stmichael » Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:55 pm wrote:on a wider point though, his call up just proves how difficult the england manager's job is in terms of the player pool he has to pick from.
the league has a lot to answer for but at the end of the day the premier league couldn't give a monkeys about the england national team.
The problem with the English national team has as much to do with British players' reluctance to move abroad and get experience in other leagues as it has with the influx of foreign players into this league.
Beckham, Owen, Joe Cole and now Joey Barton are the only high profile English players to play abroad since the early-mid 90s when you had Gazza, Ince, Platt and Des Walker in Serie A and Waddle at Marseille. It's a joke really. I'm not counting Hargreaves because let's be honest he's as English as other those other great British sportsmen Greg Rusedski and Lennox Lewis!
Look at someone like Adam Johnson for example, doesn't work out at City and no big clubs show a serious enough interest so he runs back to his hometown club with tail between legs. Have a bit of ambition and go to another league abroad, get some experience and come back a better player to a bigger club and hopefully able to make an impact in the National team. He's only one example, there are many more.
Look at the Spanish, they have the best team and league in the world yet you've had Fabregas, Torres, Alonso, Reina, Mata, Silva and now Cazorla trying their luck in the Premiership. Has money got something to do with that? Of course it has, but at the same time they all had the balls to give it a go. What is it with English players?
Back to Sterling though, agree with St Mick's earlier post, this has clearly got something to do with his eligibility for Jamaica. I honestly wouldn't be shocked if they capped him in the Ukraine game if they're a few goals up, but agree it's most likely he's been brought for experience and to convince him that's where his allegiance should lie.