Sorry Derek but I disaggree. Population size is no excuse at. Look at Uruguay for example they have a population of less than 3.4 million (significantly less than us) and are producing some of the best (and most expensive players) in the world. This is largely because they have approached the game domestically much more intelligently than we have despite having have less money at their disposal to do so. I agree our infrastructure is utterly broken...so are our leagues but that can be fixed (again see Uruguay as an example).
I also think it is an important fixture. It's something that both sets of fans can get excited about, has the potential to reinvigorate our fans and give us something to get passionate about. Lord knows we haven't had an international competition to get passionate about for too many years. That said, Roy Hodgson is clearly using it as an opportunity to tinker which is fair enough. I just hope that both sets of fans can enjoy a peaceful carnival atmosphere...and, again, that "we" win!! :grin: