When it comes to football, what do Spain, Holland and France all have in common? Better than England a battle hardened follower of the Three Lions might say...
Yet, actually, none of these international powerhouses even made it to the under-21 European football championships. It's a little unfair that England's young stars have been widely criticised for 'flopping' at a tournament that that trio weren't good enough to make.
Today Germany crashed out with a 5-0 defeat against a Portugal side that beat England 1-0. Presumably the same mob that came out with the tired old cliches about England's side will be hammering the heirs to the world champions' shirts now too?
The worst thing about the England national team is not the quality of the football, it's the ridiculousness of the reactions to it. Win a couple of games and we're tournament winners in waiting. Lose one and everyone should be sacked, the Premier League must be reformed and the players are roundly pilloried.
When it comes to the under-21s the reaction is even more tiresome. Yes, we need to get more of our young talent into Premier League starting XIs and yes we should pick our best available players in the age category.
But these tiresome circular debates do little good for the players who are actually there. Spending time moaning about the lack of Jack Wilshere or Ross Barkley will do little to instil confidence in their replacements.
Likewise there is little recognition that only 8 teams can make this tournament. Losing in the group stages of the under 21 Euros is hardly comparable to the adult sides. Our track record of reaching these events is excellent and no-one has an entitlement to win.
I also feel we've lost track of what the point of the under-21s is. Yes tournaments, results and competitions are important - but the ultimate goal is to groom the next generation. The only way to judge how much of a 'flop' or not Southgate's side is is to look back on this lineup and see how many make it as full internationals.
Southgate himself has gone from England senior manager in waiting to under fire, a trajectory that befell his predecessor. The side themselves are now being labelled 'mediocre' on the radio by the likes of Danny Mills and Joey Barton - rent-a-quote players who will know a thing or three about mediocrity.
In saying this I do think there is a need to address the 'stage fright' our youngsters encounter on such occasions (nothwithstanding selection and injuries). Yet the reaction to this tournament is part of the problem.
I can't help thinking that some lessons could be learned from England's one day cricket team. Battered and bruised from a pathetic World Cup showing (and you thought the u21s performance was bad) the team has turned its fortunes around by letting its young talent loose.
The biggest and most refreshing change in 50-over cricket for England has been to remove the fear of failure. Players are sent out to attack, express themselves and be aggressive.
It's tempting to say that this is how the footballing young guns should play. It's certainly too simplistic to say 'all out attack' is the way forward - but the aggression and freedom to express themselves is key.
Yet, when it comes to the cricketing revolution this summer, patience has also been key to the success. Fans and media have embraced the new regime and accepted that defeats and set backs are inevitable when a team sets out to play a riskier but more exciting way.
Are we ready to accept that our young up and coming footballers will make mistakes and lose games? Until we are the straightjacket will be on and the fear of failure will inhibit the way our young stars go about their business.
I can't help thinking that that mentality - over and above team selection, formations and managers etc, - is important to encourage and nurture our under-21s. If we're to do that - and match England's exciting cricketing turnaround on the cricket field - the long-term benefit for the senior level could be telling.
That means that, as the public, we too must play our part and stop simply trotting out criticism from the sidelines. This negativity is part of the problem.
Sunday 28 June 2015
Tuesday 9 June 2015
Exciting start for England's 'new era'
England's cricketers have been playing a different version of the one day game to the rest of the world for many years - a slower, duller and less successful one at that. Today it would be an understatement to say the penny finally seemed to have dropped.
At a humbling World Cup the side continued to go through the motions while exciting attacking line ups fielded by rival side put them well and truly to shame. We were happy to 'get 250 on the board' while most teams wanted to have reached that total with 10 or more overs left. Our batting was timid and our all round game hampered by poor plans based on out-of-date statistics.
The talk after the tournament - where we've had a welcome switch to red ball cricket - was of the need for a 'new era'. Long-term followers will have listened that and thought 'we've heard that one before'. It's easy to talk of change - no-one in sport ever talks of carrying on losing - but it's harder to match those words with actions.
The signs were promising as soon as the squad was selected - and there was a real will to see the likes of Hales, Roy and Rashid let loose at last alongside a smattering of other fresh names. The expectation was that this bunch could give the beaten World Cup finallists of New Zealand a decent game - and learn from them in the process.
