Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
So, after months of increasingly tiresome speculation, (often) misguided supporter opinion and those interminable ‘experimental’ friendlies, Fabio Capello has pretty much stuck with the same bunch of players who gained near-perfect qualification to the World Cup.
It would appear that, for all the promises to pick players based on form, the Italian has kept faith in the old favourites, and left little room for inexperience. Despite superb club seasons, Adam Johnson (Man City), Scott Parker (West Ham), Leighton Baines (Everton), Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone (both Tottenham) all fail to make the cut. With just nine caps between them, their exclusion does seem justified, but Johnson in particular has a spark of quality that might just be missed.
Darren Bent is normally good at taking chances, but the one given to him by Capello recently resulted only in the Sunderland forward’s exposure as a player lacking in big-game expertise and who fundamentally does not fit with the England jigsaw.
The most controversial exclusion is without doubt Theo Walcott, ironically a surprise inclusion to Sven Gőran Eriksson’s 2006 squad. Exhilarating though that piece of trivia may be for Walcott, he must be thinking back with regret to patchy Arsenal form, and to the vast, anonymous spells of nothingness and neutrality that sandwiched his memorable hat-trick against Croatia. He’s a good player whose goal threat outstrips that of Aaron Lennon, but consistency is the most valuable of commodities when, at best, England will play just seven games in South Africa.
Truth be known, Capello had his masterplan worked out a long while ago. When the season’s injury scares paled away, he was able to confirm his plans for England’s 2010 World Cup bid. This is, on the whole, a squad consisting of tried and tested players. Only David James, Robert Green and Matthew Upson play for teams that failed to qualify for Europe this season, and players with fewer than 10 international caps are few and far between. This summer’s migration South to warmer climates will really bring out the lions (hopefully there are more than three) in the England squad. This is not a time for amateurs, nor is it a time for character weakness and immaturity. It is time for the very, very best English footballers to gather all their skills, experience and knowledge, and take on the rest of the world....
England Squad in Full:
The squad's pretty much how I expected it to be... was shocked at the exclusion of Walcott (I think everyone was) and I predicted a couple of the defenders incorrectly (I thought Baines and Dawson would make it in ahead of Warnock and King). Based on this squad and the friendlies we played, I'd say 4-4-2 is going to be our likely formation, which is why Carrick got into the squad. I'd have rather seen Parker or Huddlestone in than Carrick, also my personal preference would have been to find a way to fit Walcott into the squad, even if that means using Milner in central midfield.
When I look at those 23, I don't see us winning the World Cup, but one can only hope.
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