SAM ALLARDYCE will stop England ‘hiding’ in big games if he becomes their next boss.
Sir Trevor Brooking believes players deliberately took up positions where they could not receive the ball against Iceland.
The 2-1 defeat sent England crashing out of the Euros and made them a laughing stock around the world.
As the FA’s head of football development, Brooking played a key role in appointing Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson — and now says Allardyce is the man to take England forward.
The West Ham and England legend told SunSport: “These players are very talented technically — we even saw that in France.
“But they were found wanting in terms of mental toughness.
“In the Iceland game, I saw players moving into positions where they could hide. It’s easy to blame the man in possession — often Wayne Rooney — but there weren’t passing options for him to knock the ball into.
“There’s an overhead camera and I think it would be pretty damning for that game. That was the most disappointing thing for me to see.
“That’s the thing about Sam — he’s always made the best use of the players available.
“He got West Ham back into the top flight and made Sunderland stronger mentally and defensively.
“Combine that with the technical ability of these England players and I think you have a decent mix. The next manager has to be English and Sam is very experienced and organised.”
Despite their dismal showing in France, Brooking, 67, believes the future is bright for England’s young team.
During a decade at the FA up to his departure in 2014, Brooking oversaw coaching and development.
He added: “England’s Under-17s and 18s are decent and more players will come through.
“John Stones didn’t get a look in this time and has had a little wobble — but he will become an excellent player.
“You’ve also got Luke Shaw who will come back in.
“I’m optimistic. What we’ve lacked is mental strength, though.”
Brooking, who won 47 caps for England, emphasised “playing through the thirds” at the FA. This meant passing from defence to midfield to attack rather than just lumping it forward.
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Allardyce is associated with a direct style of play — but Brooking insists that reputation does not worry him.
He said: “If you talk to Sam, he’ll tell you he has worked with the players he has had available.
“With England, he will have more technical players than ever before.
“Yes, he is strong on things like attacking set-plays. But he has also had technical players like Youri Djorkaeff and Jay-Jay Okocha.
“Wherever he goes he does things his way and it will be interesting to see how he gets on with England.”
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