This is England
Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 11:15PM I really do try to care about the National team but the whole Terry debacle and the weakness of the FA and (sadly) Hodgson leaves me further detached from it all with each passing day. I'm sure once the competition starts I'll watch and want them to succeed, but seeing the likes of Terry pull on the shirt, knowing footballers believe and behave themselves to be bigger than the badge on the shirt (even the badge of their country), the fact there are so many fractures within the squad, the politics...where the hell did it all go wrong?
Hodgson was treated with cowardice contempt by the tabloid press when he was given the job and I hope he achieves something tangible to ram it back down their throats. But his squad selection along with the influence of a variety of story arcs - have I mentioned Terry's inclusion yet and the impact on Ferdinand and the Gerrard captaincy? Then there's Carrick, the excess of Liverpool players and not forgetting players who should probably have been included - means all the job actually amounts to is damage limitation until this 'golden generation' are done and dusted and gone for good.
The belly of English football needs gutting. It's feasted for far too long, bloated and tired, sat on a throne nobody bows to any more. We are far too institutionalised to attempt it.
Where's the revolution?
Reader Comments (11)
Hodgson was touted as a guy who picked based on form not reputation. Well, I look at that squad and I see very little form and a whole lot of reputation.
Gerrard apparently the "obvious" pick for captain despite his return coinciding with a huge drop in Liverpools form over the 2nd half of the season. Has Downing really played better than Sinclair, Lennon, Sturridge, Dyer, Moses...has Oxlade-chamberlain in his 10 minutes of premier league games this year for that matter, or Theo "still living of that hattrick against croatia" Walcott.
The only explanation for me is that there is a lot of politics in the background over team selection, because the same mistakes get made by successive managers. As for Terry...it is madness that he is in the squad. The court date should not have been deferred, and he should have stepped down until his name is cleared (or otherwise). Frankly I would have had him out after the Wayne Bridge fiasco. (Allegedly) Forcing other players to drop out who he has fallen out with is ridiculous (Twice now).
In short, I agree with all of the what spooky said...the Germans have brought through a whole new generation, and we're still working out if Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney can play on the same pitch.
How many times have the failings of the FA be pointed out not only by me but also by countless others? From the shambles at the last World Cup and the fiasco of re-appointing Capello to the unnecessary tardiness in appointing Hodgson. But their critical failure is simply the lack of class young Engish players coming through. The reality is that that the majority of technically skilled players in the Premiership is from overseas. So what is the legacy of the so called FA player development program? Not much--they all look nice in their blazers no doubt--Brooking included, but that is about all. What little good young English talent that has emerged is largely the result of clubs and good managers such as Wenger and not the FA. There is no doubt the Sepp Blatter would right in with the FA or conversely they might fit in with him at FIFA. The FA really needs to be cleaned out and replaced with people who have all played the game at the top level.
As to Hodgson, he has an unenviable task. He got a decent performance against Belgium focussing on risk free soccer a la Chesea's success in the European Cup. But he has little real talent to play with and I fear for England at the Euros.
I'm not one for posting on sites too often but this is a good article and pretty much sums up the apathy I have felt to the England team since the WC. And the hypocracy the FA are showing in the John terry affair (no pun intended) is beyond me. They will have a large amount of egg on their face WHEN he is found guilty of racism. However, I agree with the above posts and my heart will rule over my brain and I will sadly watch and cheer England on until their inevitable and no doubt highy controversial exit from the Euro's. The quicker the England team is rebuilt in the same manner as the Germans have done the better.
As a neutral (I hate the American national team even more as yours) I have to say you have nailed it.
You have one of the most loathsome squads around--aside from Portugal. Not to mention the worst football press that will make sure you never accomplish anything. I will cheer for Parker and Defoe and hope that someone breaks Terry's legs.
It will be incredibly difficult to cheer on a team that has John Terry in it.
Problem is that a number of players reportedly refused to go on the stand-by list, which kind of reduced the options in the end.
That said, I can't believe that Walcott & Oxlade-Chamberlain warrant a place more than Lennon.
I will tune in to watch a few games, but it's highly unlikely any of those will be England games.
