As John Lennon once had it; strange days indeed.
As unofficial England blogger, I’ve covered a few World Cups and Euro tournaments for Soccernet now, and I’ve seen many more before that I’d not care to recount; some good, some forgettable and some I only see in nightmares. But to a one, all of them have been surrounded by the over-hyped hoopla that always follows England, their fans and the resulting expectations of the national team.
This summer though, all is different. I don’t know if it’s the long Jubilee weekend and celebrations, the fact everyone is spent from the unbridled excitement of the climax of one of the best seasons football many of us can recall or, perhaps more sensibly, that we’re all saving ourselves for the forthcoming excitement of the world’s greatest sporting event on our doorsteps (or, in my case, my parent’s doorstep!) later this year.
What is undeniable though is that Euro 2012 starts off later this week with barely a nod towards any expectation towards England at all. Is it because we are shorn of the usual ‘Golden Generation’ of over-paid, over-tabloid and ‘Moi? Over here on me ‘ead son’ sensationalism we’ve come to expect from our three-lion’ed heroes? Or is it just me? I mean, I haven’t seen a single picture of Gary Cahill chasing Cheryl Cole down Chelsea High Road with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot clutched in his hand. (Other Champagnes are available, of course – unless the good people at VC want to provide me with a case…). In fact, hand on heart here, If the good Mr Cahill – who I am sure is happily married, by the way – were to knock on the oak-panelled door of Blagg Acres and offer me tickets to Poland I wouldn’t have a clue who he was.
Even the appointment of the venerable Mr Roy Hodgson – something I have advocated would be a good thing for a long time, by the way – has barely caused a ripple barring some odd TV debates about a speech impediment. Considering Harry Redknapp seemed destined to be borne to Lancaster Gate on the back of a winged beast strewn with rose petals from adoring fans and the fact he was by-passed with nary a interview would, you’d have thought, caused a bit of a furore. As it is though, everyone seems…well, kinda underwhelmed about everything.
The result of all this though is that we approach Euro 2012 with no expectations and no real knowledge what is going to be happening. As I write this, Frank Lampard has pulled out denying us, perhaps for the last time – the chance to debate if he can play in the same team as Steven Gerrard (that should cut my mail inbox down by a half!) – but I’ve learned just seconds ago that the excellent Scott Parker is likely to follow suit. With Gareth Barry also out with a lower abdomen tear, it is entirely possible that England’s midfield will be populated with a bunch of players only those who collect football stickers will recognise.
Now I’m not sure it would be entirely fair to say that this will be a good thing – it’s usually recognised that experience counts for a lot in these tournaments – but also, for once, I find I’m not actually bothered that we seem to be without some of our match-winners. Is it because usually our ‘match-winners’ never actually win a match? Is it because for years our usual post-tournament cry is ‘give the others a chance’? Or is because, to return to my original point, we’re not really expecting much so don’t care either way?
Because the fact is that players like Lescott, Cahill, Henderson and Carroll – all good players but not those most of us would put on the top of our ‘pick up list’ – have all had the experience of holding aloft trophies, winning losing battles, kissing medals and, generally, coming out on top this season. Many of them did it when expectations weren’t great and when, just possibly, had others been available then they wouldn’t even have been given an opportunity. But they’ve proved themselves winners and, with the excellent tactical brain of Hodgson looking after things, perhaps that – along with the disappointments many will have suffered along the way – will give them the chance to grow and even shine.
Andy Carroll is a prime example, looking every bit the essential English centre-forward when he broke into Newcastle’s team back in 2007 but looking like an over-hyped expensive flop just a few years later when he joined Liverpool. But Dalglish saw something in the player late this season and Carroll responded accordingly. Hodgson has now done the same, handing the Geordie the coveted No: 9 shirt and effectively telling the young player that he can make it his own for years to come if he fulfils his potential.
It’s in the English way to sniff at this and suggest Andy Carroll is just the latest in another over-hyped assembly line who’ll never achieve on the international stage, but it’s surely not unreasonable to suggest we used to produce world-class players who actually produced this form for their country so why shouldn’t we start again – particularly at a time when no-one is really expecting anything. I’m actually quite excited at the prospect of seeing Carroll muscle his way through a few euro defences – and let’s be clear about this – if he’s going to do this before anyone actually knows who he is, then this is the tournament to do it in.
It seems likely, at the very least, that expectation won’t hold heavily on the shoulders as it seems to have done for other squads in the past. Perhaps England may even play with a bit of freedom and not worry so much about what the opposition may do, feeling free to express themselves and impose their own attributes on the game. It may be that none of this is possible, of course, perhaps all English teams are doomed to follow the sins of their predecessors, but I’d like to think that Euro2012 gives some players the opportunity to grasp an opening and within that, the chance to make a difference.
I’m not saying that England can win this tournament; my local supermarket aren’t producing player’s medals and there are no cut-outs of Joe Cole advertising washing powder, so I know that’s not likely. But I do think there is just an outside possibility that, for once, England may do a bit more than we’re expecting. After all, we’re really not expecting very much at all. They may remind us of why supporting England used to be a good thing and – whisper this – restore a bit of pride in the Three Lions again.
Let’s just hope we don’t end up losing in the quarter-finals on penalties with the press advising us that we’ve now found the next ‘Golden Generation’. That would be too much to take.
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