DON’T WASTE OUR GREAL TALENT WARNS CURRIE
TONY CURRIE has urged Gareth Southgate not to waste Jack Grealish and England’s other entertainers like Don Revie did.
Currie recalled how Revie called him together with England’s other great mavericks from the 1970s – Frank Worthington, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, Charlie George and Alan Hudson – to tell them he didn’t want them.
“He got the six of us together at Bisham Abbey, formed us in a crescent and told us, ‘none of you figure in my plans’,” said Currie.
“We weren’t Revie’s type. I don’t know why because all his Leeds players, apart from perhaps Paul Reaney, were fantastic on the ball.”
Revie carried out his threat and Currie won just one cap during his ill-fated three years in charge between 1974 and 1977, despite being at his peak at Sheffield United and then Leeds.
His decision cost England as they endured the wilderness years of the 1970s and Currie, who won 10 caps in one year under Revie’s successor Ron Greenwood, hopes Southgate does not make the same mistake.
Southgate is still figuring out how best to utilise the mercurial talents of Grealish, Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka and started them on the bench for most of Euro 2020.
His decision to begin with Grealish, Foden and Mount in the 1-1 draw with Hungary at Wembley in England’s last World Cup qualifier was not a huge success and Currie has urged him not to give up.
“These players can go past opponents, put them out of the game, and slip players in,” said Currie, 71, who was speaking to promote his new book ‘Imperfect 10’
And he, is worried Grealish star could be the latest maverick under-used by England.
“Grealish plays his own way and players like that can make the difference in games,” he added.
■ ‘Imperfect 10’, by Tony Currie with Andy Pack, is published by Vertical Editions, RRP £16.99, and is out now. Order at www. verticaleditions. com