Individual triumphs don’t really compensate for team results and that was the case at Spurs on Wednesday night.

I was pleased that I was able to go past a few defenders and win a penalty for Birmingham. But it isn’t much of a cause for celebration when you lose the match 4-1.

We haven’t got the biggest squad in the world and when we get a few injuries, we do suffer a bit. We have to defend a little bit better, but it was disappointing coming after the 4-0 win over Blackburn in The FA Cup last week.

It was a quiet coach that headed back to the Midlands but we will have to snap out of it before Saturday’s match against Southampton.

Despite the result at White Hart Lane, I am enjoying my football at the moment on the left-hand side.

It’s the only position you could say we are struggling to find English players but our manager Steve Bruce thinks it suits me and likes me playing out there.

England could play five or six different players in central midfield and none of them would let their country down.

Playing with all those top players at Chelsea has certainly helped Frank Lampard come on and I admire David Beckham and Steve Gerrard as well. They are not only good players but work hard as well.

My only England cap was a long time ago (v Portugal, 2002), all the lads were good and I was probably closest to the lads I knew at Under-21 level like Alan Smith and John Terry.

Euro 2004 isn’t really on my mind but if it comes about, it will be great.

At Birmingham, the managers just asks me to go out there and get on the ball.

I seem to play off the cuff more on the left, you have to be a bit more disciplined in one of the two central midfield slots.

Against Spurs, I picked the ball up on the halfway line and went past a few people into the box before I was brought down.

That’s the sort of thing you can do on the left but as I said it was overshadowed at the other end.

We actually started the game at Spurs well but in this league, anyone can beat anyone else.


Cup glory beckons

I won the Worthington Cup a couple of seasons ago with Blackburn, I actually played central midfield with Mark Hughes in the final against Spurs.

My FA Cup record isn’t as good, I think the quarter-finals might be the furthest I’ve reached.

But after the win against Blackburn, we have drawn Stoke or Wimbledon next.

It’s always good going on a cup run and it’s a way into Europe as well. Someone told me the bookies had made us the best-priced team apart from the ‘Big Five’ so I hope we do something in the competition.