England - The Southgate Years

[The Lusophone]

2 minutes ago, MDK said:

13 hours? He really has a lot to say.

That's the time the hearing starting, basically 2pm.

[MDK]

I knew that.

[Gazz]

Problem is, the Football Association and the Premier League are two seperate entities. It's all very well and good saying 'take £3.5m a year from all 20 clubs and there's your £70m a year'. The FA can't force the Premier League to give them any money. It's why you have a top league that gets £5bn in TV money 'governed' by an association that has to sell a stadium to fund new initiatives that should have been undertaken ten years ago. In reality, the Premier League and it's clubs don't really give a shit about grassroots football. As long as there is enough grassroots football going on to give them a pool of young players under twelve to choose from, they don't care. I bet there are 17 / 18 year old players coming through at Premier League academies who haven't so much as kicked a ball on a grassroots pitch in a decade.

[FLiam]

Jamie Vardy retiring from international football.

Gary Cahill too.

[Lineker]

The FA have submitted a bid to host the women's Euro 2021 championships.

[Lineker]

Quote

The former England manager Sam Allardyce has lost his complaint that the Daily Telegraph broke journalism’s rules by sending an undercover reporter to propose a business deal and discuss rules on the third-party ownership of footballers.

Allardyce lost his job managing the national team in September 2016 as a result of the sting, in which one of the newspaper’s reporters posed as a representative of a fake sports management agency and secretly recorded their conversations. The press regulator Ipso concluded that the Daily Telegraph’s subterfuge was justified on the basis that it was a “productive and proportionate” way to investigate the types of commercial relationships Allardyce was willing to consider and the findings “could reasonably be considered to demonstrate sufficiently serious impropriety” to justify publication.

The regulator concluded that while Allardyce, who was due to earn £3m a year as England manager, did not break Football Association rules he did “show a disregard for them” by discussing potential workarounds on rules regarding the third-party ownership of players– a practice banned in England and “widely regarded as ethically wrong” – and there was a clear public interest in reporting this.

The England manager also entertained the idea of undertaking speaking engagements for the Daily Telegraph’s fake company for £400,000 a year, while making it clear that this would need the approval of his employers at the FA.

“The newspaper had also gathered evidence that he was willing to negotiate speaker fees with a company that was explicitly interested in third-party ownership of players,” said the regulator. “During the second meeting, he had witnessed a conversation in which a football agent appeared to suggest that an unauthorised payment could be made to a player.”

The 17,000-word ruling was delivered following an investigation into complaints by Allardyce, his agent Shane Moloney, and accountant Mark Curtis that they had been misrepresented and their quotes taken out of context.

The manager has always insisted the sting was unfair because, as the regulator stressed, no rules were broken. He also complained that the coverage was unfair since it was linked to a wider investigation into “corruption”, suggesting serious wrongdoing.

However, Ipso concluded that the matter was still in the public interest because of the high standards expected of such a prominent individual and ruled it was fair comment for the Telegraph to say that Allardyce had “tried to make as much money as possible as England manager”.

The regulator did rule that among the 15 articles published by the Daily Telegraph about Allardyce during September 2016 there were three significant inaccuracies that required correction.One related to a false suggestion the manager had implied third parties could benefit from transfer fees. The other two wrongly implied Allardyce had offered to brief the Daily Telegraph’s fake company on how to break ownership rules, rather than merely being willing to consider speaking at their events.

The regulator’s verdict approving the subterfuge relied partly on the fact that the Daily Telegraph said it was acting on anonymous allegations against Allardyce dating back to early 2015 that he should be investigated, in addition to a tip-off from an anonymous “specific football agent”.

The FA sacked Allardyce, who was last season also sacked as Everton manager, the day after the allegations were first published.

In a statement issued last night Allardyce insisted that IPSO’s ruling was flawed, the Telegraph “had put words into my mouth” and called on the journalists involved to hand back awards they won for the coverage.

He also criticised the leadership of the FA and how they handled their response to the story: “It was clear that those that I was dealing with were more concerned with their own image than getting to the truth of what had occurred. I will consider my position in this regard with my lawyers but I hope Martin Glenn and Greg Clarke reflect on the lack of leadership that they showed – not for the first time or I expect the last.”

Ashley Young will be an absentee on Thursday when Gareth Southgate names his first England squad since the run to the World Cup semi-finals, with the manager considering a recall for Luke Shaw.

