HERE we go again. It has taken Kevin Keegan just a matter of weeks to show signs of cracking under the strain of England management.

Maybe he is just trying to show solidarity amongst the ranks of the part-timers, but the call-up of Chris Armstrong is bizarre.

It does not exactly fill the nation with much-needed confidence in Keegan as the Poland game approaches.

Armstrong cannot even displace the antique Les Ferdinand from the Spurs side.

He has scored just one goal in 14 games in 1999.

The England forward line for Saturday was worrying enough, before this.

Granted Keegan has not been lucky - the most important asset of any manager - in his preparation with a string of injuries in that department.

We are now left anxiously anticipating the partnership of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.

I have absolutely no doubt that Cole is not an international player.

His ineffective performance against Inter Milan last week was as good an example as any that Cole does not have the ability to step up a notch. He is a fine Premiership player, whose speed and instincts are as sharp as any.

But his opponents at international and Champions' League level are one step ahead of the game and I do not think Cole has the tactical awareness or imagination to counter this.

And gone are the days when a fellow striker can rely on Shearer to make things happen.

Speed was never Shearer's biggest asset and, now that it seems that those punishing years of mesmerising excellence at Ewood and his first year at Newcastle have taken their toll, his brute strength and technical expertise cannot compensate.

He now needs to prosper from the hard work of others and a rerun of his duet with Chris Sutton would have been intriguing. I feel Paul Scholes would be a better option in attack although Keegan's depleted midfield department might prevent that.

That would at least leave the new boss with the luxury of Cole on the bench, to test the tiring legs of Poland.

Armstrong wouldn't test the legs of a Queen Anne's chair.

Surely Darren Huckerby - a player described by World Cup winner Frank Lebouef as the best striker in the country - would have been a better bet.

Maybe it is too early to jump to conclusions but this selection seems a clear indication that Keegan, while concentrating on Fulham's promotion campaign, has lost touch with the top flight.

Neil Bramwell is the sports editor

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.