Standing proud Shrews ready to lead the way

So-called safe-standing is poised to be introduced to English football, with League One club Shrewsbury likely to lead the way. Campaigner Jon Darch, who runs the ‘Safe Standing Roadshow’, tweeted that an announcement would be made this morning. used to winning tournaments. We are not tourists when we get here, we are here to win it.”

It is that sort of mentality that has made Germany Europe’s most successful nation and it is worth remembering that the last time England reached the final of this tournament – in 2009 – they were thrashed by Germany in the final.

Stuart Pearce’s side were ruthlessly shredded by a vibrant German team containing the likes of Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Höwedes, Jérôme Boateng, Sami Khedira, Mesut Özil and Mats Hummels. A year later, this exhilarating group formed the core of the squad who dumped England out of the World Cup in South Africa. In 2014, they were the heartbeat of the team who became the first European nation to win a World Cup in South America.

Boothroyd knows that a win for his young Lions in Tychy could be the springboard for some of this group to go on to win major tournaments for the senior side.

The Germans are not afraid – after all they beat England in a friendly in March – but they are certainly wary of their old rivals’ renaissance at this level. Having seen England win the Under-20 World Cup this month and reach the final of the under-17 tournament, Germany coach Stefan Kuntz acknowledged that English football was starting to produce players in droves rather than batches.