What Is Wrong With The England National Team?

When England departed these shores for South Africa a few short weeks ago, there was so much hope that at long last, England could bring the trophy home. However, that dream was destroyed in no uncertain terms by the old enemy Germany in Bloemfontein as England crashed out of the tournament losing 4-1. How could such an experienced team who qualified so easily fail to perform? Not surprisingly, the English media has come up with no shortage of scape goats and reasons for what was England‘s worst defeat at a World Cup. There has been plenty of talk about the Italian manager, formations and more but the problems are far deeper.

Since its formation in 1992, the Premier League has achieved great success as a global brand. The cost of this success has been felt by English football. Increased TV revenue has forced wages higher and higher. In turn this has meant there has been a growing split between club and country. Clubs pay their players a lot of money and are more and more reluctant to let their players turn out for their national teams.

In turn, players get massively rewarded by Premier League clubs to the extent that success is classified by securing lucrative contracts rather than anything they achieve on the field. Average players who rarely turn out for their teams are still millionaires and when these players put money ahead of playing games at club level, there is little doubt they don’t have the mental strength or hunger to play international football.

Traditionally, there was always a regional reserve league which meant young players from smaller clubs could be guaranteed playing against decent reserve sides from bigger clubs like Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United. However, in recent years, the Premier League has changed so they will only play against other Premier League reserve teams. This means that Championship reserve teams no longer get to play against Premier sides. For teams like Ipswich Town, it means their reserve team now plays against Stevenage instead of Spurs and this drop in standard in opposition no doubt has a negative effect on the learning curve of young players.

With so much wealth at stake, everything is geared to Premier League survival. Clubs spend fortunes bringing in supposedly superior foreign managers and players in a bid to retain their Premier League status. The ambition of promoted teams to the Premier League extends no further than finished 4th bottom. The Premier League cash bonanza means that Premier League clubs can offer £1-2m for young players at lower league clubs. The players are keen to move and secure their financial futures but it could also signal the end of their careers. Young Crystal Palace star joined Spurs but hardly played and was last seen on loan at Brentford, a division lower than when he was at Palace. From a football point of view, Bostock would have been best served staying at Palace and learning his trade. How many more young players careers are curtailed like this chasing the money instead of playing the game?  Its difficult to blame the young players for taking the money.

There is also the common accusation that clubs play too many games in England and more and more managers want a winter break. However, players don’t seem to be tired when asked to fly off to the USA or Far East on pre-season tours. Or how about England‘s friendly fixture next June away in Thailand?

There are far too many ready made excuses for failure that players are ready to accept. They live a life well away from the real world with their mansions, sports car and trophy wives. Quite simply, there is not enough hunger or desire.

The game in Thailand also highlights another problem. As well as the Premier League being a global brand, so are the England team. People want to see the big Premier League stars play for England and in friendlies like this, those stars will be expected, if not contracted, to turn out.  However, it is not the case that the best 11 players make the best team. Too many players are in the team based on reputation rather than performances. Young players should be promoted into the senior squad sooner.

For the upcoming Euro 2012 campaign, England should dispense with the services of all players aged 30 or over. None of them have performed in South Africa so why should we persist with them. It would be far better to promote younger players who may still be hungry for success. However, while the worshiping of the Premier League continues, things are unlikely to improve anytime soon.