I BELIEVE the England game was on TV but it was rather hard to find unless you had paid subscription to a channel fairly new to us all.

I was not one of those but, like a fool, was expecting to see the highlights on BBC or ITV.

After all, with the pundits being paid apparently millions of pounds, surely they must be at work?

But as we all know now, the new deal for away games in the World Cup qualifiers means if you don’t pay extra you don’t get the chance to see what happens.

Apparently the first game for England against Andorra looked like it was no change at the top but the second half gave Mr Capello the three points which is most important to a manager.

It could well be the reaction from the loyal band of England followers, lower in number but very vocal, not only against the teambut the TV station, registered as they rested in Barcelona preparing for what on paper was a most difficult game.

But cometh the hour, cometh Theo Walcott.

We in these parts took an extra interest as he started his career with Saints. I liken his progress to that of other academy – or youth policy as we called it – products such as Matt Le Tissier and particularly Alan Shearer who started life in the England under-21 squads.

Talking to any of these players who came through the ranks here, to a man they give credit as much for the off-field habits and standards that were preached to them asmuch as the football basics planted into them by a succession of excellent coaches.

The one thing I am sure about young Walcott is that with the family background he has and the club he is now with, his feet will stay firmly on the ground.

When Alan Shearer left, I wondered if he had picked the right club. It is well documented he could have gone to Manchester United.

But where he was very fortunate was that Kenny Dalglish was his new manager at Blackburn and his number two was the late Ray Harford, who was assistant to me with England under-21s and had watched Alan at close quarters whilst he was still a Saints player.

I don’t think any centre forward could afford to get big headed with Kenny Dalglish around – Kenny had done everything in the game a youngster would hope to aspire to.

Likewise with Theo Walcott, everywhere he looks at the training ground at Arsenal there will be superb players.

And the one thing I do admit that foreign imports have done is bring a work ethic which was not always evident many years ago when our teams were totally comprised of British born players.

It would be cruel of me to say but it’s right to point out that Croatia were in fact down to ten men when the score was only 1-0.

And when a team is faced with handling someone with Walcott’s pace, if anything they could do with an extra defender.

I remember asking the late, great Alan Ball to tell me about the youngster after he had broken into the Saints first team. Alan said ‘incredible pace, but he has yet to learn how to play with others.’ In other words, how to be a team man.

Theo has always had the electric pace and playing with international quality players he needn’t ever worry about he quality of service he will receive. But for a forward, composure and finishing at that level is the hardest thing – and he proved he could do it.

He was obviously put into the last World Cup squad too early but, if anything, it gave him a taste for the atmosphere which is different the higher you go.

His subsequent apprenticeship under Arsene Wenger, and particularly working alongside Thierry Henry, has helped produce the player that became the youngest ever to get a hat-trick for England.

Fabio Capello was obviously taken aback by the crowd’s booing after the last friendly at Wembley.

It has become more apparent that as the credit crunch hits the man in the street in every part of his day to day living, he has every right to become more critical whilst he pays more for his tickets to watch players whose obscene salaries are thrust onto the back pages and a manager whose huge salary is quoted after his name.

Capello is one who will ensure that the players accept these points.

He is strong enough to handle the critics and the two wins he has achieved this week will make everyone, from superstar players to the harshest media men, take notice that he will not accept anything less than all-out effort and results that will ensure we are in South Africa for the next World Cup.