Why England Won't Win The World Cup (1)

Now don’t get me wrong, come Saturday I will have just as many fingers and toes crossed as any other patriotic English football fanatic, however, no matter how hard I try, and cannot get rid of this nagging doubt over the competence of the current squad that seems to follow me whenever I sit down to the inevitable nail biting fiasco that is an England international. As it stands today, leading bookmakers such as Ladbrokes and William Hill have England as fourth favourites to lift the World Cup on July 11th. But is this just? Or just good old blind English optimism? In my opinion, the latter I’m afraid.

There are several reasons for this, and whilst there is unquestionably still some phenomenal talent within the current crop, the flaws within what was once labelled “The Golden Generation” are, for me, far too prominent.

1) The Goalkeeping problem:

How many of the Fabio’s stoppers can we honestly say had even a decent term in 2009/2010? The answer is a resounding one - Joe Hart. But is the youngster the answer to the question which has plagued England since David Seaman’s retirement? One can only hope. A mere toddler in goalkeeping years at age 23, and just one barely competitive cap to his name, it is hard to see such an inexperienced talent emerging as the top candidate to start in goal against the USA on Saturday.

For me, the real worry is Rob Green, who remains favourite to retain his place in the first team. While we can only guess what Capello had in mind when he handed the Number One jersey to David James, many knowledgeable analysts still believe Rob Green will pip the Pompey man to the post. Should this be the case, Gerrard and co may as well not bother unpacking their Louis Vuitton luggage. Favourable accounts of his performances for West Ham have been quickly gathering dust on the 2008 season’s shelf, and one can only speculate as to the confidence of a keeper who conceded sixty-six goals last season; as many as relegated Portsmouth. Thus, Green’s likely involvement in the side will do little to instil confidence in us fans, let alone Messer’s Terry, King, Cole, and Johnson.

And finally we are left with David James, a keeper whom should have been England goalkeeper for the last ten years without a sniff of competition, but due to a never-ending string of errors which have forever masked his phenomenal talent and athleticism, James has failed to impose himself in an England Shirt, despite gaining 50 caps since his debut in 1997. The 39 year old has proven time and time again that he cannot be trusted on the big stage, and the sight of James on the team sheet on Saturday could only enhance the frailties of an already fragile defensive unit following Rio Ferdinand’s injury after a challenge from Emile Heskey, a player who continues to be the bane of every fan’s life as an England follower. The one hope to which we will all cling on to is the fact that James is just as likely to pull off a save reminiscent of the great Gordon Banks as he is to flap at a corner or scuff a clearance. Collectively, we can only pray that this tournament is the making of the great David James, rather than the cementing of his “Calamity James” reputation.