THERE was disappointment for Scotland and Wales after the final round of World Cup qualifiers, but hopefully the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland can join England in next summer’s finals in Russia.

At one time, England’s qualification for the World Cup would have been cause for nothing but celebration.

But despite ending the group campaign with two wins, there has been a lot of negativity towards the national team. Wembley was far from full for the 1-0 win against Slovenia and England have been roundly criticised for their lack of entertainment value during that game and the win in Lithuania.

We should be more positive. Gareth Southgate’s job is hard enough with so many foreign players at our top clubs. Admittedly, with the exception of Harry Kane, who looks like he could get in any team, we do not have many outstanding players.

But at least we have qualified. The same cannot be said for Wales and Scotland, whose failure to qualify resulted in Gordon Strachan stepping down.

I thought Wales had done the hard work leading into the final game at home to the Republic.

Ireland’s 1-0 win spoke volumes for the impact the managerial duo of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane have had.

Having said that, why on earth did the Welsh goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessy, decide to throw the ball towards his left-back, who of course lost it when tackled by the nearest Irish player, leading to James McLean’s winning goal.

It was similar to the England goal at Wembley last week, when the opposition goalkeeper did a similar thing, admittedly with a throw a little further up the field. It was picked up by Nathaniel Clyne, who put in an excellent cross for Kane to score.

We all have to live with the fact that most teams now play football from the back but, with not long to go in a must-win game, I would have thought the Welsh keeper would have got the ball further upfield, especially with such a passionate crowd behind them.

I also feel sorry for Chris Coleman, who lives in our area and has done such a good job.

He will now probably be wondering whether to carry on at international level or go back into club football.

Everyone who cares about Welsh football seems to want him to stay.

I’ll probably give him a week or two before suggesting a cup of coffee at the Potters Heron in Romsey, the scene of our unveiling of Kevin Keegan as a Saints player all those years ago.

Whether it is Wales, Scotland or England, I have said on many occasions it should be no surprise that our national teams are not as good as they used to be.

Admittedly, the influx of foreign coaches and players has not been all bad. Our Premier League football is viewed all around the world - but its popularity has not necessarily helped the national team.

I used to say that every club in our top flight had two or three Scotsmen, which usually resulted in a row, and three or four Welshmen - a choir!

That’s not even the case at most Football League clubs now.

Anyway, let’s hope that England rediscover some spark in next month’s friendlies against Germany and Brazil.

It will be interesting to see how the new UEFA Nations League pans out after the World Cup. It should mean less meaningless friendlies but there is much to look forward to before then. Hopefully there are more teams for us to shout for at Russia 2018.

As a former Northern Ireland manager, my fingers are crossed for them ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup play-offs draw as well of course for the Republic.

I have great respect for the job Michael O’Neill has done, knowing from my time how few players are available at the top level.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eastleigh FC will be hosting the Voices for Hospices concert tomorrow.

For those who can’t get to Saints v Newcastle at St Mary’s but like to have a sing-song, the rehearsals are from 11am-1.30pm with the main event from 2.30-4.30pm.

Anybody can join in with a proper orchestra and choir in the big stand at the Silverlake Stadium.

It costs £20 for singers and £10 for non singers, while entry is free for under 12s. All money raised goes to local  to help raise funds for five hospices in our area.

Similar events are going on all around the world this weekend, highlighting the amount of good work being done by hospices.

So if you can’t be shouting for the Saints you might be able to sing loud enough for your voice to still be heard down at St Mary’s.

Well done to John and Jenny Sutton for the amazing hard work they have put in to stage this and well done to Eastleigh FC for their hospitality.

More details can be found at vfhchoir.com.