It wouldn't be England if everything went smoothly and the loss of Jason Roy from the first ball brought the optimists crashing down to earth straight away.
But not to worry. The excellent Joe Root - sure to be England's star performer in all formats for years to come - swiftly went about keeping the faith of the watching public. With sumptuous stroke play and powerful hitting he rebuilt the innings with the help of captain Eoin Morgan.
Root is so good that he often gets touted as a possible captain but I'm more than happy that he continues without that particular crown of thorns for the time being. Morgan's knock - and later captaincy in the field - proved his worth at the helm. You always felt the Irishman would've been happier with a freer, more instinctive game plan anyway and so it proved.
But then came the setbacks. Wickets fell and at 202-6 the timid old England of the World Cup would've folded. Not so today. The brilliant Buttler and fearless Rashid simply took up the charge and powered Morgan's men on and on. Buttler's brute force, timing and invention was breathtaking and Rashid's bucaneering knock shouldn't be understimated either, helping to drive his partner on.
The icing on the cake came in some style courtesy of Liam Plunkett, who came in and smashed his first two balls for six apiece and saw the innings over the 400 mark.
The records tumbled - but the symbolism was even more important. We can mix it with the big boys after all.
New Zealand approached their impossible chase with admirable bravery. McCullum briefly threatened to inflict pain on Steven Finn but, buoyed by the aggression of the batsmen, the tall fast bowler shrugged off a couple of hefty blows, held his nerve and sent the Kiwis' talisman packing to begin a haul of 4-35.
The highlight of the bowling innings, though, came from Adil Rashid. The Yorkshire leg spinner has been talked about for so long and justified the faith to at last give him a go. He went through his full repertoire of deliveries and helped to tame the middle order with a fantastic 4-55. There's a real joy in watching a leg spinner in full flow and it was a delight to see this lesser-spotted art performed in and England shirt to such effect.
And, with that, England polished off New Zealand for 198, winning by a massive 212 run margin. At the World Cup 212 alone looked a struggle.
The important thing is not to get carried away. There will be days when batsman fail - indeed Roy and Billings didn't shine this time - and others when Rashid receives some 'treatment'. The magnificent manner of the victory in this match and the goodwill it will rightly earn deserves to secure patience from selectors and supporters. We won't get 400 every time but we have shown that aggression and positivity can pay off. Trevor Bayliss can simply burn a few copies of this performance and reach for his pipe and slippers for now. More of the same please...
At a humbling World Cup the side continued to go through the motions while exciting attacking line ups fielded by rival side put them well and truly to shame. We were happy to 'get 250 on the board' while most teams wanted to have reached that total with 10 or more overs left. Our batting was timid and our all round game hampered by poor plans based on out-of-date statistics.
The talk after the tournament - where we've had a welcome switch to red ball cricket - was of the need for a 'new era'. Long-term followers will have listened that and thought 'we've heard that one before'. It's easy to talk of change - no-one in sport ever talks of carrying on losing - but it's harder to match those words with actions.
The signs were promising as soon as the squad was selected - and there was a real will to see the likes of Hales, Roy and Rashid let loose at last alongside a smattering of other fresh names. The expectation was that this bunch could give the beaten World Cup finallists of New Zealand a decent game - and learn from them in the process.
It wouldn't be England if everything went smoothly and the loss of Jason Roy from the first ball brought the optimists crashing down to earth straight away.
But not to worry. The excellent Joe Root - sure to be England's star performer in all formats for years to come - swiftly went about keeping the faith of the watching public. With sumptuous stroke play and powerful hitting he rebuilt the innings with the help of captain Eoin Morgan.
Root is so good that he often gets touted as a possible captain but I'm more than happy that he continues without that particular crown of thorns for the time being. Morgan's knock - and later captaincy in the field - proved his worth at the helm. You always felt the Irishman would've been happier with a freer, more instinctive game plan anyway and so it proved.
But then came the setbacks. Wickets fell and at 202-6 the timid old England of the World Cup would've folded. Not so today. The brilliant Buttler and fearless Rashid simply took up the charge and powered Morgan's men on and on. Buttler's brute force, timing and invention was breathtaking and Rashid's bucaneering knock shouldn't be understimated either, helping to drive his partner on.
The icing on the cake came in some style courtesy of Liam Plunkett, who came in and smashed his first two balls for six apiece and saw the innings over the 400 mark.
