Neville (Gary!) For England

Article by Dave Graham - Follow on Twitter @DaveG_blog

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I HATE “international breaks”. With a passion. I count the days – from start to finish.

But why? Is it down to my love of Palace? Of The Premier League, Soccer Saturday and Match of the Day? Of The Championship and The Football League Show?

Partly, yes.

But partly also because our (England’s) international game is “on it’s arse” (excuse my language).

The problem is at least two fold. The most difficult to overcome, is ability – or lack of. The answer is one we’ve heard over and over and involves that laboured term, “grassroots”. I’m not even going to go into it.

Let’s instead look at another hurdle in our way – the fan’s relationship with the players.

Just 40,181 turned up at Wembley to watch England’s friendly versus Norway. That’s low. Why?

Because the football is drab – isn’t the main reason. Fans can deal with that.
They’ll accept it and support their team, as long as the players look as though they’re giving their all.

I believe we’re at tipping point. I’m not sure the relationship between the fans and the national team can last the duration of Hodgson’s contract. Attendances will just keep dropping.

I point to the best time I can recall – post-Euro ’96. The country was buzzing about the international game. I was 16 at the time and paid top dollar for a England season ticket type thing for the home World Cup ’98 qualifiers.

I don’t love football any less and I definitely have more money, but I wouldn’t dream of paying to go to a match now. For a long time I’ve not even watched England games on television. I know I’m not alone.

The two extremes? Between the late nineties (yes, I know it we’d just reached the Euro ’96 semi final, but I’m talking about extremes) and now?

Then – total euphoria.

Now – total indifference. The country doesn’t care.

It’s not all about success. Passion has a huge sway with fans.

Now I’m not saying the players don’t care. The issue is motivation. Drive. And they need to be driven to their best.

People say that players should be proud to “pull on the shirt”, that this pride should be all the motivation they need.

The game has changed. National pride isn’t enough to motivate a footballer on 100k a week. Accept it. Or go and watch non-league football, where football is as you want it to be.

A manager, as Palace saw with Pulis, can change everything.

I said we are at tipping point – Wales were at rock bottom, when the late Gary Speed took over and starting something that could have been special – drilling into his players a new mentality and passing philosophy. Sadly, he wasn’t able to finish the job.

Are you telling me the right man couldn’t do that with England? With, at the moment arguably, better players?

For me, Hodgson couldn’t be further from being that man. At our own rock bottom, we need re-invigorating. He couldn’t do it at Liverpool (with millions of pounds to spend) and he wont do it for England.

These footballers – not overpaid, but paid what the modern game allows, need an injection of something new. And they need somebody credible to give them it. Somebody who has played the modern game, understands what makes them tick and of course is tactically aware.

Gary Neville would be a gamble yes. But he ticks all of those boxes. The most important, is credibility. In the current climate, where national pride isn’t enough on it’s own, credibility would go a long way. A manager able to relate to the troubles of a modern day footballer. He may not sympathise with them, but he is better equipped to manage them.

Hodgson and the majority of the population – are not the type of people to man-manage a footballer who struggles with the pressure of being paid 100k a week and having to “earn it” by performing. In fact, that very sentence will grate on most.

How dare I use the word struggle when talking about the life of a footballer.

It is a common misguided assumption that or 100k a week – “they should be able to do better”. Therein lies the exact reason why Neville is a better candidate than Hodgson, you or I. We just don’t get it. We haven’t lived it.

The game has changed.

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