Image: Belated congratulations to Darren Bent on forcing his way back into Fabio Capello’s thinking, winning a place in the England squad to play the Euro 2012 qualifier (correcting earlier error – see comment) against Bulgaria on Friday. Let us hope he gets a meaningful slice of the action.
We’ve discussed often enough how difficult it is for players from supposedly unfashionable clubs to get into the national team.
There was more than a suspicion that Bent’s chances prior to the World Cup final selection were done no good by the attitude of certain senior squad members. If that was the case, Capello will have learned one thing from South Africa if he learned nothing else: not to listen to such junk in future. And you cannot argue with Bent’s record: four goals already this season.
Meanwhile, Asamoah Gyan has been handed the squad number 33 at Sunderland.
And our full squad of 24, named by Steve Bruce today, is as follows (Jordan Henderson, David Meyler and Danny Welbeck all young enough to be exempt):
Marcos Angeleri
Phil Bardsley*
Darren Bent*
Titus Bramble*
Fraizer Campbell*
Trevor Carson*
Lee Cattermole*
Paulo Da Silva
Ahmed Elmohamady
Anton Ferdinand*
Craig Gordon*,
Asamoah Gyan
David Healy*
Steed Malbranque
George McCartney*
John Mensah
Simon Mignolet
Nedum Onuoha
Andy Reid*
Kieran Richardson*
Cristian Riveros
Michael Turner*
Robbie Weir*
Boudewijn Zenden
Asterisks for “home-grown” players). The limit is 24 so Bruce has one spot available. I understood that if Campbell was to be out for the season, he did not need to be included; does his presence on the list imply hope for an earlier recovery?
Colin Randall
Even better then to see the Dazzler do his thing in anger.
Competitive. As explained, I originally wrote the piece believing it was a friendly. Nothing to do with the jugs of rose wine you get down here.
So, is this a competitive game or is it a friendly? :-p
Doesn’t change my view of friendlies, of course, but yes, I hope now that Bent gets the chance to rub Capello’s nose in it.
Mill View Lundy:
My stupid error, now corrected. I may have read it as a friendly elsewhere and copied the mistake, but that’s no excuse. So apologies; also to Bill, Tom and Jeremy for prompting their comments on friendlies.
Excuse me for being pedantic but this Friday’s England v Bulgaria is a 2012 European Qualifier. Go On Benty it’s time to show Fabio what he missed in the World Cup.
While I agree with both Bill and Tom about the risks, this is the only opportunity that Darren is going to get, ahead of a competitive game (Oops, it IS a competitive game. See my comment later – Salut! Sunderland). If he goes out there and does the business then he will make up Capello’s mind for him. Listening to the senior pros etc is tantamount to letting them pick the team.
We can hope that the painful experience of S.Africa has taught him that his own judgement of English players can be no worse than that of those who he trusted to advise him.
Michael,
Maybe it should be next to Onuoha, who I understood was developed through the Man City system??
Re Darren, unless the senior players take him in he will never stand a chance of expressing himself. I feel Mr Capello is too sensitive of his own position to force his choice “against the flow”. Like Bill, I am uncomfortable with the risk/gain equation in these friendlies (Euro 2012 qualifier – see my correction. Salut! Sunderland).
Why has Gyan got an astericks?
(because he’s a star? That or my incompetence. Now corrected – Salut Sunderland)
Is there such a thing as a meaningful slice of a friendly against Bulgaria (Euro 2012 qualifier – see correction. Salut! Sunderland)? Let’s hope DB doesn’t get a meaningless injury instead. I’m with Steve Bruce in regarding this kind of game with a distinctly jaundiced eye.
This lad is something of a throwback. Darren’s talent is allied to an observable love of playing the game. There’s nothing of the superstar about him and the way that he conducts himself. Well done Darren for getting in the England squad. I don’t doubt that he will be a breath of fresh air down there in all the ways in which he’s been a breath of fresh air to Sunderland fans!
Gan on Darren! Stick it past the Bulgars!