The records tumbled - but the symbolism was even more important. We can mix it with the big boys after all.
New Zealand approached their impossible chase with admirable bravery. McCullum briefly threatened to inflict pain on Steven Finn but, buoyed by the aggression of the batsmen, the tall fast bowler shrugged off a couple of hefty blows, held his nerve and sent the Kiwis' talisman packing to begin a haul of 4-35.
The highlight of the bowling innings, though, came from Adil Rashid. The Yorkshire leg spinner has been talked about for so long and justified the faith to at last give him a go. He went through his full repertoire of deliveries and helped to tame the middle order with a fantastic 4-55. There's a real joy in watching a leg spinner in full flow and it was a delight to see this lesser-spotted art performed in and England shirt to such effect.
And, with that, England polished off New Zealand for 198, winning by a massive 212 run margin. At the World Cup 212 alone looked a struggle.
The important thing is not to get carried away. There will be days when batsman fail - indeed Roy and Billings didn't shine this time - and others when Rashid receives some 'treatment'. The magnificent manner of the victory in this match and the goodwill it will rightly earn deserves to secure patience from selectors and supporters. We won't get 400 every time but we have shown that aggression and positivity can pay off. Trevor Bayliss can simply burn a few copies of this performance and reach for his pipe and slippers for now. More of the same please...
Friday 5 June 2015
Richard III is Leicester's crowning glory
Having lived in Leicester for several months while studying to be a journalist - and having returned several times since to see friends or for shopping - one thing jumped out as different when heading there last weekend.
Before I'd even reached the city, the 'Richard III' effect was clear from the road signs - now updated to guide those on a royal pilgrimage.
And, as strong as the pull of a nostalgic trip to Firebug or other old drinking haunts was, it was an appointment withe the king that took me back to Leicester last Saturday.
The road signs aren't the end. Throughout the city proud flags and signs - and shops 'cashing in' of course - have popped up, embracing the 'car park king' as their own.
And why shouldn't they? As a history graduate I was shocked and fascinated in equal measure by the discovery of the remains of the last Plantagenet monarch. The journalist in me was equally enticed by the sheer absurdity of the fact he was buried under a council car park. It's a wonderful story and a visit to the city was long overdue.
The visitor centre is located opposite the Cathedral - home, after much debate, to Richard's remains - and sits on the site of the discovery itself.
The centre - an old school building partly on the site of the old Grey Friars Church - houses an exhibition on two floors. The ground floor tells the tale of Richard's life. The path Richard took from birth to throne to Bosworth battle field is complex and it would be easy to bamboozle a visitor with the twists and turns of this story. The centre skilfully avoids that - combining an OK introductory video replete with actors explaining the timeline with a walkthrough of his short reign as King of England.
The video does a fair job but the displays are much better. Short, snappy, text keeps this engaging - introducing the 'Princes in the Tower' debate alongside the lesser known aspects of Richard's reign. It's hard to consider just how great a reformer Richard may have been from such a short tenure - but the legislation introduced here shows that the period is worth closer scrutiny for someone, like me, for whom this is not their specialist period.
Princes, legislation and death in battle all makes for a pretty full menu downstairs. Some people may feel they'd have liked to see more meat on such fleshy topics but that's what the books in the shop are for. I think it was all handled pretty well considering this is not the sole focus of the centre.
That's apparent upstairs, where the story of the discovery of Richard's remains is told. Quite whether we need to see the exact hi-vis council vest, dig permit paperwork, boots and digger head used on the fateful day is a matter for debate but you can forgive a bit of over-excitement given the magnitude of the project and you certainly can't argue all bases aren't covered.
The story of the dig is illuminated nicely with video clips and cuttings - and is followed by handy interactive displays on the methods used to verify that the remains were, in fact, Richard's. Alongside this scientific and factual part of the display was a particularly enjoyable section on the depictions of Richard in fiction throughout history - and how some historians have challenged this over time.
Whether you're a fully paid up Ricardian or not, the passionate people behind the project to unearth the king have earned their right to open up the debate on this most fascinating figure from our history.
After the exhibition there's a chance to walk across a glass floor over the exact spot in which the now-famous find occurred. It shows how tantalisingly close to the surface he was lying all along.
It's well worth then making the short trip across the road to the Cathedral - where the king is finally buried in a more befitting manner.
