BLUES boss Gareth Ainsworth said England's players took the wrong tactical approach in their disappointing World Cup campaign.

They were eliminated with one of their group matches still to play and Ainsworth felt the way England played the game led to their downfall.

He said: "You watch teams in the World Cup defend so deep. The pace is so slow and they are used to that. Our Premier League and Football League aren't conducive to slow build-up play, walking pace possession to start things off, and then bursts of energy. We seem to be up and at them all the time - that's our culture and that's the way we are. We needed to change that, in my opinion.

"Having a South American team and a Central American team in our group, although we fancied ourselves against them, I always worried about that. Going into their backyard, we seemed to get unstuck."

But he said it would be wrong to change the man in charge if England are to improve ahead of the 2016 European Championship.

The Wanderers chief - who was part of the England Veterans side who won the Senior World Cup in Thailand this summer - said: "Roy Hodgson is a great manager. He's had many clubs and done really well. He'll probably build this young England squad we've got into something good.

"He's going to need time. It was too soon this World Cup, especially in South America."

Reflecting on the tournament as a whole he added: "The football has been fantastic - unfortunately not for us."