England Versus The Press

Over the weekend the inevitable headlines appeared which condemned Robert Green to the history books as a yet another England World Cup calamity. Like many young, aspiring broadcasters, I listen closely to the carefully depicted scripts of TV and Radio presenters as they conjure up an image of doom and gloom around the England camp following a 1-1 draw with a side who less than 12 months ago beat Spain 4-3. It amazes me that we hear Gary Lineker suggest that Italy’s draw with Paraguay is indicative of the Italians in the World Cup because they are, “traditional slow starters, but they will be alright,’ whilst Clive Tydlesy suggests at the end of England’s game that they are ‘rooted at first base.’ The sheer hypocrisy still baffles me an it has led me to change my stanceon many of the England players.

For the next 3 days be prepared for a barrage of press headlines that will speculate as to whether or not Robert Green will line up in goal against Algeria. His one mistake in an England shirt means that he should now be sidelined in favour of David James, a man who has become famous for been erratic and notoriously cost worthy to England. So-called experts and pundits such as Martin Keown, this week on 5LIVE were suggesting that Green should be axed because of his error. Keown lost all credibility for me when in commentary he later went on and said he had never intentionally kicked anyone. Ruud Van Nistelrooy might beg to differ. Truth is Keown has never played for England. He wasn’t good enough. He can pretend to understand the pressures on the England players all he likes but the fact of the matter is he couldn’t.

For many England fans, Joe Hart should be given his chance between the sticks. The trouble is, as we saw on Saturday, playing for England comes with different pressures. Rob Green will forever be remembered as the player who made the most almighty cock-up against America. Everywhere he goes for the rest of his life that is what people will remind him off. Chris Waddle is the same. Waddle’s Italia 90 penalty miss has defined him ever since. Gareth Southgate’s Euro 96 penalty miss, David Beckhams’s red card in 1998 led to a huge amount of death threats, the likes of which lesser men would have caved under. David Seamen and the Ronaldinho goal in World Cup 2002. David James in Euro 2004 with his calamity mistake versus the French. Frank Lampard’s penalty miss and Wayne Rooney’s red card in World Cup 2006. Given the lasting impact such incidents have had on the careers of such players, would you blame them for being pensive when they play for England?

Doesn’t such thought provoke a justification for why England players never transfer club form onto the international stage? You see Frank Lampard was non-existent in England’s opening game, and like many I have argued that Lampard has been non-existent in most games for England over the last 5 years. Because at Chelsea Frank is allowed to bomb forward and score goals for fun with the world best central defensive midfielder sitting behind him. The problem for England is that said player happens to be called Essien and he happens to be Ghanaian.


The truth is Frank Lampard isn’t going to bomb forward when he plays alongside Steven Gerrard in midfield because he knows that if he leaves a gap in behind and the opposition score, the entire press core sitting in the stand with their pens in hand, fingers on the keyboard, microphones at their lips are ready with one fell swoop to destroy their careers. If Lampard and Gerrard don’t work, do you think Fabio will drop his captain? Of course not. Lampard would have to go, so Frank will never play his normal, game for England.

Look even further into the England side and you will see that on Saturday many didn’t perform as we expect. Now Ashley Cole is the best left back in the world. And that pains me to say because I dislike him, a lot. Yet Ashley Cole 4 times gave the ball away needlessly. Wayne Rooney barely touched the ball. Do you really think that this was because Watford’s finest marked him out of the game? Or was it perhaps because the pressure that he was under was too much for him?

Don’t get me wrong, the sight of St George’s crosses plastered to every car window, garage door and bedroom wall is a truly majestic and fills me with a sense of patriotic pride like no other event in the calendar year. The problem is how quickly, and more potently, how cruelly, our footballers efforts go from hero to zero. Rob Green simply does not deserve the press he has received. Yes he made an effort, but given the headlines and attention, do you not think that this will be a plague on his conscience ahead of future England games he is selected? How will he manage to rid the mistake from his mind? Perhaps more worryingly, how will Joe Hart and David James be feeling, stepping into Green’s shoes knowing they cannot make a mistake. It is simply the wrong message and if Fabio does drop Green it is to the detriment of England. Wouldn’t it be nice if England stick with Green and he goes on to make a penalty-shootout winning save versus the Germans in the semi-finals? Destiny or what? Wouldn’t that be a nice U-turn and stuff it to the journalists who instead have to write of a zero to hero story instead?

I feel sorry for Green because he is a class-act. A top-drawer keeper. But for every good save he makes, he will always be THAT goalkeeper. Unless. Unless England do what they have never done before and that is keep faith with him. You see, getting rid of Green is symptomatic of England’s failure in recent years. As my Dad said to me last night, “when you watch England reports, when you watch England play, when you listen to pundits talk of England, does it not all just smack of desperation?”

How true this is. Green makes an error that sees England draw instead of win. So what? He made a world class save n the second half to keep England in the game because there was sure as hell no chance of Wayne Rooney or Emile Heskey scoring was there? Lampard doesn’t do much for England so suddenly the Lampard-Gerrard partnership doesn’t work. Heskey misses two chances so suddenly Fabio got it wrong and should have brought Bent (an argument I agree with incidently!). Lennon’s crossing was frankly rubbish, so perhaps Fabio should have kept faith with Theo. It is a vicious cycle which goes on and on and on but with zero reward. Instead we have to read the papers and listen to the views of ex-players and managers who failed with England in the past tell the world why they got it wrong and Fabio continues to. The bottom line is England should pick a team and bloody well stick to it. A few variations here and there but if Capello seriously doesn’t know what his best formation is by now he doesn’t deserve his wage. I think he does however. And I don’t think he believes in this desparado routine that looms over the England squad like a giant shadow.

England will never win the World Cup based on talent. We are not good enough and we don’t have World Class players. Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Matthew Upson, Ledley King and Frank Lampard are nothing more than average. Emile Heskey is worse. So if we are to win the World Cup we need to rid ourselves of this ridiculous notion in the press that we should be winning every game comfortably. Why can we not win every game 1-0 and play rubbish? I will take that. If only the English press lay off our players and allowed them to go about their England business then perhaps, maybe just maybe they would express themselves on the pitch.

It is the underlying theme of English football and it goes well beyond the 11 players selected and the 90minutes on the pitch. It is the ideology to which England, and only England appear to subscribe to and which has reared its ugly head once more, already at the 2010 World Cup. I am of course talking about simple self-destruction. Greens error was just that. An error. Embarrassing and costly. But was it life threatening? Tournament threatening? Was it even incomprehendable? No. It was a mistake. I have said it before; if England are to win the World Cup they will need divine intervention. We are simply not good enough to turn up to a tournament and win it of our own accord. The sooner the press realize this and starve off their insistent negativity toward England and the men in which we have bestowed the hopes and dreams of a nation, the better.


Gavin Callaghan