DEFOE SPURS BORING ENGLAND - WHICH IS WHY HE SHOULD START 7-9-09

Is it just me or are England dull as dishwater until Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe arrives for his second half substitute's appearance?

Whether England are winning, losing or drawing, Defoe comes on and suddenly the game changes but why isn't he on from the start?

I fully understand the point of an impact subs is to come and change the game but arguably we wouldn't need an impact sub if Defoe was on from the get go.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the object of a football match, in the end, is to score the most goals and therefore win. It's a simplistic view perhaps but that is what all the tactics boil down to. To ensure you score the most goals you should play your in form strikers. There is no English striker more in form right now than Jermain Defoe.

Interestingly, Defoe and Rooney both have four goals to their name for their respective clubs so far this season. Emile Heskey has none.

And Defoe has now scored both times he has come off the bench for England in the last two fixtures.

Even Heskey thinks Defoe should start. He said:

"You can't complain [if Defoe starts]. Jermain has done brilliantly. Every time he comes on the pitch he scores a goal. That's the main thing.

Yes, this is the main thing, and this is why Defoe and Heskey should swap places for a while.

Then there's the boredom issue.

Being exciting is not top of Capello's agenda (clearly!) but it does worry me the amount of times commentators resort to "We'll, it will be better on (insert next fixture here) and beside's it is only a friendly/qualifer/semi-final."

Can a team who gets the job done (mostly) but excites no-one actually win the World Cup, or indeed even compete?

Well, I think we should be giving ourselves the best chance of doing so, and for me that means starting with Defoe.

Because he will score more goals than Heskey, because he deserves his place probably more than anyone else in the England line-up right now and because my Mum (who loves football about the same about as she loves her three children) only woke up when Defoe came on in anticipation of the goal he dutifully provided, please please please Capello start Defoe against Croatia.

First published on www.ComeOnSpurs.com on 7/9/2009