England's draw with Montenegro on Tuesday is being widely misinterpreted. The second-half collapse might have surprised some media, but England's long-suffering fans are well accustomed to petrified statues meekly surrendering at international level.

Theories abound as to how England could so dominate one half and wilt so abjectly in the second, but all discussions about players can be regarded as trivial alongside the main issue: Manager Roy Hodgson is just not good enough.

Here's why: When Manchester United were reduced to 10 men against Real Madrid, a manager who is good enough - Jose Mourinho - sent on Luka Modric to empower Cristiano Ronaldo and settle the game decisively against a superior side.

Likewise Montenegro manager Branko Brnovic upped the ante from one lone striker to four upfront, piling pressure on England as the game evolved increasingly in his favor.

Hodgson meanwhile sat on his hands, bewildered by his opponents' increasing chokehold on the game. The home crowd sensed blood. Edgy Englishmen withdrew deeper and deeper. Montenegro started stabbing at the heart of the English defense.

The game now screamed out for intervention, a double or even triple substitution. Hodgson sat there, chewing his nails in the middle of the Alamo.

When it came in the 76th minute, the Montenegro equalizer was as inevitable as it was deserved. Only then did Hodgson act, replacing Danny Welbeck with Ashley Young. Like the US cavalry, it was all too little too late.

Hindsight seems irrelevant here. England didn't suffer any bad luck, a disallowed goal or dodgy refereeing decision. But perhaps my criticisms are overrated, reliant on hindsight.

Perhaps sending on Scott Parker for Michael Carrick or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for James Milner would have changed nothing or made matters worse. Perhaps Hodgson's paralysis was the simple knowledge that there was no plan B.

Perhaps this tactical failure was a one-off snafu. Hodgson had a bad day at the office, so let's drop the issue a moment and examine the other key skill every manager needs to succeed at any level: man management.

Care to comment, Rio Ferdinand?

The author is a Beijing-based freelance writer. andyinbeijing@hotmail.com