Four reasons that England will not win a major international competition with our current squad

Social Culture

With players like Ashley Cole, John Terry, Jack Wilshere, Steven Gerrard, Andy Carroll, Jack Rodwell, Wayne Rooney et al. regularly featuring in media reports of drunken exploits, bar-room brawls and three-a-bed romps (or some other seemingly acceptable exploit), it is little wonder that team spirit is undermined (think back on Wayne Bridge’s retirement from international football) and public feeling towards the squad is at an all-time low. Despite the behaviour of some of these ‘role models’, a few well-placed victories and a good run in a major competition would see the squad’s perception in the media bounce back to a positive footing quicker than Jade Goody’s comeback from a racism scandal. However, this improvement in form is about as likely as a successful Olympics being hosted in London (I can’t wait until London 2012 vindicates my pessimism). One of the major factors in the failures of the current England squad is the social culture that is prevalent in our current crop of overpaid underachievers. In comparison to other successful footballing nations, ask yourself: when have we seen Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta, Messi, Sneijder, Totti, Vidic or former Premiership greats like Zola, Bergkamp, Keane, Henry and Schmeichel in the media spotlight for assaulting a DJ? The answer: never. We cannot complete this kind of dedication unless we can at least mirror it. The exception to this is Eric Cantona and he could have achieved so much more had he kept his head down during his playing career. One thing’s for sure; I’d sooner sit in the Wembley stands fearful of being drop-kicked by Eric Cantona than sit and watch Fabio Capello try to dig an ounce of self-respect and pride out of the likes of Wayne Rooney.

Football Culture and Overrated Players

Not since 1970 have England had a team capable of competing on an international stage, the reason for this, in short: the long-ball mentality combined with overrated players. In last Tuesday’s game versus Ghana, England were praised for their display for 90 minutes by the least talented commentator of all time – Andy Townsend. However, closer inspection of the match leaves one with a more pessimistic expectation of the Three Lions on the international stage. Though looking sluggish, unfit and out of his depth throughout, the £35 million-man (yes, £35 million!), Andy Carroll did take his goal rather well after Downing’s mis-controlling of Young’s chip forward – a pass hit more out of hope than expectation. This move sums England up completely: Ashley Young coming from the Frank Lampard school of “If I try something outrageous enough times, eventually I’ll strike it lucky”, Stuart Downing – a sportsman suffering from the worst recorded case of I-used-to-be-OK-at-a-small-club-but-could-never-make-it-at-the-top-level-itis (disease discovery status: pending) - and the 2011 winner of the “Theo Walcott Award For Being Massively Overrated Despite Very Little Practical Application”, Andy Carroll, combining to score past Blackpool’s number one, Richard Kingson (a goalkeeper that couldn’t catch an STD in a brothel). It only took another 45 minutes from here for an overrated England player to again take centre stage. In August 2009, Manchester City signed Joleon Lescott for £24 million, just for him to be made to look like Bambi on ice in front of the waning Wembley faithful. The fact that these players were so highly praised for this goal and their performance overall is endemic of the British media, which will so quickly damn an individual for their actions, only to heap praise on an English footballer for an average performance in an England shirt. Suddenly, we are reminiscent of the German youth set up and capable of winning a World Cup – not my words, but those of Fabio Capello. Surely, this is the propaganda of one who should have been shown the door after the last World Cup. Very reassuring for fans across the country. All last week’s friendly did was expose the loose ends in England’s strategy for the future. We have an OK team, with some poor back up and an ever-decreasing line of talent waiting in the wings to take over from the previous generation of flops.

The Lack of Winning Experience

In my lifetime, Brazil have won the World Cup twice and made the final once more. France and Spain have won the World Cup and European Championships in consecutive competitions. Germany have won the European Championship and the World Cup and reached the final of both the World Cup and the European Championship. The Netherlands have won the European Championship and reached the final of the World Cup. Italy have won the World Cup and reached the final of both the World Cup and the European Championship. I apologise if this list makes for boring reading, however, it makes England’s record striking clear, won: nothing, finals: none, semi-finals: one (in the European Championships when we hosted the competition in 1996). Furthermore, the Three Lions’ performance in the last two tournaments was laughable, Euro’ 2008: DNQ, World Cup 2010: scraped through the easiest group in the competition and were comprehensively outplayed in the first knock-out stage against a young German side. This means for England teams of the future, that not one of our players will have experience of stepping out for a final or semi-final in a major international competition and will, in the later stages of tournaments, be coming up against teams that have players and coaches with that kind of experience in abundance. This, as much as our infrastructure, team spirit, waning public support, social culture and footballing culture will hinder the next generation of English footballers.

Competition From Every Corner of the Globe

A quick look around the established footballing world paints an unattractive picture for the future of English international football. A glance at the French Football youth academy at Clairefontaine, the Barcelona/Spain squad’s superior talent-nurturing – best displayed in the Barcelona vs. Arsenal Champions League match (David Haye vs. Audley Harrison is the only professional sports contest that is comparable to this and, evidently, ‘gang-rape’ was an understatement) - the impressive young German team, a Portugal and Argentina team with, in my opinion, have two of the best players ever (Ronaldo and Messi) and an efficient Netherlands team that has just reached the World Cup final. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the five-time World Cup winners, Brazil, with young players like Neymar and Pato already proving themselves capable of recreating their country’s former success. This places a lot of pressure on Stuart Pearce and Jack Wilshere’s shoulders if they are going drag the England team, kicking and screaming, into a position to compete with these giants of international football.

After securing a draw at home to a fast-improving Ghana team at home last week, a more clear and present danger for this generation of footballers is the realistic chance of being overtaken by previously overlooked national teams. 30 years ago, nobody could have dreamed of an African team reaching, or winning, a World Cup final. Now African countries are increasingly ever-present in the concluding stages of World Cups and are regularly claiming scalps of the traditionally successful nations. Furthermore, African countries are providing more and more of players who are competing, week-in, week-out, in the toughest leagues in the world. In addition to this, countries like Australia, China and the USA (where ‘soccer’ is the fastest growing sport in the country and is the main sport played by children between the ages of 5-15 before moving on to high school) – though not yet a threat – have a social culture based around competitive sports and a sporting infrastructure that far surpasses our own.

England will not win the World Cup again with this batch of players, in the current climate of international football unless there is a sharp turn in policy, and I’m actually quite glad. Not because I’m not proud of our previous success, or don’t wish it to be repeated. I just can’t stand the thought of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand or any of the other cheating, overpaid, ungracious members of our current squad walking up to claim a winners medal in the place of players that might actually deserve it.