Meh, I lost interest ten years ago (literally): the constant battle between the manager's pragmatism and the press' fantasy just bores me. It's not a matter of passion and pride versus ego and career, or skill versus strength - every player in the squad today is capable of doing incredible things with the ball outside of a match situation (I recall watching Justin Edinburgh warming up at an away game - Sheffield? - and dropping forty yard passes on his mate's foot - even the supposed donkeys are sublimely gifted when the pressure's off). The simple problem is that the players are too stupid to adapt to working under a different manager with different teammates, and for all that Roy is master of the monotonous drills, he's got far too little time to really effect change and implement his system with the borderline-retarded players he has at his disposal. Think of how often you hear people talking about players needing time to adapt, squads needing time to gel. Couple that basic fundamental of football management with the collective intelligence of Gerrard, Terry, Rooney et al, and tell me there's a manager living or dead who could seriously turn that rabble into contenders in the time Roy's been allowed.
I wish Harry had got the job, since it would've solved our situation and also taught the nation a lesson in what happens when you let moronic English players "fucking run about a bit". Then again, that's exactly what happened at the World Cup - after JT's pathetically misguided coup attempt, Fab clearly stopped caring and went through the motions, cashing his cheque and waiting for an opportunity to jump ship before his CV became tainted forever (the fact his flounce was over Terry, a player he clearly had little more than contempt for - and how could he, an Italian schooled in the art of catenaccio with an incredible ability to forge teams with water-tight defences that were nonetheless capable of breathtaking attacking play: the man behind the original Invincibles; how could he look upon Terry, a lumbering oaf nine-tenths unbridled aggression and violence, with anything but disdain? - really goes to show just how desperate he was to get off the ship before it sank again this summer), the England squad effectively (mis)managed itself for the last few games in SA, much as it had under Shteve, and Svennis before him, and we all saw how diabolically bad that was.
The real point of interest, for me, is whether Roy can come home having avoided any power-plays from his players - that'd be the real result, going to a tournament and returning from it with the same man in charge. His time at Liverpool suggests that (a) he's a stubborn fellow, capable of staring down any dissenters in a game of chicken, and (b) that's not going to come close to stopping the press (and the players) from making a fool of him. I personally don't think much of his tactics either, but at least he has tactics (yeah, Harry, you heard), and god knows there's not much more you can do with players of England's calibre than two tight banks of four and pray for good luck... So I'll cross my fingers for him, but I'll watch it with all the interest of an FA Cup second round replay between Arseendofnowhere City and Amateur Utd.
Shame Redkrapp didn`t get the job for many reasons.
He would be appropriate as a horrible mercenary bastard on holiday for a couple of weeks with kindred spirits.
Used to be passionate about them with proper footballers willing to chew their own bollocks off for the shirt - Lineker Shearer etc.
But at least I can now watch and laugh my knob off at the same inadequaces that were the root of previous frustration.
And my only guilt will be for Roy, a genuine football man who continued to pour heart and soul into his humble club when the england job became vacant.
This Terry business - is not every black footballer. every black fan casual or passionate - totally outraged and insulted by his inclusion in the squad?
And the FA display the mind numbing hypocracy to publicly state that they are concerned about the racist host fans.
What the hell is going on with OUR game?
C'mon boys! It's Engalund, innit!! I still love the shirt and wait for the day Scottie takes the Captain's armband from Gerrard's lifeless fingers. Every team in the Euro Cup has it's share of racist ba@#ards. Terry is small potatoes when you see what goes-on in Italy, Spain and the Eastern Bloc! So, just ignore the c@#t. There are plenty of lads to cheer for in our awful throw-back uni's. Personally, I'm just waiting to see who our next great villain is going to be in terms of stupid red-card sending's-off. I can't wait fore it to get started! I'll be watching with my brick-bats loaded and ready to hurl!!!!
Like many of us I have lost, for the first time in my life, the will to support England. Over the past four years all I have seen is the same old mistakes repeated. I didn't even bother to listen on the radio during the recent friendlies and worse still, I didn't feel like I missed anything. However, as an old die hard, no matter how much my soul has been crushed by the FA and pampered players, I find I am feeling a very small spark of optimism which may fan the flames of enthusiasm (MAY) again. I can't explain it but it appears to be coming from having a goalkeeper who looks like the real deal. I am starting to think that it may be possible that we will not concede easily if at all. Insane ramblings I know but maybe there is hope somewhere in this mess and god knows I yearn for the day when I can stand and scream "Come on England" again. Please, please, give me my heart back (but I wont hold my breath).