Now is the time for Fabio Capello to return to one of the pledges he made when he took over and pick a team rather than a collection of individuals. To free up the frustrated Steven Gerrard in a central role, Lampard must be removed from the team immediately.
Before anyone starts chirping about a witch hunt or typical World Cup scape-goating, I'll put on record my appreciation of his talents.

At club level and in the Champions League - which is harder to shine in than the World Cup - Lampard is immense. His goalscoring record is incredible and he is Chelsea's metronome, adding balance and finesse to one of the best midfields on the globe.
But in the white and red of England he has been next to anonymous. He doesn't replicate his goalscoring feats for his country, he doesn't set up goals and he doesn't offer much in the way of industry or toil.

A bigger indictment of him is that he just doesn't take on the responsibility that comes with being one of the first men on England's team sheet. How many times last night, presented with a couple of Algerians in front of him, did he take a risk and drive on with the ball? How many times did he move into a position that would put Algeria in peril? How many times, in short, did he look around at his other midfield colleagues and think 'This isn't working - it's up to me'?

Not once. And he hasn't done it throughout his England career either. Have a look at the line-up when England tumbled out of Euro 2008 in qualification. It is an injury-hit side that looks unfamiliar to us now but one name stands out like a beacon: F.Lampard.
I don't intend to blame Lampard for all of England's ills but his lack of form has a serious knock on effect because in trying to accommodate him in his favoured central role, Capello has jettisoned all semblance of balance in his midfield.

Gerrard - frustrated, desperate to impress and one of the few who did try things last night - is shifted to the left while a rusty Gareth Barry is rushed back in to provide the sort of protection Lampard needs to go foraging up front.

In theory it's great but it relies on Lampard performing and he's just not doing that at the moment.

It is clear, too, that playing for England is not the thrill it once was for him. Stung by criticism and being booed at Wembley by England fans, he nearly jacked in the international game and I suspect that he feels it weighing heavily on his shoulders these days.

I still suspect he will retire from England duty at the end of this tournament and it will be a shame that one of the best midfielders of his generation never did it on the international stage, but the urgency of our predicament means this is not the time for waiting and hoping.

I still think England will beat Slovenia and qualify for the second round. And with Germany's defeat to Serbia throwing their group into confusion, finishing second might not be the disaster we first feared.

But is there really any pride in scraping through this group? People took succour from the fact England had started slowly in 1966, 1990 and 1996 but by this point in all three campaigns they had started to show something.

I remember in Euro 96 Terry Venables took affirmative action at half-time against Scotland to reshape a misfiring midfield by sticking Jamie Redknapp into the mix and it worked beautifully. Capello's response to our toils? Shaun Wright-Phillips, who is a limited performer at international level. Joe Cole remains overlooked while favourites like Emile Heskey, who has been granted a remarkable amount of space by the double marking of Wayne Rooney, plod on.

England's best campaigns have been typified by bold thinking. Venables sticking Redknapp on, Sir Alf Ramsey dropping Jimmy Greaves and Sir Bobby Robson listening to his senior players and changing to a sweeper system that gave them a freedom to express themselves.

Another former international manager Graham Taylor took to the airwaves on Saturday to talk of the need for a more relaxed training camp, saying that English players are not used to the strict discipline of Capello's regimented Rustenburg base.

I like the engaging and entertaining Taylor, who has helped me out in the past and is a big friend of the regional press. But on that point I simply can't agree.

Weren't we all in agreement that Sven Goran Eriksson was too laissez-faire? Didn't we all blush when Jamie Carragher recalled in his autobiography how his pre-Germany talk had included guidance on how not to get caught with women in their hotel rooms?
Stop making excuses for this England side. The FA moved heaven and earth to get Capello and the players one of the best training headquarters in South Africa, yet now the suggestion is that it might be part of the problem.

The reason for England's failure is that they are suffocated by the fear of failure. Last night, too many made playing for their country look like some sort of punishment but it's honestly not like that.

If any of them feel it has become too much for them, they need to step aside immediately. England's 'silver generation' are waiting in the wings and while the likes of Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and Adam Johnson might not be as fully developed as Lampard, John Terry and company they will at least sweat blood for the cause.

And with England's 'Golden Generation' staring into the abyss of an ignominious first round exit, that would be a distinct improvement on last night's sorry mess.