Rasiak - Pole first, England fan second

Last updated : 12 October 2005 By Spurs mad

The Poles top England’s group but a win tonight for the hosts and all that will change. If Poland can take at least a point England only qualify as Group 6 runner-up.

Rasiak told the Independent on Sunday: "It's amazing that winning eight out of nine qualifiers wasn't enough to qualify us. I'm sure in any other year it would have been.

There's a great spirit in the side now, and even if we felt a bit empty when we realised that the win over Wales (last month) wasn't enough, we all just got on with focusing on this next game."

Rasiak switched to Derby County just last season and his goals in the Championship impressed Tottenham Head Coach Martin Jol enough that Spurs came in with an offer he couldn’t refuse. Immediately, he made two successive starts for Spurs and came on as a very late substitute against Fulham. But what does Rasiak make of the current England team?

"England have a very, very good team with some of the best midfielders in Europe.

"Robbo is a fantastic keeper — one of the best in Europe — and we will have a tough time beating him. But if the chance does arrive for me to score, then I will accept. It's how it should be," he told the News of the World.

"We know England will want to beat us but we want three points from every game and this one is no different. It will be difficult game for us.

"We have a long history of playing each other and the last time Poland drew in England was 1973 but we have lost here many times since then.

"We all remember Wembley 1973. It's part of our history even for those of us who weren't born then. If you're a forward you want to score the crucial goal like Jan Domarski. But this is a very different situation," he added.