At £7.95 some may argue the exhibition was a tad on the expensive side. It's cheaper than the visiting exhibitions that are held in the British Museum, for example, though and - while it probably takes less time to digest - was a very different type of attraction.
It's not so much about exhibits and artefacts and bringing history to life through objects. Instead it's about an encapsulating story and one that shows that the events of the past are never a closed book. 1485 may be a long time ago but here we are, in 2015, still debating the mystery of 'the Princes' and the merits of the last English king to die in battle.
The centre has certainly inspired me to want to read on. It's also encouraging to see Leicester embrace this history and celebrate the past with such enthusiasm. My home city of Nottingham could probably learn a thing or to about how a prosperous and vibrant present/future can be helped with a rich past.
I'll have to return to those pubs next time...
Before I'd even reached the city, the 'Richard III' effect was clear from the road signs - now updated to guide those on a royal pilgrimage.
And, as strong as the pull of a nostalgic trip to Firebug or other old drinking haunts was, it was an appointment withe the king that took me back to Leicester last Saturday.
The road signs aren't the end. Throughout the city proud flags and signs - and shops 'cashing in' of course - have popped up, embracing the 'car park king' as their own.
And why shouldn't they? As a history graduate I was shocked and fascinated in equal measure by the discovery of the remains of the last Plantagenet monarch. The journalist in me was equally enticed by the sheer absurdity of the fact he was buried under a council car park. It's a wonderful story and a visit to the city was long overdue.
The visitor centre is located opposite the Cathedral - home, after much debate, to Richard's remains - and sits on the site of the discovery itself.
The centre - an old school building partly on the site of the old Grey Friars Church - houses an exhibition on two floors. The ground floor tells the tale of Richard's life. The path Richard took from birth to throne to Bosworth battle field is complex and it would be easy to bamboozle a visitor with the twists and turns of this story. The centre skilfully avoids that - combining an OK introductory video replete with actors explaining the timeline with a walkthrough of his short reign as King of England.
The video does a fair job but the displays are much better. Short, snappy, text keeps this engaging - introducing the 'Princes in the Tower' debate alongside the lesser known aspects of Richard's reign. It's hard to consider just how great a reformer Richard may have been from such a short tenure - but the legislation introduced here shows that the period is worth closer scrutiny for someone, like me, for whom this is not their specialist period.
Princes, legislation and death in battle all makes for a pretty full menu downstairs. Some people may feel they'd have liked to see more meat on such fleshy topics but that's what the books in the shop are for. I think it was all handled pretty well considering this is not the sole focus of the centre.
That's apparent upstairs, where the story of the discovery of Richard's remains is told. Quite whether we need to see the exact hi-vis council vest, dig permit paperwork, boots and digger head used on the fateful day is a matter for debate but you can forgive a bit of over-excitement given the magnitude of the project and you certainly can't argue all bases aren't covered.
The story of the dig is illuminated nicely with video clips and cuttings - and is followed by handy interactive displays on the methods used to verify that the remains were, in fact, Richard's. Alongside this scientific and factual part of the display was a particularly enjoyable section on the depictions of Richard in fiction throughout history - and how some historians have challenged this over time.
Whether you're a fully paid up Ricardian or not, the passionate people behind the project to unearth the king have earned their right to open up the debate on this most fascinating figure from our history.
After the exhibition there's a chance to walk across a glass floor over the exact spot in which the now-famous find occurred. It shows how tantalisingly close to the surface he was lying all along.
It's well worth then making the short trip across the road to the Cathedral - where the king is finally buried in a more befitting manner.
At £7.95 some may argue the exhibition was a tad on the expensive side. It's cheaper than the visiting exhibitions that are held in the British Museum, for example, though and - while it probably takes less time to digest - was a very different type of attraction.
It's not so much about exhibits and artefacts and bringing history to life through objects. Instead it's about an encapsulating story and one that shows that the events of the past are never a closed book. 1485 may be a long time ago but here we are, in 2015, still debating the mystery of 'the Princes' and the merits of the last English king to die in battle.
The centre has certainly inspired me to want to read on. It's also encouraging to see Leicester embrace this history and celebrate the past with such enthusiasm. My home city of Nottingham could probably learn a thing or to about how a prosperous and vibrant present/future can be helped with a rich past.
I'll have to return to those pubs next time...
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