England Under 18s Get A French Lesson

We’re always being told that from the England Schoolboys side right through to the Under 21 team, these youngsters could one day be representing their country in the World Cup. They are, or they could be, the future of top class English football.

So what are we doing to help and encourage them? A fixture against France certainly helps, because they are renowned the world over for the way they nurture and develop young talent and it’s great to see the new England manager (or Head Coach as he is apparently officially known) turning up. But with all due respect, why does a fixture of this importance have to be held at the ground of Hartlepool United? It is accepted that grounds like Old Trafford, The Emirates Stadium, Anfield and St James Park – even if they were available – would be too big, but surely there are many other locations which would provide a more appropriate stage for a prestigious international.

As far as the game itself was concerned, England toiled valiantly against a classy French side that was technically streets ahead of them and only won 2-0 because for much of the game they were coasting. And there’s no better indication of that gulf than a comparison between two of the strikers. PSG’s David N’Gog scored both his side’s goals and though the second was the result of a fortunate deflection, the first was a strike that the great Thierry Henry would have been proud of. By contrast, apart from one worthy shot at goal, the most memorable aspect of England frontman Nardiello’s performance was its naked aggression. He seemed like a graduate of the Duncan Ferguson Charm School, particularly in his treatment of the French right back. One early tackle was so crude it might have resulted in a broken ankle but Nardiello escaped any form of censure from a referee who was so high on patriotism and low on competence that he looked as if he had been recruited from a scout jamboree. And the young Frenchman’s reward for trying to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick was a push in the back which was so violent it nearly sent him crashing into the advertising hoardings.

The outcome of this particular French lesson should be a determination on the part of the Football Association that we need to invest wisely in the future of our young players, to give them the best facilities and expose them to the best coaching so that they can become much more technically accomplished. And that will certainly not be achieved by cancelling major developmental projects like the national football centre in Staffordshire.