This year sees the revival of ‘Home Nation’ football in Britain. And England are thankfully not part of it. Yet.
Next month Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland meet each other in the ‘Celtic Cup’, and what will surely be the dullest competition in football.
Just as the FA have stumbled across a good decision by keeping England out of this dross, they look set reverse their decision with today’s announcement that they are considering playing ball with the other teams in 2013. The FA are reluctant to make it a regular event, revealing talks only for a ‘one off’ in 2013.
But I wonder how much choice they really will have? If this was the result of fierce fan desire to see international football then I may see the point. Instead it’s come about at the whim the new corporate sponsor, driven by Vauxhall’s wanting to recoup some of their cash. If they want to England to carry on after 2013 they will twist all the arms they need to make it happen.
Even if it was a one off, the impact on the football calendar would be huge - whenever it was held. The timing of pointless friendlies is one of the reasons people have fallen out with international football. The first two games of Carling’s Celtic Cup are on the 8th and 9th of February. Between now and the end of February Spurs, Man City and Man United have a minimum of 9 games each, with Chelsea having 8 and Arsenal 11. I imagine Harry Redknapp will be thrilled to see Gareth Bale playing in Dublin six days before an away trip to the San Siro.
You can guarantee if England were involved Rooney would pull out with a ‘niggle’ and Lampard would catch ‘a bug’ before the team met for training. And I don’t blame the clubs – they pay the wages. The team that would show up would be a passing resemblance to the real team, full of debutants and old timers. Hardly more meaningful than the upcoming friendly’s against World quarter-finalists Ghana or the Dutch runners up.
After all, that’s what happened before. There is a reason that the idea was scratched – no one showed up and the matches were overshadowed by the real international competition offered by the World Cup and Euros. For the last 3 of the 5 years the Rous Cup (between Scotland and England) ran, a South American team was invited to wake people up.
England’s next friendly against Denmark is on the 9th February, and this is madness too. But this friendly comes with none of the overhyped tooth baring that would accompany a home nations cup and allows the manager the freedom to genuinely try something new (if he wanted too…).
It’s hardly a secret that England’s part in any home nations cup would serve no one but their new sponsor. Vauxhall’s Managing Director admitted ‘fond memories’ of home internationals, before adding, of course, ‘commercially, it would be good for us’.
And that’s the only people a Home Nation Cup with England would be good for.
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