Time to leave Wembley behind

BBC Sport's John Motson believes it is time for English football to bid farewell to Wembley Stadium.

As the Wembley saga rumbles on, I have become increasingly convinced the national stadium should be switched to a new venue.

Some people are calling for a new stadium in Birmingham, others would like to see the home of English football switched to somewhere in the north.

From my point of view, the English team should remain based in the south-east of the country - but not at Wembley itself.

I have always been a great believer in London playing a major role in the national sport and that is why I think, if they have a home, it should be in or around the capital city.

Perhaps a move away from Wembley would help to finally lay to rest the ghosts of 1966

Motty

It may not be the most central point but, being the capital and the most accessible area of England from abroad, I think it is important it remains close to Soho Square and Bisham Abbey.

A move away from the stadium would certainly represent a new dawn in English football.

The Germany game has finally halted talk of the final of 1966, at least for the time being.

Perhaps a move away from Wembley would help to finally lay to rest the ghosts of 1966.

With the renewed optimism in the air following Sven Goran Eriksson's arrival and the emergence of a number of young world-class players, this is as good a time as any to start a new era in English football.

In my opinion, the Old Lady has had her day.

Wembley Stadium has fallen well behind the standards of modern stadia.

Not only is it a nightmare to get to for the 80,000 fans attending a big game, it will also take a mammoth task to bring it in line with grounds such as Old Trafford and St James' Park.

Wembley: Time to say goodbye?

Although the stadium represents the finest hour in English footballing history, it also puts a huge amount of pressure on the current crop of players every time they step out at Wembley.

Unlike many England fans, I no longer share any sentimental attachment to the stadium.

I sing very much from the same songsheet as Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, who was never a fan of playing at Wembley in an England shirt.

He believes England as a team benefit from playing somewhere like Old Trafford or Anfield.

As well as being state of the art stadiums, they also provide a wonderful atmosphere to will the England team on to victory.

As far as I am aware, there has never really been much of a problem getting hold of tickets for an England game and, if this is the case, then I see no problem continuing to base the games elsewhere.

In many cases I believe playing at Wembley has helped inspire England's opponents

Motty

Although I believe Wembley was once the home of English football, I was never the greatest fan of it as a venue.

In the last few years, the ground has not only become very stale, it has turned into a run-down stadium which was no longer a pleasure to go to as a commentator, a player or a fan.

In many cases I believed it helped inspire England's opposition.

If there really is any need to have a national stadium, I would be one of the first people to back a move away from the Old Lady.

But I am not convinced there is any real need to build a new stadium - England already boasts some of Europe's finest footballing arenas.

Old Trafford already has a capacity of 67,000 which is only slightly smaller than what Wembley used to hold.

Why can't we just continue to play our friendly games at the other major stadiums rather than waste a huge amount of money on a stadium which is only going to be used a few times a year?