What The Papers Thought Of Our Heroes

'Rio Ferdinand: Quietly effective all evening, his decisiveness was best shown when he threw himself in the way of a shot by Rafael van der Vaart. Looked to energise the attack, too. 8' - The Daily Telegraph.

'Rio Ferdinand: Good defensively but his distribution was appalling to the point that it put England's back four under pressure. A very below-par performance from a player supposed to be world class. 5' - The Daily Mirror.

'Frank Lampard: Was England's most effective midfielder along with Joe Cole. The Chelsea star made several surging runs from the middle to get behind Holland's defence - which almost brought a goal. 7' - The Sun.

'Frank Lampard: Anonymous. With Carrick in more of a holding role, the emphasis on the Chelsea man was to provide more of an attacking threat, which in the main he failed to do. 5' - The Daily Express.

'Joe Cole: Very lively right from the start' - The Sun.

'Joe Cole: Anonymous until he was switched to the right' - The Daily Star.

It almost makes it worth watching the game and making up your own mind.

Almost, but not quite.