The result of the worst crisis to hit an England football team since Bobby Moore and the bracelet is that the nation which gave the game to the world will spend the next 5 1/2 months hoping that Albania have not hit a winning streak.
As if it were not bad enough for England to be bottom of their qualifying group, with one point from two matches, they are two points behind the Albanians and Greece, while at the top of the table Finland prepare to slog it out with Germany.
The qualifiers resume next March when England play the return game against the Finns at Anfield, before meeting Albania in Tirana four days later. Unless, by then, the present farcical situation has seriously given way to a sharp attack of common-sense by management and players alike, England can forget about competing in the first World Cup of the new millennium.
In the space of five days English football's cock-eyed conceit has given way to despair and endless self-criticism. Just as things were never that good, nor need they be that bad, even now. But Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Germany, which left the old Wembley to a pauper's grave and Kevin Keegan to walk out as England coach, was barely redeemed by Wednesday night's ragbag of a scoreless draw in Helsinki.
Only the day before the Finland match Adam Crozier, the Football Association's chief executive, had spoken of a golden future for English football which would end the need to keep harking back to the World Cup triumph of 1966. Even allowing for the fact the Scots, of which Crozier is one, were fed up with hearing about this by 1967, it was a forward-looking view.
Within 24 hours, however, memories of '66 came flooding back as England were denied a late winner in Helsinki which was a convincing action replay of the goal Geoff Hurst was allowed, on the nod of the Soviet linesman, after his shot had struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced down behind the West German line. This, at least, is what England have claimed ever since and, 34 years on, a wider variety of television camera angles suggested that in Ray Parlour's case the goal should also have stood. On this occasion, however, a French linesman was not convinced.
If England accepted a linesman's word in 1966, they have to accept it in 2000. And Howard Wilkinson's grumbles about Antti Niemi, the Finland and Hearts goalkeeper, staying on the pitch after up-ending Teddy Sheringham early in the game, followed by moans about a bumpy pitch and the high wind were demeaning.
Before Wednesday night England sides had managed to beat Finland eight times out of nine without the opposition having men sent off. The pitch in the Olympic Stadium, moreover, has always been bumpy, yet somehow England had managed to win there on six of their previous seven visits.
It was strange, too, that whenever Jari Litmanen had the ball the wind seemed to drop and the pitch became a bowling green. The reality is that an uneven surface will exaggerate technique, both good and bad. As Chris Waddle noted: "With Litmanen in our team we'd have won 3-0 but we didn't have anyone of his quality."
Quite so. Wilkinson has been condemned for his selection and tactics, but he had only three days to sort a winning team out of a job lot of journeymen.
Nevertheless, Wilkinson refused to be downhearted. "Maybe this result is the start of clawing our way back," he hoped. "After all, God got seven days, we got three." The Almighty, however, was not playing Finland.
"We want a new England coach for the long term who will think long term," Wilkinson added. "He's got to decide how to do things."
For the moment England's next Mr Wonderful appears to be everyone and no one. Crozier wants the speculation all over by Christmas, but the job of running the national team is not even what it was at 3.0 p.m. last Saturday. When a Messiah gives up, what hope is there for a mere mortal?
Manchester City and Charlton Athletic will this morning go head-to-head in an auction for the young Everton and Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne. Both clubs are believed to be ready to meet Everton's asking price of £3 million sterling.
A by-product of Dunne's imminent departure from Merseyside was yesterday's arrival at Goodison Park, for £1.7 million, of Hearts' Scottish international left back Gary Naysmith, who had been expected to sign for Coventry.
