England Pretenders Hope For
The Play Offs
by Peter Gilbert
Nice to see Graham Taylor back in The Premiership with Watford.I
remember going on a football coaching course with him over 20
years ago when he was at Lincoln City, he impressed me then as
a 'good bloke' and so I was never happy to see him referred to
as Turnip head and such like.Of course the press are now sharpening
their poison pens ready to drag 'King Kev' through the mud after
luring him into their web,like the spider to the fly.
Interesting to watch the England 'performance' against Sweden
the other day, performance though is possibly not the right word.
As a City fan I am always pleased to see our club represented
at International level and who can forget the day in the 70's
when we had four players in the England team: Shilton, Whitworth,
Weller and Worthington. I couldn't help thinking that an injection
of City players would have livened things up somewhat against
Sweden for whom Pontus Kaamark had a great game incidentally,he's
a true professional;always fit and always ready.
The present England team seems to lack direction purpose and drive
and Keegan is likely to disappear into the managers' graveyard
unless he can find those ingredients and quick.
The minute's silence for Sir Alf Ramsey before the game was a
rather hypocritical gesture by the FA, since when he was alive
his presence was never welcomed by them after he had given us
our greatest day back in 1966 and 33 years later we seem to have
only gone backwards after trying various permutations with the
exception of a flirtation with success under Terry Venables during
Euro 96.
But back to City players not present on 5th June, well Heskey
was on the bench but never asked to warm up when his powerful
running would have been perfect for the occasion, instead Keegan
chose strikers who have nothing to prove and in turn proved nothing
other than they were gorged by success and so not hungry which
is the basic requirement. A Sheringham/Heskey permutation would
have been more than interesting.
Le Saux was on the pitch with a virus,unwell but still unveiled.
Why was not the most prolific deliverer of the ball from the left
on the pitch in the form of Steve Guppey,surely this was a gross
error. Maybe Keegan remembers he discarded him while he was at
Newcastle and doesn't like back tracking. But admitting and reacting
to your own mistakes before others spot them is a basic requirement
of success - Guppey should have been out there that is without
question he has so much to offer and will always at least give
the forwards the opportunity to have a go at goal.
The midfield apart from Beckham's out of reach crosses was non
existent in terms of creativity. It needed an element of trickery,
surprise and invention an ingredient that is missing without Gascoigne
but step forward Muzzy Izzett, you've got the lot in those departments
and his wriggling tireless runs would have taxed the defensive
resources of any line up particularly those found in the Swedish
team who were solid but wooden at the back. Asking Sherwood to
provide guile is rather like asking a clog dancer to deliver a
ballet dance but he was there in all his predictable one paced
presence.
I'm not suggesting that Leicester City could have provided the
right result but it does seem that England managers pick players
from certain teams even if as Phil Neville at Man Utd they are
clearly not good enough at club level never mind on the international
scene to make the first XI. Spurs are clearly the England managers
favourite, remember Chris Armstrong being on the bench for the
last game? So Emile being a Spurs player would presumably ensure
selection, maybe he's worked that one out for himself.
The team could have looked so different, but Keegan obviously
daren't or can't do what Sir Alf Ramsey did in buckets full and
that is know what he's after do it and stick by it. Or maybe I'm
wrong maybe he really thinks that Sherwood, P.Neville, Cole,Keown,R.Ferdinand,
Shearer and other sick and sorry individuals could produce the
result we needed. Now we have to watch minor countries sit above
us after Man Utd have done so much to re-establish our credentials
as a footballing force.
It's a national disgrace to think that England are now hoping
for the play offs. What is they say about teams who make it via
the play offs?
Stop Press .............as I write stunning news has just come
in that Kieron Dyer of Ipswich and Danny Mills of Charlton have
just been drafted in to the England set up for the next game.
Kev what are you doing? You'd have been better off with Walshie
and Cottee.