JONNO MUST GET TO THE POINT

MARTIN JOHNSON and Rob Andrew are deluded if they think England have closed the gap on the southern hemisphere super powers this autumn.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've been stopped in the street by fans wanting to know why England have been so dire. Only on Thursday two guys collared me at the airport to tell me how angry they were at the state of Johnson's team.

Here is my 10-point plan for Jonno and his coaches to address ahead of the Six Nations.

1.COACHING

Are they fit for purpose? Johnson has said he will not sack any of his coaches so they have to deliver. England finished second in the Six Nations last year so anything less this time around will be a failure. England must improve or face up to the inevitable conclusion that the coaching team is not good enough. For a start we have to learn to ruck.

2. CAPTAIN

He has to pick the right captain. It's nothing personal against Steve Borthwick but the simple fact is that he not good enough to warrant a starting place. The pressure is starting to get to him and it's time for a change. Jonno was a great captain and a great lock forward but he's getting this all wrong. He should give someone like Lewis Moody the captaincy to alleviate some pressure.

3. SELECTION

You have to pick players who are on form and err on the side of youth. We've seen him discard youngsters like Courtney Lawes in favour of a decent club player in Louis Deacon and it's just not getting us anywhere. Shane Geraghty got the bullet after two games but Jonno has to stick by these guys because the ones he's picking at the moment are not performing.

4. PLAYING STYLE

Is it bludgeon or is it rapier? Who knows at the moment? When Jonno was playing it was two whacks over the head with a wooden club and that was it. But you need a balance at this level and England don't have that at the moment. You cannot play dumb rugby. Jonno thinks we are fitter and bigger than anyone else but that is rubbish. Picking 17 stone centres doesn't cut the mustard at the top level because everyone has them. We need to get the blend right between power and skill and give the players more responsibility.

KICK ON - Jonny Wilkinson

5. JONNY WILKINSON

He simply has to stand flatter. If he plays in the team England are going nowhere unless he gets flat up to that gain line and starts threatening defences. Even when Giteau and Carter don't play well they are still flat and putting people through gaps. We aren't putting any players through gaps at the moment. Jonny has 70 caps and he has to use that experience to get up there. Otherwise all the players outside him might as well pack up and go home.

6. LOSE THE 'THEM AND US' MENTALITY

It's a very Leicester thing when they had the mentality that everyone hated them when it wasn't actually the case. It's an old fashioned thing and it's not working. Jonno needs to listen to people who have been around and been to World Cups and know what they're talking about. He's deluding himself that it's not as bad people are saying, but it is! The media are only reflecting what the public are thinking.

7. LONG-TERM PLAN

There has to be a clear out of the coaching set-up after the next World Cup and a complete re-structuring at Twickenham. That's irrespective of what happens between now and then. Just like in business, everyone needs freshening up from time to time and coaches are no different. Remember the lessons of 2003 when Clive Woodward and his coaches hung around and it got stale. And that was with a great team.

8. TALK TO THE CLUBS

The coaches aren't speaking enough to the Premiership clubs to discover who is in form and emerging. They have to make more effort to get more clubs on their side. It should be a whole England family with more feedback from coaches and club owners. Part of the problem is that a lot of the clubs don't think this England coaching team is up to it!

9. HAVE A BEER WITH THE FANS

Instead of the players disappearing off into corporate hospitality tents after the game they should be made to have a beer with the real fans, win, lose or draw. If they went and spoke to the fans who had handed over real silver to watch then they would get a pat on the back if they played well and a kick up the backside if they didn't. It would get them out of the cosy England bubble and give them a much needed dose of reality.

10. PAY

The players pay should be much more performance based than it is at the moment. I know Jonno fought against it when he was a player but the win bonuses make up too small a proportion of the players' match fee. At the moment they are being rewarded for failure. It's like city bankers. Make the win bonus 50 per cent of the match fee and give the players an incentive to deliver.

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