I DON’T know if it’s just our country but it does seem strange that our top quality Premiership players are engaged in international games before the season has even kicked off.

Managers and coaches had their list of quotes probably already in the pocket in the event of poor performances.

They probably read: 1) Too early in the season; 2) Players lack match fitness; 3) It’s only a friendly and it doesn’t really matter; ... and so on This certainly applied to the Republic of Ireland who, would you believe, lost 3-0 at home to the Australians.

The Aussies probably didn’t travel from the other side of the world as most of their players are in Europe now and must have been watching their cricketers in the last Test.

The Welsh were defeated in Montenegro but battled on manfully under John Toshack, whose strength is the fact he has been there and done it as a legendary centre forward alongside our own Kevin Keegan at Liverpool and many times for Wales.

He has the stature to answer any critics, whether in the committee room or the media.

And look what he had to put up with when our old friend Craig Bellamy, not the most shy and retiring, just didn’t turn up with the rest of the players on Sunday night.

His club, Manchester City, had to embarrassingly say they had forgotten to notify the Welsh FA that Craig had an injury, even though he was pictured the same day running around like a two-year-old in a training session with his City teammates.

Scotland had a World Cup qualifying game, one of three remaining of which two had to be won.

Though the next two are both at home, one of them is against Holland who, like England, have sailed through the qualifiers winning every game they have played.

So Norway on paper looked a good one for George Burley.

Listening on my car radio for the first half Norway were under pressure from the kick off and had three men booked in the first 30 minutes.

The referee was a young man from Luxembourg.

It might not be fair to criticise this appointment but I seem to remember a similar case that some country was involved in which was of paramount importance.

Both managers thought the referee should have come from a country with a much higher level of football week in week out for the referee to cut his teeth.

On top of the fact that seven of his usual first team players could not make the trip through injury, George must have had that feeling most managers have when they are so much on top but don’t get a goal ... that something could go wrong.

Sure as anything, one of his players was booked twice within a minute for what normally would be classed as not too serious fouls so the team were reduced to ten.

From the resulting free kick, the deflection meant they went in 1-0 down.

This lifted the home team, the confidence oozed out, a lack of match practise showed through and an embarrassing 4-0 scoreline led to the team and manager being booed off.

Already the fanatic Scots supporters who follow the team all round the world are calling for George’s head, questioning the team’s passion.

But George couldn’t use the excuses his fellow international managers used in their friendlies.

England against Holland is always a good fixture and at 2-0 down due to amateurish mistakes by Ferdinand and Barry it looked at half time like even Fabio would be using the list of reasons/excuses.

However, his substitutions added life to the team and reminded us all again that under Capello nobody’s place is secure.

The players are obviously aware of this and second half displays from James Milner, Carlton Cole and certainly Jermain Defoe reminded everyone that they think they are worth a start and want to be in that World Cup squad.

Whatever the result, Fabio would undoubtedly be looking at players such as David Beckham, who did not impress in his 45 minutes but did add another cap to his total which seems to be important to him.

But for all that, he is sensible enough to know that there will be no sentiment when Fabio picks his squad which I seem to remember is only 22 as opposed to the 25 or 30 which can be often called up for friendlies or qualification games.

When it gets to that stage every man has to count and I do not think, for instance, that Fabio would have copied Sven who took our own Theo Walcott as a young teenager with no Premiership games behind him for the experience, particularly when one or two of his senior players had question marks over their fitness.

That hard streak in Fabio was shown by the fact that he did not include Michael Owen who has surely a new lease of life with his surprising move to the champions at Old Trafford.

Fabio paid him a visit at the Charity Shield and again at Old Trafford when Manchester United played Valencia, but was obviously not impressed.

England have two games at the beginning of September at Wembley.

One point is all they need for qualification but we will see an extra step up in everyone’s attitude as the season will have been underway and they will have games under their belt.

Also, no matter how rich, how secure they feel at their clubs, their agents will certainly want them to play for their country.

But so should every one of them for the pride of wearing the Three Lions on the shirt, bearing in mind they’re likely to be the only 22 British players at the World Cup next summer.