Connolly thinks England can do it

Connolly and his Irish team-mates will be preoccupied with a vital match against Switzerland this weekend but the former Watford and Wimbledon striker found time to offer some help to his club-mate, David James, and the rest of the England team.

"The main impression I have of their side is that all their players are good technically," he said. "They can all play, they all want the ball and they had large chunks of possession. Their midfield is particularly potent. Tugay, Emre and Okan are all very capable players who like to pass the ball.

"That poses a dilemma for the opposition. Should they try and close them down and nick the ball or accept the fact that they will have it for periods of the game?

"Patience could be the best solution." Connolly is also careful not to be critical of the Turkish back four, despite his goal against them in Dublin.

"Have they got weaknesses? All teams have I suppose," he said. "But I wouldn't say their defence had that many. I couldn't see any blatant weak spots."

Connolly anticipates a tough time for England in Istanbul tomorrow but said: "England shouldn't worry. They only need the draw and they have the players to achieve their ambition and qualify.

"I wouldn't have thought that they will play for the draw though. That's a dangerous game to play. The most important thing is that they keep their cool and play as they know they can.

"If they do that and we have a good result against Switzerland, David and I will both be smiling when we get back to training with West Ham next week."