There was precious little evidence of the 'stand and deliver' rallying cry coach Steve McClaren used to send his team into battle and, with seven games of the campaign still remaining, England can barely afford another slip if they are not to miss their first major tournament since the 1994 World Cup.

Israel had few opportunities going forward although they did create the first with Toto Tamuz glancing his header wide when well placed.

The closest England came in the goalless opening period was when Steven Gerrard spotted Frank Lampard's forward burst and slid a pass through to the Chelsea man which, for a second looked as though it would lead to a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, the ball got stuck under Lampard's feet and, with Yuval Shpungin applying pressure, the Chelsea man could only nudge it straight to the onrushing Dudu Aouate.

Having left his perch in the stand for a dug-out berth two minutes before the break, McClaren used the interval to inject a bit more life into his forwards.

Bolton's Tal Ben Haim managed to reach Phil Neville's low cross before Andy Johnson could pounce, then Rooney burst through, only to spoil his own industry by ignoring better-placed team-mates to blast a shot straight at an Israeli defender.

Rooney has enjoyed plenty of personal success against Ben Haim this season, scoring five times against Bolton.

But the pair came out even after engaging in a bit of afters when Aouate just beat the duo to the rebound after he had spilled Lampard's well-struck volley. Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo booked them both.

England were now dominating and after Lampard glanced Lennon's cross fractionally wide, Johnson did the same when Gerrard picked him out from the other flank.

When Carragher met Lampard's corner with a firm header that bounced off the top of the bar, McClaren must have sensed it was not going to be his night.

And Aouate's close-range block of substitute Jermaine Defoe's late effort merely confirmed it.

England coach Steve McClaren criticised his side for lacking ruthlessness. A disappointing display saw few real goalscoring opportunities created and McClaren was not happy with the form in and around the penalty area.

"Disappointed, frustrated," was McClaren's reaction to the draw.
"To dominate the game and have the chances we did and not score was disappointing and not good enough.

"Either it didn't fall for us or it was poor quality or poor decision-making.

"It feels like a defeat because we created enough opportunities to win the game comfortably.

"We are disappointed and frustrated by our failure to execute. We got the ball in the right areas but failed to make the decisive pass, so, of course, the fans are going to show their frustration. The players are gutted too."

He added: "They packed the defence and it was always going to be hard. We have to be ruthless in front of goal and we weren't ruthless enough.

"We should have won the game. It is two points dropped."

England have now failed to score in four competitive matches and McClaren admitted that was becoming an issue.

"It is a concern, it is a worry. I would be more concerned if we weren't creating chances but at this level you have to score goals," he told Sky Sports.

"We have got players who can score goals.

"We need to regroup and make sure we collect three points on Wednesday (against Andorra) but there are still plenty of games to go."

Steven Gerrard admitted England must be more clinical in front of goal if they are to revive their hopes of qualifying for the European Championships.

England had enough chances to have snatched victory despite not being at their best but they have scored only once in their last five matches - a Wayne Rooney effort in the friendly international with Holland in November.

Gerrard said: "The manager wanted three points and we delivered the clean sheet but we haven't been clinical enough in front of goal.

"If you don't take your half chances at this level, you don't deserve to win.

"It feels like a defeat. It's hard to put your finger on why we are not scoring. You see our players, not just the strikers but the midfielders, banging in goals week in and week out at club level.

"But in the last four or five internationals, we've struggled in front of goal. You just can't just blame the strikers. You've got to blame the six or seven players in the final third.

"The surface was excellent but the dry surface made it difficult to pass the ball at a high tempo. When that is the case, it is difficult to break sides down.

"We are happy with the clean sheet. We limited them to few chances on goal but we need to be better in the final third ourselves."

England fans chanted 'what a load or rubbish' and then 'you don't know what you're doing' when McClaren substituted Aaron Lennon in the second period.

Gerrard said: "The fans are disappointed. We can't get away from that. We've got to take that on the chin and use it to try and drive us on in the next game against Andorra.

"It is frustrating to hear it. It is not helping us - but it is understandable."

Gerrard remains optimistic that England can qualify for Austria and Switzerland despite having taken only two points from the last three matches.

He added: "As one of the more experienced players in the squad I've got to try and be positive. I'm not going to give up now.

"It would be silly of me to say we are not going to qualify. We have still got a great chance of qualifying but we have definitely got to improve in the final third."