I don't care for this 'we have to earn it' mumbo jumbo. Scraping through 1-0 on aggregate against a 5th placed Asian side is hardly earning it. And we're not going to be any better off in the WC having played these 2 extra games.
In my honest opinion there is much MUCH more to gain in getting a direct path, getting a windfall pay day of $20m odd, and guaranteeing a good string of quality build up matches prior to the WC (like we did in 2010 against Aussie, Chile, Slovenia, Serbia...). With the expectation (and not just the 'off chance') of qualifying, we will obtain more money, we will play more games, we will keep more players in the game. Its a no brainer, I really do not understand this idea of not wanting a direct path.