Euros 2016

Jermain Defoe: Roy Hodgson’s missed open goal for England may be costly

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Jermain Defoe. Cost us nowt. Saved us £100, million.
Jake: ‘France has been wet lately but Hodgson’s a lot wetter for ignoring our man’

A little while ago, back in February as it happens, we published the view of an outsider, Mark Smith, a freelance sports writer based in Prague, that Roy Hodgson should take Jermain Defoe to the Euros. The case got stronger, of course, but the deafness afflicting Hodgson got worse, too. It’s heartening when neutrals see things the way we do, too, but in a partisan way. Here, another writer, Darren Moore, a freelancer based closer to home (Scotland) laments Defoe’s utterly predictable exclusion from the squad and suggests England may suffer as a result …

Read moreJermain Defoe: Roy Hodgson’s missed open goal for England may be costly

Win a trip to the Euros: Hodgson snubs Defoe, who should go?

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Jake: 'simply a top man'
Jake: ‘simply a top man, to anyone not called Roy’


Win a trip to the Euros … read on

Roy Hodgson has probably worked out where Sunderland is on the map but not clearly enough to make him select an in-form striker, who grabbed an astonishing tally of 15 Premier League goals despite playing for a team that spent most of the season in the bottom three.

So no room for Jermain Defoe at the Euros 2016 in France. Roy did include in his provisional squad a well-known Championship player, Andros Townsend, and a man who doesn’t quite match Jermain’s standards of clean living, Jack Wilshere.

And SAFC fans who turn out at the Stadium of Light on Friday may well see Jordan Henderson, long lost to us as a player but still a fan, in the England friendly vs Australia. Since Roy’s a linguist, this link helping him find our ground is in French.

Read moreWin a trip to the Euros: Hodgson snubs Defoe, who should go?