most of the players have escaped, so now it is time for them to provide some respite for McClaren.

I also think it is time for McClaren to rattle a few cages and turn nasty if needs be. He has previously been the conduit between the players and former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson but now he is the main man and the players need to be left in no doubt about that.

There has also been much debate about the input of McClaren's assistant Terry Venables but I would be surprised if a man of his stature would simply go along with being a silent partner. I am sure he is making a contribution.

He will be glad to be back in the international arena. It is an environment that suits him and he will be hurting as well. Terry will be helping and ensuring the staff and squad stay together and bind, which is what is required.

Much has been made of striker Wayne Rooney's performance in Tel Aviv and his lack of goals in competitive internationals since 2004.

My own take is that he is not getting the right service. He ends up coming deep to get the ball because he doesn't get the service in the right areas, unlike at club level with Manchester United.

The criticism of Steve McClaren is a convenient shield for players who have not delivered Terry Butcher

When he drops off, this means England effectively play with only one striker. He has got tremendous pace, so we need to get him further up the pitch and playing in a style and tempo that suits us and him.

He comes back because he is frustrated and, to an extent, this negates his threat.

I would also keep Andrew Johnson alongside him. I thought he did OK against Israel and it takes time to form an attacking partnership.

Now to my old bugbear - the shape of England's midfield.

I think I first wrote about this in a column as we made our way around Japan in 2002.

The balance of the midfield is all over the place. I'm sick and tired of saying we should put Steven Gerrard in the centre and build the team around him.

As I said before the Israel game, Aaron Lennon should be on the right, with Frank Lampard tucked in a bit on the left.

It was noticeable that Frank had some chances in that inside-left channel against Israel. This is what England should pursue against Andorra.

I would bring in Micah Richards for Phil Neville and we must assume Ashley Cole will return in place of Jamie Carragher at left-back.

As for the Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra, nothing else than victory can be contemplated.

I would like to see a nice, confident victory, with goals for our strikers Rooney and Johnson, if that is the pairing.

Let's not even think about the alternatives - but it is time for the players to do their bit for a much-criticised manager by producing a positive performance.