England's number 1 – que?
Stories have abounded this week that Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia should play for England when he qualifies as a home player in the summer. The Spaniard has said he would consider playing for England saying, “They [Spain] have never, never called me. If other people want me, I have to study my situation and take a decision because it is good for me – I will not close myself to anything.”
Manager Arsene Wenger backs Almunia to make his own decision. “If it is possible legally, why not? I believe he is not only good enough, but he is the best,” said Wenger. There are international rules which have to be respected and then it is more a choice left to the English Football Association or to Manuel Almunia’s desire.”
Predictably Spurs manager Harry Redknapp came out with some typical jingoistic garbage in The Sun.
‘I’d rather lose the World Cup than pick Almunia’
blazed the back pages. Good job you won’t get the chance to pick him then, Harry. Your chances of becoming England manager have disappeared. And then to justify his remarks, Harry comes out with
‘But [Almunia] is no better, in fact I don’t think he is as good as, David James, the current England No 1′.
If James is so good, why is his nickname ’Calamity’? Why do clubs quickly sell him on? why isn’t he playing regular European football? And if he is so much better than Almunia, why was he at fault for two of the three goals conceded by Portsmouth against Arsenal on Saturday? The first goal, where the ball went straight through his hands, was a typical James mistake.
One comment in The Sun amused me. It said, “How can this guy play for England he will have no passion to play for the English national side“. The commentator gave his address as ‘Tyne and Wear’. He’s not seen much passion up there for club sides this year and on many occasions in the past decade, we haven’t seen it from native-born Englishmen who’ve pulled on the shirt of the Three Lions either.
I can understand that some people feel that naturalisation isn’t the same as birth or parentage. But it hasn’t stopped the England cricket team playing Kevin Pietersen, not indeed the England football team including John Barnes. So why the problem now? Is it simply that there are so many non-British players in the Premier League that supporters feel that the home-grown talent is close to being totally overtaken in clubs and is keen to turn back the tide? Would playing naturalised Englishmen simply accelerate the decline of the national side, or is Almunia a useful stop-gap between the Wembley posts?
Now I quite like Almunia; he’s got just the touch of madness needed in a goalkeeper, without being quite as loopy as Jens Lehmann. And of course, the Gunners’ number one lives in Abbots Langley – what excellent taste in homes, if not clothes. But I’m not bothered if he plays for England or not. With so many matches in a season, having players immune from international call-up is a benefit. In my view, England’s loss would be the Gunners’ gain.
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