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Ferdinand desperate to help England reach Euro 2008 soccer
LONDON (AFP) - Rio Ferdinand is desperate to help England reach Euro 2008 to avoid the shameful prospect of having his club boss, Scotsman Sir Alex Ferguson laughing at his misfortune.
Steve McClaren's side go into Saturday's qualifier against Israel at Wembley knowing they must win to keep alive their hopes of making it to next year's finals.
England last failed to qualify for a major tournament 13 years ago when they missed out on the 1994 World Cup and Ferdinand can't bring himself to consider the possibility of a repeat.
The Manchester United defender admits his season would be ruined if England miss out. Almost as bad, it would leave him at the mercy of his club boss.
Ferguson is a proud Scot, who wouldn't miss the opportunity to remind Ferdinand about England's downfall.
"God forbid we don't qualify for this tournament," Ferdinand said. "It would be a catastrophe really. It would be a massive disappointment for the players, the country and the fans.
"It would be devastating. Even walking into the training ground and seeing the manager would kill me. It's his smirk.
"And I'd have to see the other players who would be going to the tournament. It wouldn't be a good place to be."
England have claimed just two wins in their last nine matches, and those came against Andorra and Estonia, hardly the most daunting of opposition.
They are no closer to living up to the hype of a so-called golden generation. Successive exits at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2004 and last year's World Cup suggest England are a decent rather than great team.
While Ferdinand is adamant the squad is talented enough to go the distance at a major event, he conceded England's underachievement is a real source of concern.
"I've been frustrated because I don't think we've ever fulfilled our potential," Ferdinand said. "We've never brought our club football together as a package with the England team.
"When each individual plays for their club they play fantastic football and we just need to get that into the England team. We need the confidence we have from our club football but we can't do it overnight.
"I don't know what it is. Every England manager has been trying to find the answer. We haven't been able to pin it down.
"After the World Cup a lot of us sat down for a good few hours and talked about it. We said at the time we actually thought we were going to win the tournament.
"We were sitting there in the hotel and you reflect on the tournament. The boys had a few drinks, just relaxing after the game. It's a numbness, like how the hell are we out of this tournament.
"You are asking yourself questions. A lot of the lads in the squad are very honest players and you are asking yourself whose fault is it."
With Group E leaders Russia coming to Wembley on Wednesday, the next week will go a long way to deciding England's fate, as well as McClaren's.
The beleaguered coach increasingly looks out of his depth as he tries to steer England into calmer waters and he cannot afford another lacklustre display.
Ferdinand knows the players have their manager's future in their hands, but he insists they have to cope with that kind of pressure if they want to succeed at international level.
"Playing for England is a different entity in terms of pressure and tension," he said. "There is so much history and nostaglia that goes with playing for your country.
"But I don't dread playing for England. The attention and pressure that is on England is a different level from club football, but that is something you have got to deal with if you want to be successful."
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