Less than four weeks after our defeat at Stoke on the final day of the 2015/16 season, the European Championships are now under way in France. As a proud Englishman, I will be roaring on the Three Lions from kick-off against Russia this evening right up until the final whistle of our tournament is blown, whenever that may be…
From what I have read on various forums and social media though, the same cannot be said for every West Ham United supporter. There are those among us who feel the England manager’s decision to omit the likes of Mark Noble and Andy Carroll from his squad for the Finals is a slight on our club. There are even one or two who have said they will support France instead due to Didier Deschamps’ inclusion of Hammers hero Dimitri Payet!
I personally struggle to get my head around this. I am a loyal England fan, often attending games at Wembley to support the national side. I love it when West Ham United are represented in the England team or squad but it doesn’t detract from my support of England if they are not. Some have said they are apathetic towards Roy Hodgson and struggle to lend their support to England as fervently as they may previously have done as a result. I never felt like that when Avram Grant was in charge of West Ham United – my depression levels might have increased but my support certainly did not waver!
I, for one, feel that Hodgson has selected the best squad he could in the circumstances. We are short defensively (oh for the days when we could select from Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Jamie Carragher!) and so Hodgson has offset this by overloading on attack. It is a bold selection from a manager often accused of negativity.
Danny Drinkwater had a fine season at title winners Leicester (better than Mark Noble? I’m not so sure) but if it’s a choice between him and Jack Wilshere, the Arsenal man surely wins every time. England concede possession far too easily so why would you not take a player who is arguably our best with the ball at his feet, our best player when it comes to technique and mastery of a football? If anyone can count themselves unlucky, it’s Michael Carrick whose talents were seemingly made for international football but have been so bewilderingly overlooked by a succession of managers.
Andros Townsend is a decent enough player who can worry full-backs and contribute a crucial goal or two. Raheem Sterling, however, had a decent World Cup in 2014 compared to the rest of that England squad and his talent was shown by his delivery for the winning goal in the recent friendly against Portugal – England will face games of a similarly tight nature in the tournament and that touch of increased quality can make all the difference. Sterling is, quite simply, the better player.
Hodgson has, with the exciting exception of Marcus Rashford, gone for those players who he pitched into much easier battles during qualifying – he knows those players, knows their qualities and what they offer, both on and off the pitch. We will know if he has got the right blend before too long.
I’m fully behind this England team and manager – it’s a young squad that is now shorn of most players from the disastrous World Cup of 2010. Six years on, England are progressing. We have our best attacking options in many a year, so much so that skipper Wayne Rooney could run the show from midfield, where he excelled in the recent FA Cup Final and which would allow Dele Alli to play closer to Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane up front. Incidentally, the number of Tottenham players in an England team does not bother me one jot as long as we have a successful national side.
England, all being well, should top Group B and thus face a third-placed team in the second round at the Parc des Princes. Portugal, Italy and Belgium are potential quarter-final opponents in Lille, whilst Spain could lie in wait in Lyon in the last four. If the Three Lions can find their groove and grow into the tournament, I’ll stick my neck out and say we can make the Final of the competition (and I hardly speak from a position of eternal optimism!). The actual winners of the tournament, for me though, will be the aforementioned French who, with players of the quality of Pogba, Payet and Griezmann allied to home advantage, are justified favourites.
This is not simply a case of blind faith in the England team and manager. Ask me if I’d prefer West Ham to win the Premier League or England to win a major tournament and it’s claret and blue ribbons on a trophy every time. My support for my national side, however, will not wane simply because of the personnel who make up the squad or which manager is positioned in the dug-out.
So, with that West Ham eye on things, Euro 2016 could provide us with the opportunity to scout a player or two who could ply his trade in our new Olympic Stadium home in August. Alan Dzagoev however, a Russian midfielder who I was hoping we’d show interest in last summer before we purchased Payet, has been ruled out through injury, which is good news for England. It is a shame that reported former Bilic target Alen Halilovic has been omitted from the Croatia squad but Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik could be worth a look – the Ajax man has scored 47 goals in 75 appearances over the last two seasons in the Dutch league.
Finally, good luck and very best wishes to Dimi, Ginge, Darren Randolph and Angelo Ogbonna. I’ve read recently that there are those who hope you don’t perform too well in the coming days and weeks for fear of inviting unwanted interest from other clubs for your services. Not me. I hope these players perform to the very best of their capabilities and, in doing so, help raise the status of West Ham United in Europe and the wider world. Rather than see the likes of Dimi leave, let’s instead see top players want to join him at West Ham as a result of stellar performances on the international stage.
Come On You International Irons & Come On England!