Three and in – not just another football blog

“44 years of hurt” might not be as catchy, but it’s just as painful. This Summer, however, England expects. Lord knows why. Half a century of near misses suggests we should know better. At least England were spared the pain of an inevitable quarter-final exit at Euro 2008 – they have Steve ‘Schteve’ McClaren to thank for that.

The once-heralded ‘Golden Generation’ are losing their sheen: Rio Ferdinand is no longer jovially merking his team-mates, but nursing an ageing spine; John Terry burned his Bridge and saw his form go up in smoke too; and as for David Beckham, he won’t even be there, unless he’s called in for emergency cheer-leading duties.

Hope, it seems, lies in the hands (or, in one case, at the feet) of two men: Fabio Capello and Wayne Rooney. The latter, recently crowned PFA Player of the Year, has been in such irrepressible form as to drag an otherwise below-par Manchester United side to within clutching distance of the Premier League title. A groin injury has ruled him out of the best part of the run-in – a curse for United fans, but a blessing for England supporters, who can but hope he is now resting up in specially padded metatarsal-protecting slippers.

And then Capello, a man so commanding that no-one dares question the wisdom of selecting Aston Villa’s third-choice striker at centre-forward. English hopes have not rested so heavily on an Italian since Paul Gascoigne rang Pizza Express during Euro 96 in the hope of a midnight snack. Can he and Rooney secure the trophy before riding off in to a South African Sunset?

I’ll be in South Africa myself, and whilst I’m going principally to enjoy a festival of football, it’s clear my allegiances are nailed to my own nation.  We’ll need a bit of luck, but I can’t help but feel a tingle of belief that those who travel to South Africa this summer will, whether they’re on safari or not, hear the roar of three lions.

Today Fabio Capello names his 30 man provisional squad.  I predict he’ll go for:

Goalkeepers: Green, James, Hart
Defenders: Johnson, Carragher, Brown, Cole, Baines, Ferdinand, Terry, King, Upson, Dawson
Midfielders: Walcott, Lennon, Gerrard, Milner, Barry, Lampard, Carrick, Huddlestone, Downing, Joe Cole, Wright-Phillips
Strikers: Rooney, Heskey, Crouch, Defoe, Zamora, Bent

My own squad would make room for Phil Jagielka and City’s Adam Johnson, though I’m not sure they’ll feature as prominently in Capello’s thoughts.

The next task is knocking that down to 23.  If Capello is able to make those choices himself, rather than have injuries decide for him, he’ll be delighted.

“Representing your country is the ultimate honour, especially in the World Cup.

Not to me.”
Jamie Carragher, September 2008

So apparently Franco Baldini has put Cameron and Clegg to shame with his negotiating skills, and managed to persuade Jamie Carragher to come out of retirement.  Whatever next – will he be making an SOS call to Darius Vassell?

One can understand Capello having concerns over the form and fitness of Ferdinand and Terry, but Carragher has spent the season looking a good deal older than his 32 years in a Liverpool side set to slump to a disappointing seventh place finish.  Setting aside his previous lack of interest in representing his country, selecting Carragher simply doesn’t reflect the manager’s claim that he’ll pick the form players.  The likes of Tottenham pair King and Dawson have both outperformed the scouse stopper this year, and if it’s versatility that you want then Everton’s Phil Jagielka looks a much better bet.

If Carragher is selected in the final 23, it’ll be as a right-back rather than a centre-half, making a mockery of his initial retirement on the grounds of not being selected in his best position.  Those who’ve got England this far, the likes of Upson and Wes Brown, will have every right to feel aggrieved if they miss out in favour of this Jamie-come-lately.