June is nearing. It’s a scary thought, but the next couple of months are bound to whizz past and, before we really know it, Euro 2016 will be upon us. However, hold your applause; as the start date beckons, rumours and news surrounding England’s campaign are beginning to flutter. Who will Roy Hodgson take? Will Leicester City favourites be touted as more remarkable choices? Will England even be sharp contenders? What will the new strip look like?
Many questions are bubbling around, but the latter is something I can answer. Despite the glorious Nike name behind it, the creativity is lacklustre. The new ensemble is bland, tasteless and looks rather unfinished, frankly. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/17/england-reveal-euro-2016-kits-by-nike/ It smacks of a washed out afterthought, with an almost curious, bargain-bin Under Armour feel about it. So it certainly doesn’t warrant its extortionate price tag. Not my thing, anyway. Nor does it look popular on Twitter. Although, some have claimed it is slightly reminiscent of a Coventry away shirt.
Another aspect, albeit slightly more important than England’s fashion failures, is obviously the crafty consideration of squad choices. It is commonplace for avid Premier League fans to want the bigger, home-grown players to feature on the main stage of international competitions, and for Hodgson not to offer any call-ups to lesser individuals. However, you can hardly argue that the English giants among the ever-wowing Foxes should be scrapped from the list. Leicester have shown exactly how motivation can trump money in the footballing echelons, and many, including myself, are delighted to see them yielding such fantastic, staggering results – especially given their near-relegation woes last season. So, when ingredients such as Danny Drinkwater are being added to the mixing pot, I don’t understand why diehard England fans don’t see the vision behind the recipe. (Please click the link and marvel at the first Tweet listed. Hilarious, but I’m not in agreement with the statement).
Granted, Eric Dier and Fabian Delph would also deserve the opportunity to go to France and get involved with England’s bid, but perhaps we are past the need for players such as Phil Jones. Jordan Henderson’s possible role might not be entirely pivotal, but he has really been pushing his way up, both at Liverpool and among the usual crowd in the England squad.
Despite Drinkwater not being the hottest when it comes to netting goals, he has an excellent pass rate and can, therefore, stand as a very important chess piece in the game itself. England struggle enough with goals; the team could use a player with midfield calibre to incite a bit of structure and drive among the attackers. It should be enough that Roy Hodgson is impressed with Danny Drinkwater, because sometimes a burst of fresh blood is exactly what a stale outfit requires to suddenly spring into action and begin the necessary reformation that England so craves. England supporters shouldn’t just assume that the team will naturally qualify for international tournaments. It isn’t a right or a given; England have been inherently poor and really uninspired for years now, so any sort of jazzing-up could really be very smart – and not to mention helpful.
Another matter that can easily be shunted aside is the issue of fans in the crowd. Some of the many bans dished out to England fans at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will now have expired, leaving seats in the stadium to be warmed by notoriously ill-behaved members of the public. The last thing France needs is any scenes of upset and distress; the Paris Attacks back in November were brutal and haunting, and a football tournament should be fun and enjoyable, irrespective of the intrinsically competitive elements. England are billed to play Russia in Marseille in early June, which is the very venue to witness 500 riotous English and Tunisian fans back at the 1998 World Cup.
Football hooliganism is an utterly frightening reality of many matches and a prevalent cost to the game that is being increasingly stamped out. However, at intense competitions, there will be booing and cursing, which really should not be allowed to escalate. England fans, among others, just need to keep their cool and revel in the action, rather than getting caught up in scuffles that soon impede on the fixture and hurriedly get out of hand.
So, questions remain, but one thing is for sure: it’s all getting underway soon. Oh, and I think we’ve also established that England will have to work even harder on the pitch to escape the vile kit jibes.
