friendly

Following the two friendlies in Jordan, the Oman Football

"The qualifiers are important and I love to too see my players away at big games, but I've always had an issue with friendlies.

Speaking in Monte Carlo, Johansson said: "We are already seeing the end of friendlies."

And club substitutions are a sensible way of giving a run-out to as many people as possible, yet substitutions in England friendlies make those matches meaningless.

Football Association executive director David Davies insists Eriksson is committed to helping English clubs by not taking up his option to arrange friendlies in August and November this year, and in April in 2003.

This led to renewed calls for Brown to follow the example shown by England in their bounce game with Italy last week and blood the "next generation" of players in forthcoming friendlies.

McCarthy cited the fact that players such as Kenny Cunningham, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff had made their Republic debuts in friendlies.