England last won the World Cup in 1966, but in every tournament since then Ferdinand agrees they have mostly flattered to deceive.

The Manchester United defender believes the team led by former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson in Germany were tied down by positional dogma and lacked the flair and fluency needed to beat the best teams in the world.

New boss Steve McClaren has spent this week experimenting with a 3-5-2 system in a bid to solve the problem and coax the best out of his under-achieving squad.

Ferdinand, 27, said: "When you see all the best teams, you don't see them in a rigid formation. You see players drifting.

"In the past, England teams have been too rigid in my view.

"Players have been put in positions and then that's it, you just do that and that's what's expected of you.

"We have to expect and demand a lot more of each other.

"It can come from all over the park. Obviously you don't just do it willy-nilly but I think we were over-cautious in our play -- not just in the last World Cup but in most World Cups.

"We've been a lot more cautious than we should have been, whereas other teams throw caution to the wind a little bit and still get good results."

As part of their bid to break England's rigid lines the United centre-half has been encouraged to carry the ball out of defence and into midfield by McClaren and his assistant Terry Venables.

Ferdinand said: "I've always been brought up to be a free spirit playing football but it wasn't really encouraged under the last regime.

"It's about the team being a cohesive unit and that's what the manager is trying to get into this squad and his teams, being able to be fluid as unit both attacking and defending.

"If we're going to be successful, then we're going to need to do that."

Ferdinand admits the England team have flattered to deceive in the big tournaments and must accept criticism for under-achievement.

"We haven't won a tournament and that's what you get judged on.

"We haven't got to the semifinal or the final. I don't think it's unfair. If it gets personal it's unfair but, in terms of looking at it in black and white, I wouldn't say it's unfair."

England play Macedonia at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The game is a sell-out, with a 71,000 crowd expected to set a new record for an England home game outside Wembley.

The previous best was 70,373 for the friendly against Jamaica, also at Old Trafford, in June.