England’s problem? They expect to fail

ENGLAND rugby union coach Eddie Jones believes his football counterpart Gareth Southgate has to change the mindset of his players to have any chance at the 2018 World Cup.

Jones has spent time with Southgate, both men have visited the other’s England camp, and there is plenty of mutual respect.

But Jones said it is imperative that Southgate starts instilling his winning mentality into players conditioned to fail in major tournaments.

Jones said: ‘The mantras, the messaging, it’s almost like everyone is saying we’re going to fail. It doesn’t matter if we qualify, we’re gonna fail, so who really cares. And players hear that, their mother, father hears it, their girlfriend hears it. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. What they’ve got to do is try to break that in some way, get some other messages out there, change it.’

Jones said of Southgate: ‘I think he’s trying to change things and I think he’s as good a chance as anyone of making that team successful because they’ve got good players.’

THE fact that a three-course meal with all the trimmings was served in the VIP Wembley Suite before the England v Slovakia match points to the FA councillor blazers putting up a fight to prevent FA chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn from downgrading their fine dining to a casual buffet with no dress code.

THE hapless way that Arsenal have been run of late is not the best advertisement for paying managing director Ivan Gazidis ( right) £2.65million a year.

Yet he must be impressing somebody, somewhere, because in their wisdom the European Club Association have voted Gazidis — all talk and very little action — on to the UEFA executive committee.

Gazidis snubbed the media in Geneva yesterday after his election, citing his ‘rough treatment’ by the press at home. Meanwhile, disgraced former UEFA president Michel Platini, despite being banned from football, turned up at an ECA reception claiming it was a ‘social visit’.

FOOTBALL LEAGUE chief executive Shaun Harvey has revealed that it was down to him rather than the sponsors to take the Carabao Cup draw around the world, leaving open the chance of further draw fiascos before the end of the season. Harvey says the aim is to enhance the Football League’s profile, influence and contacts abroad rather than improve his rather wooden TV presenting style as a one-off draw host.