Sez Les

THE choice at 5pm tomorrow is simple. Only one winner really. But I'll pose the question anyway.

Do I tune in and rejoice at the sight of a winning England side sorting out the opposition and winning handsomely?

Or do I go to the other channel to endure goodness knows how much sheer frustration and angst as England strive to overcome their opponents?

As I said, it's easy.

I ignore the rugby lads putting it across the Yanks in their opening rugby union World Cup match.

Instead, I wait for the national anthem to be boomed out and then (indicating my undying support for the lads) clench my fist, shout at the screen with an encouraging, all-embracing "C'mon" (wishing, of course, we could get stuck in which, translated, means kicking those foreign nancies all over Wembley without them daring so much as to put a shirt-tugging hand on our pristine white shirts) and settle down to be sated by a display of attacking football that sweeps the 'lads' to victory.

That will last as long as the first mistake, when the frustration will immediately kick in and I'll offer the suggestion that, whoever made that error (but not certain players) is rubbish and then wonder out loud why the manager ever picked him.

Okay, it's not quite like that but I shall, of course, put myself through the ringer watching England at football and not rugby tomorrow tea-time.

Of course, the nation demands we wipe the floor with everybody put in front of us - but those expectation levels are ridiculously high.

If Israel, tomorrow's opponents, have only lost once in their last 18 internationals, why have we a divine right to beat them, let alone do so easily?

I genuinely have sympathy for Steve McClaren over the number of leading players missing through injury. It will almost certainly impact on the performance but, frankly, I'm not bothered how we win - just win.

Talking of winning, I'd like to know why England never score from a corner kick.

Every week in the Premiership, you see players scoring from corners. England? It never happens.

So, missing players or not, that's one route to success tomorrow and that includes a certain Rio Ferdinand - described memorably by a leading columnist the other week as "a central defender with frilly knickers" - getting his head on stuff.

I notice he can expend plenty of energy and find a good leap when he jumps on to the top of a group of celebrating Man United teammates after a goal. Up he goes, beaming face right above them, which always assures he'll be a stand-out figure on the celebration photo.

Well, I want him showing equal leaping ability tomorrow to get above Israel's defenders and try to head in our corners and/or free-kicks.

We need it.

In the meantime, don't get too frustrated.