FORMER England skipper David Platt has written off his country’s 2006 World Cup chances.

We’re a quarter final team and I think it will be the same this time,’ said Platt in Jersey last weekend just after England had scraped a 1-0 win over Wales in their qualifying group match.

It follows a 4-1 defeat by Denmark in a friendly last month.

‘The match against Denmark was a freak but you’d expect them to do better than 1-0 against Wales.

‘I’m not sure we’re much further forward than in the World Cup in 2002 or the 2004 European Championships when we reached the quarters.

We’re a quarter final team and I think it’ll be the same this time ‘With luck we might make the semis but then we’ll need more luck – so we’ll be asking for two or three doses of luck in successive games.’ Platt, who played for England in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, captained his country for three years from 1993 and was Under-21 manager until last summer.

He played for six clubs, including Aston Villa and Arsenal as well as Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria in the Italian Serie A after being rejected by Manchester United as a teenager.

He also had a stint as player manager of Nottingham Forest.

He was known for his a knack of scoring important goals for club and country from midfield.

Now he is a UEFA Pro licence coach and was in Jersey leading teachers and coaches – including Island manager Dave Matthews – through formations, strategies and tactics on a two-day course sponsored by the NatWest sports development scheme and organised by Grouville and assistant Island coach Ian Horswell at Le Rocquier School.

But he’s not blaming the influx of foreign players for the failure of the national side to win trophies.

Said Platt: ‘Clearly the more foreign players there are in England then the fewer opportunites there are for young English players – but the bottom line is if they are good enough they will make it.

‘We produce good technical players, but not necessarily effective players.

There are players like Rooney, Beckham, Gerrard and Owen who have great technique and are also massively effective.

But there are lots of young players with magnificent technique who can’t apply it to be effective.

‘Effectiveness is game awareness – knowing to pass, shoot or cross the ball at the right time.

And game awareness is something that coaches have to learn because the greater the knowledge of the grass roots coaches the better the professional game will get.

‘Right now the game at grass roots level isn’t good enough.

Clubs like Barcelona are taking kids at six years old and we’ve got to look at that in England: the clubs, the FA and coaches have got to open their minds and identify the problem.’