Southgate has spoken to Young who, unlike Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill, has no intention of retiring from the national team, having played such a key role in Russia, not least with his set-piece delivery.

The 33-year-old played in all but the two games against Belgium, having been welcomed back into the fold last November after a four-year absence. Although his appetite to represent his country remains fierce, he understands the manager’s reasoning as England explore their options.

Young’s club-mate Shaw is under consideration to step up as a replacement for the Nations League match against Spain at Wembley a week on Saturday and the friendly with Switzerland at Leicester three days later. The 23-year-old has played once under Southgate, gaining his seventh and most recent cap against Germany in March 2017, but has impressed this season despite Manchester United’s stuttering start.

Southgate was in attendance at Old Trafford on Monday to witness Shaw’s performance against Tottenham, for whom Danny Rose played. Leicester’s Ben Chilwell and Ryan Bertrand of Southampton are alternative options at left wing-back.

Joe Gomez, who missed the World Cup through injury, will return after an excellent start to the season at Liverpool. He will in effect replace the experienced Cahill, who announced this week he wished to take a “step back” from England commitments as he seeks to regain a place in Chelsea’s lineup.

Southgate will retain faith with the majority of the squad who did so well in Russia but the United defender Phil Jones is expected to miss out through injury after limping away from Monday’s defeat by Spurs. Burnley’s James Tarkowski, on standby in the summer, is his expected replacement.

Southampton’s Alex McCarthy could step in for Nick Pope, a long-term absentee after dislocating a shoulder in Burnley’s Europa League qualifier at Aberdeen. The manager and his assistant, Steve Holland, have watched McCarthy’s recent games against Everton and Leicester. The goalkeeper, uncapped but called up by Roy Hodgson in 2013 and Sam Allardyce in 2016, is likely to earn a recall ahead of Joe Hart, who is gaining regular playing time after moving to Burnley. Jack Butland is likely to be retained despite playing in the Championship with Stoke.

Vardy’s retirement, revealed by the Guardian on Tuesday, offers a forward a route into the squad. Southgate has been impressed by the uncapped Callum Wilson’s start to the campaign. The 26-year-old has sustained anterior cruciate ligament injuries in both knees since Bournemouth’s promotion to the Premier League, wrecking two of his top-flight campaigns, but has scored twice this season. Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck is likely to keep his place; Daniel Sturridge, fit again after a promising pre-season for Liverpool, is a possible alternative and Jadon Sancho’s performances for Borussia Dortmund have been noted.

Sancho could join Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon in the under-21s – they have European Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands and Latvia – and it remains to be seen whether Ruben Loftus-Cheek, limited to a solitary appearance as a substitute for Chelsea this season, retains his place in the senior squad.

Ross Barkley has enjoyed more game time at Chelsea, while Southgate and his staff have also monitored Will Hughes’s progress at Watford. Adam Lallana is fit again having missed the World Cup after an injury-wrecked season for Liverpool.

[Lineker]

Luke Shaw, James Tarkowski, and Alex McCarthy are all in the squad.

[Lineker]

Quote

Gareth Southgate has named Adam Lallana, Joe Gomez, James Tarkowski and Luke Shaw in his first England squad since the run to the World Cup semi-finals but there was no place for Ashley Young, or young players such as Phil Foden, Ryan Sessegnon or Jadon Sancho.

The England manager has kept faith with the majority of the squad who performed well in Russia but has recalled Lallana – who has only played three minutes of first team football for Liverpool this season – after injury wrecked his chances of going to the World Cup. The team open their Nations League campaign by taking on Spain at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 8 September, before hosting Switzerland in Leicester three days later for a friendly.

Gomez, who missed the World Cup through injury, has returned after a promising start to the season at Liverpool. He will take up the space filled in Russia by the experienced Gary Cahill, who announced this week he wished to take a “step back” from England commitments as he seeks to regain a place in Chelsea’s lineup.

“We’re obviously coming off the back of a successful summer, so I think there’s a good foundation for us to build on,” Southgate said. “With us only being three games into the season, I felt some continuity was important so those who were with us in the summer deserve the right to go again. Others haven’t really had the opportunity to force themselves ahead of those guys.

“From here we have a two-year lead into the European Championships, so I want us to try and capture what we had this summer and why they felt it went well – but, once we’re through this camp, there’s going to be competition from others. People are going to have to play at a good level to retain their places.”

