Young Lions’ quiet courage is succeeding where loud snarls failed
WAYNE ROONEY came out with a curious insight into the attitude of some former England players towards the current national side.
He reckons there are those who are jealous of, and unable to come to terms with, how well Gareth Southgate’s men are doing.
Which is hard to believe, especially as most of the retired players on TV couches seem relieved to be analysing an England team they don’t have to slaughter. So what could be their grouse?
Maybe a hint lies in an interview with Paul Ince last summer when he questioned the bottle in Southgate’s squad, claiming it lacked characters like himself, Terry Butcher and Tony Adams who literally bled for the cause. “It’s a quiet team, England, and that’s what worries me. Because if things do go wrong, are there enough vocal people in the team to turn it around?
“We’re kind of losing that warrior-type of player. Everything has a soft feeling now,” said the self-styled Guv’nor.
Adams was singing from the same battle-sheet, claiming England had no chance in Russia because the players, especially the Spurs ones, lacked a winning mentality.
“There’s a certain psyche players must have,” he said, lamenting that Southgate lacked an “anchor” or a “rock”.
Well, one Spurs player, Harry Kane, didn’t do badly winning the Golden Boot and anchoring England to their best World Cup showing since 1990. And Southgate’s wimps have just become the first England side since the 1960s to reach successive semi-finals, not through shouting, snarling, fistshaking and sporting bloodied heads, but through intelligence, self-belief and a refusal to wilt.
Let’s call it a quiet courage. And applaud it. They may not have nicknames like Psycho or “get in the faces” of their opponents, but it doesn’t make them soft. It’s not how loud your voice screams but how well you articulate your talent that matters.
The academy system that brought through today’s England players has raised the standard of technique, fitness and focus and made them better equipped to flourish at the highest level.
I’m struggling to remember any of Ince’s and Adams’ generation with the maturity and mental strength of Jadon Sancho, who left this country to force his way into the Bundesliga’s top side at 18.
He won’t be the only one because we’ve produced a generation of kids who believe they’re good enough to succeed anywhere. Hence all the tournament success.
“This year has shown us you mustn’t be weighed down by previous beliefs,” said Southgate after blooding even more youth into a squad that was the third-youngest in Russia, and securing backto-back wins against Spain and Croatia.
Which is a perfect response to the old-school belief that every English team needs a macho mentality to succeed.
That was the mentality that mocked the revolution in nutrition and lifestyles ushered in by Arsene Wenger and had many senior players turning up for international duty believing they had nothing to learn from England coaches because they were already the finished product.
All that has changed. Due to the atmosphere created by Southgate they show up buzzing, wanting to learn and succeed.
Their desire and dynamism has had a knock-on effect on the fans. Which was why the mood in Russia was so positive and why Wembley was rocking on Sunday.
Maybe some of the former players have told Rooney they’re jealous precisely because that’s the kind of setup they wish they’d been a part of. One that nurtures a winning psyche not through a loud snarl but a quiet courage.