End will justify
THE bad news keeps on coming for Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere.
While the duo spent the bank holiday kicking their heels at their clubs rather than joining the England squad at St George’s Park as Sam Allardyce’s reign got up and running, nothing that transpired in their absence will have soothed their respective frustrations.
The door is open for both, said Allardyce, but there is a queue. If the England coach has his way, it could become longer.
It is not enough that Barkley was told he was omitted from the squad for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier with Slovakia mainly because, as a No10, he is behind Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli in the pecking order. Nor that Wilshere was bluntly informed he needs to play more often for Arsenal. The whole debate of whether England should claim ‘foreign’ players as their own has been reopened after the Football Association responded to overtures from the father of Steven N’Zonzi.
N’Zonzi, now of Sevilla, was signed by Allardyce for Blackburn in 2009, but his hopes of teaming up with him again were scuppered because the caps he won with France Under-21s came when residency had not yet qualified him for England.
The delicate issue was raised concerning Adnan Januzaj three years ago, to which Wilshere had remarked: “The only people who should play for England are English people.”
Januzaj would go on to swear loyalty to Belgium.
Allardyce benefited from the prevailing mood which said the England manager should be English this summer and the same logic should apply to the players he is able to pick. Only listening to him yesterday, it is clear he would prefer to be more pragmatic. For him it is about winning. “Yes, you could say that...but the balance is quite difficult,” said Allardyce.
“Do you pick the best squad to win the World Cup, and one or two of those like N’Zonzi? Or don’t you, and then you suffer the consequences of not winning it or not getting to the quarter-final and failure?
“So if that player is top quality...cricket do it, don’t they? Rugby do it. Athletics do it.
“It’s not happening anyway so we can cover that again if it does. It’s not my department to find those players.
“We have a department to look at the whole situation at all areas for every international team.”
The FA’s technical division is the area in question and they are currently trying to entice Liverpool’s highly rated 16-year-old Ben Woodburn to switch allegiance from Wales. But just as Allardyce’s appointment serves as motivation for every aspiring English coach, the flip side must be that if England spread their net too far it would surely demoralise youngsters coming through.
Everton midfielder Barkley will embrace his demotion, having failed to play a single minute at Euro 2016, as just another challenge in his career.
That mindset would be tested, however, had he been shunted out of the way by someone exploiting a loophole. “It happens in all the other countries, though,” said Allardyce, with Diego Costa’s defection from Brazil to Spain one high-profile example. “And there’s the shortage of English players in the Premier League – I think it is only 31 per cent – and if those don’t play on a regular basis...
“Surely if you are going to win something and that
BRITISH HEROES WHO WERE BORN OVERSEAS
Kevin Pietersen
(South Africa) – Ashes hero and outstanding player in 2010 World T20 tournament, still the only world cricket tournament England have won.
Mo Farah
(Somalia) – GB’s greatest-ever track athlete with four Olympic gold medals, plus World and European titles.
Dylan Hartley
(New Zealand) – Rugby union captain who led England to 2016 Six Nations Grand Slam and an historic 3-0 tour triumph in Australia this summer.
Chris Froome
(Kenya) – Three-time Tour de France champion and bronze medallist for Great Britain at this month’s Rio Olympics.
Justin Rose player is of the calibre to force his way into that side then you give him an opportunity.
“It’s a very delicate subject, I agree with you. I’ll have to see if I actually do it one day how it’s perceived across the nation.
“If he goes out and scores the winner, will it be quite that bad?”
That other countries do it does not make it right, of course, but it still offers an insight into Allardyce’s mantra while in charge of England. The end will justify the means.
Allardyce is staying in the Sir Bobby Charlton Suite as the countdown to his first game in charge begins – and he is already allowing himself to dream a little.
“Do you think there might be a Sam Allardyce Suite here one day? I hope so,” he said. “I suppose it depends on how well I do over the next two years.”
As it stands, Allardyce has already given St George’s Park a makeover.
There is new branding throughout the facility – the slogan
(South Africa) – 2016 gold medallist in golf’s Olympic return, 2013 US Open champion and Ryder Cup hero.
‘The Journey Begins Here’ is emblazoned in reception – while table tennis tables, a dart board and a pool table have been added to prevent the players becoming bored.
After training finishes tomorrow they will be off until Thursday evening and, in an attempt to lighten the mood, comedians Bradley Walsh and Paddy McGuinness have been invited to host a quiz night for the squad at some point in the future.
“A bit of fun – Christ. I haven’t come here to be miserable,” said Allardyce.
The entrance where England’s players come into the hotel has also been moved. From now on, how England exit tournaments will be uppermost in Allardyce’s mind.