Roy Hodgson, the England manager now thinks it’s alright to swear, the side is performing at an all time low, and fans from all around the country have fallen out of love with their team.
The problem when dissecting the evident issues that surround English football is that they’re all intertwined.
For example, Hodgson responded to the industrial language he used after the narrow 1-0 against Norway by saying, “That’s ridiculous. What industrial language? Goodness me. What sort of world are we living in? You are scraping the bottom of the barrel to say something negative there.”
This whole situation comes from Hodgson’s clear stress in his job after an abysmal World Cup where changes were required.
As calls for younger players to be introduced into the England side have been heard due to the retirements of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard; the injection of younger players still failed to inspire England in an unconvincing 1-0 win against Norway.
There’s two sides to England’s current state.
On one side, it would be naive and hypocritical to judge Hodgson and his side as there are many players with less than 10 caps to their name, in particular Raheem Stirling, who has only made 8 appearances.
However, when England are trying to play a 4-2-2-2, and it’s not working against a stubborn, but vulnerable Norway side, worries creep to the surface.
Hodgson is at turning point in his managerial position, either he’ll inspire this young group of international players, or he’ll be found out, quickly.
Another issue which is commonly raised is the “lack of English players” available for England.
This is such a poor excuse for England’s failings in the last decade.
What happened to the so-called, “Golden Generation?”
Did they achieve much success? No.
It’s not the lack of English players which has effected England’s chances at major tournaments, it’s the selection of players which is most often wrong.
Although it seems absurd to think about, the selection of English players revolves around an elitist philosophy.
A perfect example is Calum Chambers. After playing 3 Premier League games for Arsenal, he’s been given his England debut, but why?
Calls for his name to join the English ranks were only made after he played against Besiktas at the start of the season, but why not last season?
It seems easy to by-pass the fact Chambers made 20 appearances for Southampton last season, but he was never in contention to be called up for England, even when Glen Johnson was injured and Manchester United defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling would deputise in the position.
The pool of English players may have decreased, but it isn’t the problem.
As less English players are forced to play their trade at lower ranked sides, they are clearly discounted as “not good enough.”
With no disrespect to the following clubs (chosen at random), if Danny Welbeck played for Hull or West Brom, do you think he’d be near the starting line-up?
If Mark Noble, who has made over 250 appearances for West Ham, played for an Arsenal or a Chelsea, he’d be in the England squad, no problem.
He plays similarly to Jack Wilshire, yet he’s once again, never in contention.
This elitist way of thinking is simply wrong, and anyone who disagrees should watch a replay of Scotland’s defeat against Germany yesterday night.
Yes, it was a one off game, but they displayed a valiant performance which England fans can only wish their players would replicate.
England don’t need immediate physical changes, they need an immediate psychological overhaul.
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