Why Lamps must be an England sub from now on

By Robbie Savage

Published 22:58 09/09/10

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Steven Gerrard was unbound and sensational against Bulgaria and Switzerland, and there is only one conclusion to be drawn.

Frank Lampard - a brilliant, brilliant player - must be kept on the bench for the good of the team when he returns from injury.

Frank has been so unlucky on this one. If things had been the other way around we'd probably have been calling for him to stay in the team and Gerrard to start on the bench.

But England look a much tougher proposition with just one star midfielder in the centre and Gareth Barry holding, and Gerrard is the man in possession.

Excellent as he is, however, I would definitely resist the calls to give him the captain's armband full time.

That belongs to my Twitter rival and tunnel sparring partner Rio Ferdinand, who should start alongside Phil Jagielka when he returns from injury.

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Agree with the European Clubs' Association when they say international friendlies should be scrapped.

It was a huge thrill for me as a kid to play for Wales against Brazil and Argentina and it would leave World Cup qualification as the only route to those dream games.

But are they really a dream any more? When I was a kid, those kind of nights would pack out the ground and we'd have our possible strongest team out.

Nowadays fans who've grown up on the Premier League would be rattling around inside the stadium and half the players would be missing.

It's sad but true - international friendlies are finished as a spectacle and we should put them out of everyone's misery.

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ROBBIE LOVES... Surprises. My gorgeous wife Sarah gets enough stick in this column, so I've bought her a new motor from Individual Cars which is arriving on Sunday, and she doesn't know a thing about it. Mind you, she does read this column every Friday. Hope I've not spoiled it, babe!

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