Does Anyone Really Care About England?
by stresster on February 5th, 2008 10 commentsNews has just greeted me that Steven Gerrard is to take the captain’s armband for Fabio Capello’s first England match against Switzerland. My response is borrowed from Catherine Tate’s moody teenager: ‘Am I bovvered?’
Despite loving football and being English, I have more interest in whether Jason and Sarah will patch up their differences in Coronation Street on Wednesday night than in the meaningless match being played at Wembley. And it’s not because Steve McClaren made such a hash of qualifying for Euro 2008, nor that it happens to be a friendly where the national team notoriously flatter to deceive.
In fact, it would be better if Steve McClaren was still manager of the national team instead of Fabio Capello. Yes, you did just read that correctly. The FA’s appointment of the Italian means that whatever England achieve in the next few years (penalty shoot-out disappointment in the World Cup quarter-final against Italy anyone?), it will be tarnished by the fact that no English manager was deemed capable of guiding the team to a major tournament.
The FA essentially moved the goalposts when splashing the cash to appoint Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager and they’ve done exactly the same with Capello. How do we have the right to say this team represents England when the man coaching and advising the players is Italian? Doesn’t this quash the principle of international football in the first place?
Sure enough, England will beat Switzerland on Wednesday and the red-tops will be heralding the dawn of a brand new era. Indeed, nobody can deny the professionalism that the new manager appears to be demonstrating when it comes to selection and the respect demanded of each player. However, won’t the same issues start to rear their ugly head when the World Cup qualifiers start?
The fact that players will inevitably show more loyalty towards club shirt than national shirt when it comes to the crunch. That club managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez will be reluctant to release key players for matches, especially if they’re carrying a slight injury. That the increasing hype and pressure on the team will begin to manifest itself in careless defensive and goalkeeping mistakes, in misplaced passes and failed shooting opportunities.
However people like to dress it up, the standard of international football very rarely reaches the quality of fare you will see in the Premier League every week, let alone what you’ll see in the Champions League later this month. Pitch the Arsenal team against the England XI on Wednesday and you would see the national team for all its worth these days. A disjointed outfit featuring players under intense media and public scrutiny, hoping the whole thing is over quickly so that they can return to normality at their clubs, where expectation doesn’t weigh them down like a ball and chain around their ankle.
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Anonymous - February 5th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
england football team have continued to be the biggest letdowns in sporting history and really dont see anything changing anytime soon. Yeah great we have a new manager, ‘oodles of experience blahdy blahdy….but like all, we will have a great start win a couple of friendlies and then as soon as the big gun competitions come along we’re away with our tails between our legs like a bunch of fairies!!!
scouse not english - February 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
could not agree more. 95% of internationals are boring, with england and their pathetic support most of all, why people believe they were on the verge of greatness is beyond me. Typical southerners always think their better than everyone else. VIVA ESPANYA.
David Kirby - February 5th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Again, the FA are simply a bunch of amateurs. Look at how Italy train their coaches, no wonder there is a dearth of top class English coaches. And who did the FA pick for the last shambles? –Maclaren. Heavens my grandmother could have done a better job. If you look around at the current situation there may be one or two bright English hopes on the horizon such as Stuart Pearce and Southgate but they are still learning their trade. Most English managers are mediochre and fall flat on their faces when exposed to a quality situation e.g Allardyce and Maclaren
jj willz - February 5th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
dick
Croco Bob - February 6th, 2008 at 4:50 am
England will always compare their current national team with the ‘66 WC team. I noticed this is bad for the current team. Look at Brazil in 1982, they said this is the best team after Pele’s 70 team. Look what happened??? Holland in 1998 WC compare with the great Cruyyff team. Argentina in 2002 said to be better from 86 team. Each time a country compares their current team with the past team than it is doomed.
Have u heared Italy, Germany, France comparing their current team with their past great teams? Think about it.
mintox - February 6th, 2008 at 7:07 am
How can you question whether the England team represents England? Every single player in the team (except one) was born and bred in England and no doubt grew up wanting to don the England shirt and represent their country. If England win the World Cup, will fans care that Capello is Italian, i’m sure they weren’t because at the end of the day it’s the players that have to get out on the pitch and do the job. The coach doesn’t win the world cup, the team does!
The fact that England have a foreign manager is a sign of the changing nature of the Premier League, it’s got foreign players and coaches playing a style of football that is different to what has been played by English teams for many years. As such it will take time for a new breed of English managers to come through that can coach in this style, in the mean time why not have a foreign manager.
Comparing Internationals to Domestic Leagues is a moot point, Domestic teams train together for most of the year whilst International teams get together for less than a week for an international match, you cannot expect them to play with the same cohesion. Furthermore domestic teams often have teams full of International representives so it’s no longer the case of International teams being the sole claim to the highest level of skill. What it does have though is the chance to say my countries players are better than yours and that’s something you can’t get from the Domestic leagues.
Admittedly I think that Friendly Internationals are a waste of time, it’s almost the equivalent of a testimonial match with nothing to play for. I beleive that this is something FIFA should change, why not have an international season at the end of the domestic season where all International qualifiers, training camps and tournaments are held each year? It would certainly improve the level of cohesion on show.
Svenalike.co.uk - February 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Statistically Sven-Goran Eriksson was Englands best manager in history. Maybe a controversial statement in view of the media’s constant venom and misleading hype during his tenure maybe, but his record of lifting England out of “the wilderness” and rising to FIFA No.4 world ranking during W-Cup 2006, loosing only 5 competitive games (Friendlies “are just for practice”), cruising to top qualifying place in every international tornament and getting to three quarter finals with NO support or appreciation from the (xenophobic?) British media is unmatched by even the great Sir Alf!
Does anyone doubt that if Sven had served the remaining two years of his FA contract, England would have qualified for Euro2008 and it would appear that the success of “the golden generation” was mostly down to his guile and drive when you consider what Steve McClaren “achieved” with the same squad????
If Sven’s unprecedented run of consistancy was (is?) considered “underachievement”, it would appear that only winning every competitive match (and living like a monk?) is good enough for the arm chair experts who’s malice drove out what the rest of the world acclaims as “football’s premier coach manager”.
England’s loss is Manchester City’s gain and this England fan is very glad that Sven is NOT coaching another nation’s squad against us……
The xenophobes already appear to be sharpenning the knives to stick in Fabio’s back and the apparent wide spread media “death wish” for English international football may be satisfied once again in spite of the way Sven’s treatment was looked on with smug amusement and made us a laughing stock within the rest of the footballing world.
Good luck Fabio…, you’re going to need it!
Bill Vector - February 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Nice one Svenalike, the problem once again is with our pig-ignorant, sensationalist, muck-raking, spotty-arsed media. They are such twats.
Jimbob - February 6th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
If you’re not bothered in England, watch Coronation Street or whatever- just don’t get back on the bandwagon when we start to come good again.
I must say i’m disappointed they’ve brought a new shirt out at £40. Thought a gesture for failing to qualify would have been to price it beetween £25-30.
David Kirby - February 6th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
The other day they showed on TV England v Argentina friendly played before either the World Cup or European Cup finals. I could not believe this was essentially the same crowd who were so bad under McLaren. There was movement, pace and confidence. What happened under his regime?
I think Sven made errors e.g picking Walcott, who is certainly class, but was not ready and was not played, but he is a sharp manager. He has basically crafted a team together at Man City out of nothing.