Englands Allardyce passes first test but questions still linger over his suitability

Sam Allardyces tenure as England bo s started off with a drab and uninspiring performance, but neverthele s got the result expected from the trip to Trnava. Adam Lallanas first international goal came in the 95th minute of the 4 minutes of stoppage time put on the 4th officials board, a sign of how close it was to a very different slant taken by the pre s. Had it not been for Lallanas conversion from inside the box, certainly the doom and gloom feel around the England national teamwould have continued. Taking into account the fact that Slovakia were down to 10 men for a fair chunk of the game after their captain Martin Skrtel was shown red. Granted a 0-0 draw with that performance would have been an improvement beyond belief compared to the 2-1 lo s to Iceland, but that wouldnt be saying much.Last time these teams met at Euro 2016, England failed to penetrate too much with a lot of the play in front of the Slovakian backline which really couldnt be avoided. The best chance came when the 3 lions hit back on Ken Giles Jersey the counter with Vardy, a rare occurrence in the game since Slovakia were quite happy with a 0-0 draw from the get-go. Although, youll recall that on that night in Saint Etienne that Hodgson made six changes that night despite the fact the group wasnt settled which ultimately cost England. What you would expect on that night was Jack Wilshere as the best solution to the lack of cutting edge in the English attack but it wasnt to be. Jack was performing as anticipated though since he only had 140 minutes of Premier League football last season. It comes to no surprise that Jack was left out of the England squad based on his form.Englands pedestrian and sluggish play was evident in Trnava yet again which desperately needs addre sing, however, what I fail to see is how Sam is the man to change that. Im not going to be someone calling for his head right now but I was sceptical about his appointment, and still are but he does need plenty of time to implement how he wants to see his England side play. It isnt going to be the long ball style that he is constantly portrayed as being but I think he will be the first to admit that his style of football isnt exactly easy on the eye. He would call his style of play effective, needing to go the long ball route if need be which is a rational thing to do. Alex Ferguson always actively encouraged United to hoof the ball forward if they needed a goal in the last few minutes famously known as Fergie time.By taking a look at the England squad and further pool of players there to select from (whilst pretty limited) you can clearly see on paper the strength is out attack and midfield. Jack Wilshere, Ro Tyler Clippard Jersey s Barkley and Fabian Delph were all left out of the Euro squad and yet when theyre on top form they could easily slot into the diamond formation or whatever formation Sam decides to play. They can all be an a set, and I emphasise the word can, that would either net a wonder goal or play in a killer pa s that a sists one of the top English strikers. As mentioned earlier, the English attack is great on paper. Harry Kane was the Premier Leagues top scorer last season with 25 goals and Jamie Vardy came in at a close second with 24 goals. As well as this, Daniel Sturridge despite his injury problems has a better goal to game ratio than the aforementioned pair thus he is widely believed to be the most talented striker for England.Why cant these players score at international level?Sam must get to the bottom of the problem of this with Harry Kane in particular who was by far the worst player at the Euros. Although, at least he isnt taking corners anymore. Kane is a striker that, without the nece sary support, just cant score so in that respect he is similar to Darren Bent albeit Kane is an upgrade on the former Sunderland and Villa man. Kane at Spurs last season was vitalised, whereas at the Euros was lethargic and his confidence rock bottom. Nothing changed on Sunday. Yuli Gurriel Jersey A huge part of Kanes first cla s goal scoring form is his almost telepathic relationship with Dele Alli who has burst onto the international scene himself. Therefore, it seems incontestable that replicating that key relationship between the pair is e sential if Allardyce is keen to maintain Kane as the starting forward in his side.However, since Alli was left out of the starting eleven so it is uncertain whether the Spurs man is part of Allardyces plans. Another man who was left out was Marcus Rashford but he wasnt even in the squad and yet with Rashford on the pitch would have changed the attacking impetus. On top of this, his hat-trick in his under 21s debut must surely make Sam reconsider his initial position on the youngsters place in his squad.Allardyces concerns about the lack of the players Ryan Pressly Jersey first team starts for Manchester United are understandable, but thus far he hasnt needed the starts under his belt to po se s this maturity and confidence. This is without taking into consideration the fact that this season Rashford to gain a starting place, he would have to overtake Ibrahimovic and Martial in the pecking order which is a rather uphill task if I say so myself. One could look at it from the view of whether you could honestly envisage either Kane, Vardy or Sturridge keeping the Man United strikers out of the team. As a result, it isnt really a good enough reason to keep him out of the squad in this instance. Combine this with the fact that certainly Kane looks like he is knackered from all the football he has played in the last 2 years, then Rashfords energy and confidence is surely a no brainer to have in the side.Let us not forget that this time last year he was barely even known to the average Machester United fan yet alone someone who follows the Premier League, and that a couple of months before the Euros Gareth Southgate was reluctant to include Marcus in his squad due to the fear of giving him too much exposure too soon. Yet despite that he has grew into every role he has been placed in since his first team debut for United, and doesnt look out of place. His England debut where he netted in 2 minutes against the Au sies was another remarkable achievement for such a young man.Some might argue that he is too young to take on such huge responsibility as Englands number one forward. Whilst I fully understand the good willed intention behind that point of view, I dont see how it can apply to Rashford where the evidence shows he wont falter. This is a key part of why I question Allardyce as England bo s.Big Sam was eager to bring back John Terry into the England setup, which shows what he is all about. He seems to be looking too far back to the past where he should be focusing on the future of the squad by nurturing this team of which Rashford should be a big part. It could be a situation similar to where Rooney impre sed at Euro 2004 on the big stage or Michael Owen with the famous goal against Argentina in 1998. In order to grow as a player you need to be given the chances on a big stage, and just going back relying on the old guard doesnt help anything but the here and now. Rashford is older than Owen and Rooney were at those points in their career. Sam has nothing to lose and neither does Rashford. He doesnt strike me as the kind of player that would crumble Justin Verlander Jersey if he were to fail at the first hurdle of this new responsibility of being Englands number 9.England have hit rock bottom and it is now time to start building from the ground up a new team with the gem of Rashford as a focal point. Sam, be bold. There is everything to gain.