"This evening's match against Ukraine is important because to get back to football and focus on the job in hand is absolutely vital.

"We have matches against Austria and Poland next month. In qualification fo a big tournament, the start you have often dictates the way you go on during your campaign. If we can achieve two wins and six points, we will have taken two firm strides along the road to Germany in 2006.

"We have the perfect test tonight. Ukraine will play in a similar style to what we can expect from Austria and Poland and, when you consider the strikers they have, you know they will have a big threat on our goal.

"Oleg Blokhin, their coach, is one of the heroes of football and he will be as determined as I am to lead his own team to Germany.

"Our experiences in Portugal this summer have reinforced a few truths about football: that there is nothing bigger than an international tournament to unite a country behind its team and that we have a group of players with the ability and desire to do something very special in their careers.

"Of course I wish we could have gone further than we did but what is most important is not that we look back with regret but that we look intelligently at the reasons why we did not win the tournament, see where we can make those improvements and then work together to make ourselves better.

"There is more to come from everybody and I know, both from my side and my players, that our hunger for success has never been stronger.

"Now we will be using those feelings and channelling them into our performances as we aim towards Germany.

"I am extremely proud that we will have St. James' Park behind us tonight. This is a special stadium."