It's not very exciting in the press on Thursday morning which everything concentrated on England. Let's be honest, the game against Belarus felt more like an international friendly than a competitive qualifier.

It was the turn of the stand-ins to put their case forward for a place on the plane to South Africa. The fact that only Peter Crouch, seemingly the perfect weapon against the lesser sides, did anything to really push his case left the hacks looking for an axe to grind.

Patrick Barclay, never one to point out shortcomings and areas for improvement, states the bleeding obvious by revealing that, get this, Wayne Rooney is vital to England. He points out, in his column in The Times, that the performance against Belarus showed the flaws in Don Fabio's Plan B.

if England are ever to have an equivalent of Maradona, a creative and dynamic force capable of turning a team into world champions, Rooney is the man.

Paul Gascoigne was too brittle mentally and, in consequence, physically. Bryan Robson did not quite have Gazza’s talent. Glenn Hoddle was too slow. David Beckham’s virtues lay — or lie — mainly in serving others. Michael Owen had — or has — to be served. Rooney, like Maradona, can make or take. He is quick enough and very strong and becomes more of a leader with every international. Last night we had a distressing glimpse of Fabio Capello’s England without him.

Distressing indeed.

The system used against Belarus offered no semblance of the poise, rhythm, variety and penetrative quality Rooney supplies. At least until Beckham arrived, an aimless performance proved, using Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips as uncomfortable examples, that speed alone achieves nothing. Rooney has an instinct for a team’s requirements; it has led some critics to accuse him of being too unselfish when the truth is that, in football beyond a certain level, there is no such thing. If you doubt it, look at England without Emile Heskey, let alone Rooney. Look at the efficacy of the 4-2-3-1 system Capello has devised to get the best out of Rooney, with Heskey in front and Steven Gerrard just to the left.

Last night they lacked Rooney — and Heskey, and Gerrard — and we were delivered the nightmare scenario, the Plan B of which Capello had spoken on Tuesday, a sort of 4-4-2 with Peter Crouch and Gabriel Agbonlahor at the front, the kind of thing we used to have except when Hoddle or Terry Venables was trying to teach English footballers to play between well-worn lines.

This was not supposed to be an occasion for defenders. Yet there was no England attack to discuss — just a void where Rooney used to be. The tactics were pre-Zagreb Capello. There was too much pointless width and a gulf between midfield and the front.

Spain or Brazil would have been a couple of goals to the good by half-time. If this was Plan B, spare us Plan Z.

Over at the Telegraph, Jason Burt picks up the Wright-Phillips baton.

Before the hour mark, Lennon had departed. Wright-Phillips needed to heed this as a sign that he had to do more. Thankfully he did. Within seconds he had drilled a low shot which, in truth, Zhevnov should have palmed away, but instead it beat him and rolled into the net. It was his fifth goal for his country but they have been spread over five years.

At 27, Wright-Phillips is hardly a youngster. He scored on his England debut, at St James’ Park, in 2004; a memorable, confident-laced goal against Ukraine that had appeared to mark his explosion onto the scene. But it did not.

Wright-Phillips has gained 27 more caps but he simply does not appear comfortable in an England shirt. Before the goal there were two or three showy runs which, too often, ended with him surrendering possession.

With Steven Gerrard a shoo-in on the left under Capello’s preferred formation, Joe Cole hoping to force his way into the reckoning, James Milner impressing and Theo Walcott also to return, there are plenty of alternatives for the manager.

It meant that Wright-Phillips, in particular, had to do something. This may have been an artificial contest, given that England had qualified and Belarus had nothing to play for, but for the Manchester City winger there was plenty at stake.

A little cameo in the first half appeared to sum it up. He beat two men by superbly slaloming across the pitch and then needlessly overhit his pass to Lennon. It was not the only moment. He then wonderfully turned inside his marker, Igor Shitov, only to overrun the ball. Maybe he was trying too hard.