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As far as international football goes, I take little more than a passing interest unless it's a World Cup or European Championship summer. Like everyone else, I get caught up in all of the excitement of a big summer tournament, but when it comes to qualifiers and friendlies -- especially those involving England -- the only thing I really care about is that Liverpool's players report back to Melwood unscathed. That probably dates back to the serious Achilles injury picked up by John Barnes on England duty in 1992; he was never the same player after that as he lost at least a yard of pace, possibly even two. Don't get me wrong, I like to see LFC players doing themselves justice when they are on England duty, but if they have a stinker whilst wearing the three lions on their chest, my only worry is whether any loss of confidence or media criticism might impact on their club form. If England lost every game they played I honestly wouldn't lose a minute's sleep over it. For me, international breaks are simply inconveniences that get in the way of the domestic club season. Bill Shankly once famously said, "If Everton were playing in my back garden I'd close the curtains." That sums up my feelings towards England, but that lack of emotional attachment perhaps makes it easier to see things with a more unbiased view than say, an FA Chairman for example. I read with interest Greg Dyke's comments this week in which he pointed to the increase in foreign players since the formation of the Premier League as a big factor in the continuing struggles of the England national side. He's obviously right in saying the number of English players in the top flight is a lot less now than it was before the Premier League was launched, the numbers speak for themselves on that issue, but he's kidding himself if he genuinely thinks that is the reason England are regularly found wanting on the big stage. Read the full article here.