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| Do I not like that Roy |
Not since Graham Taylor’s ill-fated
and much documented reign as manager has the future of the England team looked
so bleak. Yesterday Roy Hodgson named yet another underwhelming squad, with
such short-sightedness that we’ve come to expect from a man who has once again
proven his inability to manage at the highest level.
Following a forgettable World Cup,
Hodgson was backed by the F.A, who were perhaps reluctant to part with him
halfway through a four year contract. Whether that was the case, or they
believed that Hodgson had more to offer the national team, the truth is the
decision was horrifically misjudged.
Prior to the Norway friendly in
September, Hodgson and his backroom staff, which worryingly includes the much
lauded Gary Neville, had possibly the easiest qualifying campaign in history to
preside over. This presented Hodgson with an opportunity to recapture the
imagination of a long-suffering nation of fans, whilst salvaging his own
reputation which had taken a severe knock in Brazil.
Through a process of dropping the
tried, tested and failed regulars and introducing in-form consistent Premier
League performers and the next generation of England players, Hodgson could
have breathed new life into his ageing lions. With Euro 2016 as Hodgson’s
expected endgame, any players over the age of 28 should have been dropped in
the knowledge that in another two years they would have significantly declined
as footballers.
In the current squad this would
include Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, Milner, Downing, Carrick, Lambert and Rooney.
This selection feels like Hodgson is firmly in his comfort zone, unwilling to
take risks, to advance the careers of youngsters coming through the England
teams. When in reality, there is minimal risk in introducing the likes of
Butland, Dier, Jenkinson, Moore, Hughes, Redmond, Ings, Kane and Bamford.
Additionally there are consistent
performers that continue to be overlooked by Hodgson. QPR’s Steven Caulker and
Charlie Austin, Hull’s Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore, West Ham’s Aaron
Cresswell and Mark Noble and Swansea’s Nathan Dyer and Jonjo Shelvey.
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| Stewart Downing |
I will allow Hodgson a small
slice of credit, having selected one youngster and one in-form player in Saido
Berahino and Stewart Downing. The selection of Downing, whilst deserved, seems
somewhat dubious with his notable performances arguably owing more to the
collective performances of his teammates.
So Hodgson can be applauded for
his gutsy selection of Berahino, but in the same breath he can be slaughtered
for retaining Jagielka, Smalling, Townsend and Lambert all of whom who have no
place in an England squad, whether this be due to age, ability or a distinct
lack of game time at club level.
Then there is the reintroduction
of Michael Carrick and Theo Walcott, who have only recently returned to action
following long term injuries. I would imagine Arsene Wenger and Louis Van Gaal will
have questioned the necessity of their places in this England squad, when achieving
full match fitness with their club sides is surely the priority.
Earlier I mentioned that incorporating
a bigger percentage of the youngsters and in-form players into his squad
carried with it minimal risk. In all honesty it carries no risk, we’ve already
gone toe to toe with the Swiss in Basel, labouring to a 2-0 win with a team
that included the rather comical selection of Fabian Delph. Basically a 2-0
defeat was all that our toughest opponents could muster, which makes me believe
that Gareth Southgate’s Under 21’s could top this group.
And it is in this assumption
where the problem lies, we have an easy group and yet Hodgson is sticking vehemently
to several players that have no right to be there. We will of course sweep all
before us in the qualifying matches, draw with the Scots and lose to a
remarkably poor Italy side in friendlies. Then board the Eurostar in the summer
of 2016, go out at the group stage and be left with the same mind-numbing
debate about the state of English football in the aftermath of it all.
We are admittedly at a
transitional stage as a national team, moving from the ‘Golden Generation’ to the
‘Generation in which a bloke who used to work in a beetroot factory can hold
down a place in the squad’. As a result of this we should be blooding the youth
and allowing them tournament experience, rather than giving the likes of Rooney
another chance to let us down.
I’ve attributed most of the
blame to Hodgson, but it should fall at the door of the F.A. They are the ones
who appointed him and kept him on, they have also mismanaged the selection of
previous managers, with Messieurs Eriksson and McClaren being two ill-advised
appointments, and personally I’ll never forgive Sven for playing Scholes on the
left.
It’s not only at senior level
where they’ve messed up, the manager of the Under 20’s is a certain Adrian
Boothroyd known by fans of Watford, Colchester, Coventry and Northampton as ‘Hoofroyd’
for his pre-historic long ball tactics.
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| F.A. Chairman Greg Dyke |
Forgetting what has gone on previously,
the F.A. can only dictate what happens in the present and future. Sadly, it
seems that they have opted to stagnate, rather than to learn, grow and
ultimately enhance the potential of England’s future stars. There is a saving
grace in the form of the Under 21 European Championships next summer, with the
likes of Wilshere, Sterling and Barkley hoping to be on the plane to the Czech
Republic in order to gain that much desired tournament experience.