The Manchester United defender Phil Jones has missed out through injury after limping away from Monday’s defeat by Spurs. Burnley’s Tarkowski, on standby in the summer, is his replacement.

The England manager has not used Jamie Vardy’s retirement, as revealed by the Guardian on Tuesday, to name another striker in the squad. Danny Welbeck has kept his place, as has Ruben Loftus-Cheek, despite limited game time for their clubs.

Southampton’s Alex McCarthy has stepped in for Nick Pope, a long-term absentee after dislocating a shoulder in Burnley’s Europa League qualifier at Aberdeen. The manager and his assistant, Steve Holland, have watched McCarthy’s recent games against Everton and Leicester. The goalkeeper, uncapped but called up by Roy Hodgson in 2013 and Sam Allardyce in 2016, has earned a recall ahead of Joe Hart, who is gaining regular playing time after moving to Burnley. Jack Butland has been retained despite playing in the Championship with Stoke.

Full England squad for matches against Spain and Switzerland

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Alex McCarthy (Southampton), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).

[MDK]

A rare Lineker quadruple post in the wild!

(David Attenborough voice): Why does he do it? We just don't know...

[Hobo]

3 minutes ago, MDK said:

A rare Lineker quadruple post in the wild!

(David Attenborough voice): Why does he do it? We just don't know...

Pictured: Lineker in 30 years.

[FLiam]

Who’s Alex McCarthy?

And why are there England games already ffs?

[Lineker]

Raheem Sterling has withdrawn from the squad with a back problem. 

[DavidMarrio]

19 hours ago, Lineker said:

Raheem Sterling has withdrawn from the squad with a back problem. 

"Disgraceful football love rat cheat bastard Raheem Sterling cowers out of England duty with a poorly back" 

[Lineker]

Adam Lallana is the latest name to withdraw.

[hugobomb]

"Lallana makes the smart choice for his long term career, unlike that bastard Sterling"

[Adam]

And, as Pickford has a slight injury, Fulham goalie Marcus Bettinelli has been called up for the first time.

@Chip Pisser Byrne

[FLiam]

I didn’t even realise Lallana was in the squad. Has he played much this season?

[DavidMarrio]

1 hour ago, Liam Mk2 said:

I didn’t even realise Lallana was in the squad. Has he played much this season?

He came on as a sub in the West Ham game. That's all I can remember tbh. 

[TCO]

He also looks like he's from a early 00s boyband now too, so he's got that going for him.

[Lineker]

Quote

An England match will be broadcast in black and white for the first time in half a century when Gareth Southgate’s men take on Switzerland on Tuesday evening.

Viewers tuning into Sky Sports live coverage will see the first 25 seconds of the game in black and white, as the broadcast marks the 25th anniversary of football’s anti-racism campaign Kick It Out.

Paul Elliott, the FA’s inclusion advisory board chairman, said: “Hopefully the footage will encourage the millions of viewers at home to spend at least 25 seconds thinking about the importance of diversity in this beautiful game of ours.”

Elliot said the FA was grateful to Sky Sports for supporting the idea since its conception and looked forward to “seeing Three Lions in black and white for the first time in nearly 50 years”.

Herman Ouseley, chair of Kick It Out, said he was delighted with the gesture and hoped it would be a “powerful reminder of how far football has come in the last 25 years to make the a game a more open and diverse place – welcoming to all regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation”.

The Kick It Out campaign was set up in 1993, following widespread racist abuse in the 1990s and a climate of fear among the minority ethnic communities in neighbourhoods around many football grounds.

Piara Powar, who was appointed Kick It Out’s national coordinator in 1998, said he and Lord Ouseley recalled that many senior people in football were not greatly interested at first.

Powar and Ben Tegg, the campaign’s only members of staff then, wrote to all 92 professional clubs introducing themselves and the aims of the campaign. Only five replied. “There was absolute apathy, the issues were seen as inconsequential,” said Powar.

The campaign went through a difficult period in 2012, after players Luis Suárez and John Terry were handed bans for racist abuse. Terry was found not guilty in a criminal prosecution of verbally abusing Anton Ferdinand. A number of black players refused to take part in Kick It Out’s annual day of action, with some protesting about a lack of progress, particularly the small number of black coaches.

The FA recently announced a three-year plan to become more diverse, with the aim of having 20% of its coaches and 11% of its employees in leadership roles coming from black or minority ethnic backgrounds.