From Turf Moor to the Wembley Arch: The story of England B’s final fling
Lions’ second string made their last outing in 2007 against Albania – with Brazil on the cards for those who shined
Cast your mind back to football in 2007. David Beckham was heading for LA Galaxy, Benni Mccarthy was inexplicably the second-best goalscorer in the country (behind Didier Drogba, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo) and a bold new chapter beckoned for England. Steve Mcclaren was in charge, and would surely lead his side to glory at the following year’s European Championship, with the help of his lucky umbrella.
It was also the last time we experienced the obscure pleasure of an England B international, a 3-1 win against Albania at Turf Moor. Then as now, no one is quite sure what to make of the B team, a halfway house between the earnest promise of the Under-21s and the inert ennui of senior friendlies.
Nicky Shorey can still remember the call from Mcclaren: “It’s strange because when he said it was a B game, I was thinking, ‘What’s a B game?’ I’d never heard of an England B game.”
In our era of pathways, progressions and perfect pitches, a Friday night run-out for the reserves at Turf Moor feels like a throwback. But England’s current talent pool runs deep. Its fringes extend well beyond normal, mirroring the mood of a nation desperate for a haircut. Could this be the time to revisit the B-team concept?
Ron Greenwood’s only playing experience for England came in a B-team game in 1952. He revived the second string after a 21-year hiatus in 1978, giving Bobby Robson an early taste of national management for a
2-1 victory against West Germany. The team’s use has waxed and waned since, depending on the national manager’s whims, but Robson clearly enjoyed his first taste. His and Graham Taylor’s spells in charge of the seniors account for 17 of the 57 England B games.
The games were generally used as mass auditions ahead of major tournaments. Some seemed more like excuses to give bigger names a run-out away from the main stage.
Michael Owen was in the line-up for the Albania game in 2007, part of a surprisingly strong team. Ledley King, Jermaine Jenas and Kieron
Dyer were closer to the end of their international careers than the beginning. Meanwhile, David Bentley, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott and Shorey were making their first appearances for an England senior team.
“I was very nervous,” Shorey says. “It was the first time I’d been involved with England throughout any age group. I just think the expectation is a step up. I’m not sure that the quality was.”
There was a clear carrot for those facing Albania: the first game at the rebuilt Wembley against Brazil a week later. Shorey played himself into the starting line-up based on his performance at Turf Moor, a development so unexpected it nearly clashed with his existing plan for the day after – his wedding.
Stewart Downing, who had been to the World Cup the previous summer, was initially disappointed to be on the bench for a B game. He was called into action after 10 minutes when Aaron Lennon had to come off. Downing scored twice, and earned another appearance off the bench seven days later under the new arch.
“It shows you how football can swing,” Downing says. “I’ve gone from being on the bench in a B game to playing against Brazil in the first game at Wembley.” He recalls no snobbery about playing in a de facto reserve team. “I don’t remember anyone putting it down or dissing it,” he says. “Some might have an ego about it and think, well, I should be in that full squad.”
Instead, Downing saw the game pragmatically, as one of the few opportunities for him to disrupt the doomed orthodoxy of England’s golden generation midfield. There must have been some lax attitudes in the dressing room before the game, though? A sense it wasn’t a fully serious assignment? Lads. It’s Albania. “I never really sensed that,” Downing says.
“Taking your foot off the gas wouldn’t be allowed. It was drummed into us, the pressure of ‘we can’t lose this game’. England’s overdue rootand-branch refinement has brought a clear structure which does away with the need for the B team. Friendlies are here to stay, and an entirely new tournament in the Nations League gives Gareth Southgate all the opportunities he needs to cast the net wide and spread the caps around.