Carrick: England failure 'unthinkable'

Michael Carrick says having next summer off instead of playing at Euro 2008 would be unthinkable!

“As footballers, we sometimes complain about not getting enough time off. But it’s unthinakble to miss a major tournament.

"The big championships are the things you remember. You need to be there.

"There is no excuse for England not qualifying. It’s time for the lads to perform and I am sure we will do it at Wembley. We have got enough quality.

"Wembley will be crucial for us. People think we should go here or there and win because they’ve only got such and such players.

"But even in European club football it’s hard to go away and get a result.

"We need to step up and win these games — otherwise a major championship is going to pass us by.”