ENGLAND launch their World Cup campaign in Moldova with just three available strikers.
Their only previous trip to these parts was in 1996 when Glenn Hoddle started the France 98 push with a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Gazza and Paul Ince harnessed the midfield while the attack was led by Alan Shearer.
On the bench were stars like Sol Campbell, Matt Le Tissier and Les Ferdinand.
By the time Hoddle arrived in France, Shearer and Ferdinand had been reinforced up front by Teddy Sheringham, Michael Owen and Paul Merson while a 20-year-old Emile Heskey waited in the wings.
Incredibly, this was a time when prolific club marksmen like Andy Cole, Robbie Fowler and Kevin Phillips were considered not quite England material.
Also playing their trade at the time were Ian Wright, Dion Dublin, Stan Collymore and Chris Sutton.
How England could do with some of these guys now.
The simple truth is that if England could not make much impact at major tournaments with strikers of this calibre available, they have no chance whatsoever with the few around now.
First, it was England keepers who became a dying breed — Hoddle could call on David Seaman, Nigel Martyn and Tim Flowers in 98.
Then English managers.
Now it’s England strikers as Premier League clubs continue to stock up on foreigners like Van Persie, Hernandez, Tevez, Aguero, Dzeko, Torres, Podolski, Giroud, Adebayor, Fellaini, Michu, Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, Di Santo and the rest.
Even Steven Fletcher at Sunderland is a Scot.
Tomorrow England are reduced to Jermain Defoe, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge.
Welbeck, on Alex Ferguson’s own admission, doesn’t score enough while Sturridge is second choice at Chelsea.
Which leaves Defoe as the only natural goalscorer.
Yet even he has had a chequered international career — 16 goals in 49 appearances, a record 32 coming from the bench, subbed in all his 17 starts and a man who has never played a full 90 minutes.
Yes, Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll are injured. Yet when was the last time Rooney made a significant contribution at a major tournament? As long ago as 2004.
The worrying thought is, like Owen before him, Rooney might have peaked in his early to mid-twenties.
As for Carroll, the jury is still very much out on a player who will be 24 in January.
In 1999, there were four English strikers among the five top Premier League marksmen — Phillips (30), Shearer (23), Cole (19) and Leeds’ Michael Bridges (19). Last season, Rooney (27) and Grant Holt (15) were the only ones in the top 10.
The season before, Darren Bent (17) was the only Englishman in the top nine. This is now reaching crisis point.
Yes — the whole world wants to play like Barcelona and Spain with just one striker, though this has been forced on both teams by David Villa’s injury.
But Barca and the Spanish national team have a host of remarkable midfield players, streets ahead of those available to most other sides.
The only saving grace for Roy Hodgson and an England squad shorn of NINE players is that it’s only Moldova, ranked 47th out of UEFA’s 53 member associations.
And then there’s San Marino and perennial whipping-boys Poland.
But Ukraine at Wembley next Tuesday and Montenegro, world-ranked 17 and an increasing force, will both give us a game.
Sure, we should have enough decent defenders and midfield players to avoid any serious embarrassment on the road to Brazil.
But, as ever, it’s a question of what England do when they get there.
Unless Hodgson can unearth a striker or two between now and then — or get the few available scoring regularly at international level — then it will be the same old story.
Unless, of course, we suddenly turn into Barcelona or Spain.
Stop laughing at the back.
By STEVEN HOWARD
