boro_boy
20-02-2007, 17:39
I've got no source for this other than it was written by John Nicholson and I stumbled cross it on Gizmos forum.
The latest dreadful England game was unusual at least in one respect. It was one of the very rare occasions when Boro had two players in the England squad and both got on the pitch. In fact, it's historically rare for us to provide any players for England games.
In fact, it's historically rare for us to provide any players for England games. Over the decades only 30 Boro players have pulled on an England shirt and they've only made 143 appearances since our first international Reggie Williamson debuted in 1905 and 30% of those were by Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick. Downing is already our 4th most capped player ever with 10 caps.
However, this isn't because we don't produce great players. I am certain there has been an international bias against players who play for the Boro, and to be fair, other unfashionable clubs, and it goes back decades.
Brian Clough, the finest goal scorer of his generation, got just two caps in 1960. In the 70s Willie Maddren never got a full cap despite being one of the best defenders in the country alongside Stuey Boam. The same could've said of the uncapped Mowbray and Pallister. Pally played 243 times for us and got precisely 2 caps before moving to Man United and picking up 20 more.
David Armstrong got just a single cap in 1980 before moving to Southampton despite being one of the best left sided forwards in the country for at least three years at a time when England couldn't qualify for anything. In fact his cap was the only Boro England cap between 1965 and 1988! Stuart Ripley played the best football of his career for us for 7 years but it wasn't until he went to Blackburn that he was capped.
For as long as anyone can remember we've been turning out some great players who are mysteriously overlooked for the national side. Sven, perhaps because he was a foreigner and hadn't absorbed the subconscious anti-Boro bias and at McClaren's suggestion gave Downing a chance, and for obvious reasons McClaren has continued to do so, despite deploying his usual dubious man-management skills on the lad.
Woody returned on Wednesday and he is one of the best defenders in the land but would he have got his chance if Terry was fit? No. However, he's faster and a much better distributor of the ball than Terry. But Terry is seen as undroppable as is Ferdinand.
It's always been the case that players who played for the big London and North West clubs were more likely to get an England cap, but ironically, those clubs are now more often than not stuffed full of overseas players, so inevitably, less fashionable clubs are starting to provide more players internationally and with the Boro having more English lads on the books than any other top flight side, in the coming years we should see more of them playing for their country. But will we? I doubt it.
It appears that the likes of Gerrard and Lampard and others have got their place in the side booked forever no matter how crap they play for England, how useless the England teams they play in perform and how many competitions they fail in. In a couple of years, Lee Cattermole will be ready for international football but will he be given a fair chance? History suggests not and his case won't be helped by the fact that by then McClaren will have been sacked for being total rubbish, probably after the Israel game next month.
The bias exists amongst some England fans too. Downing was treated appallingly by England fans last year. Blame for the sides rubbish performances were laid at his feet when any casual observer of the terrible games against Macedonia and Croatia would have been able to see that in fact he was one of the most willing, committed players. He didn't hide but maybe if he had he'd not have got such a slagging. He needs to make his final ball more telling more often but he was far from the worst England player in those games.
Is the fact that he plays for Boro seen as a reason to take the piss out of him? Some fans see us as a crappy little club up north and if anyone plays for us they must defacto be a loser because if they were any good they'd play for a big club down south. That's the level of stupidity some stoop to.
I see Richard Williams in the Guardian was slagging off Woodgate for his performance on Wednesday. This is typical of the posh ex Melody Maker editor, picking on someone who didn't hide, who was committed and made one minor defensive error that led to a well struck goal. Yet again, anyone watching that game should have been able to see that in a team of crappola, Woody was probably the best player on the pitch.
Ironically, one of the only good things about McClaren being England manager is that he might end the anti Boro's bias. However, he is awful as England manager. And will surely get canned if we lose one more qualifier. And with him might go the chance of seeing any of our lads play regularly for England.
A good article and very true to be honest and these two facts prove it I think.
Stuart Ripley played the best football of his career for us for 7 years but it wasn't until he went to Blackburn that he was capped.
Pally played 243 times for us and got precisely 2 caps before moving to Man United and picking up 20 more.
The latest dreadful England game was unusual at least in one respect. It was one of the very rare occasions when Boro had two players in the England squad and both got on the pitch. In fact, it's historically rare for us to provide any players for England games.
In fact, it's historically rare for us to provide any players for England games. Over the decades only 30 Boro players have pulled on an England shirt and they've only made 143 appearances since our first international Reggie Williamson debuted in 1905 and 30% of those were by Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick. Downing is already our 4th most capped player ever with 10 caps.
However, this isn't because we don't produce great players. I am certain there has been an international bias against players who play for the Boro, and to be fair, other unfashionable clubs, and it goes back decades.
Brian Clough, the finest goal scorer of his generation, got just two caps in 1960. In the 70s Willie Maddren never got a full cap despite being one of the best defenders in the country alongside Stuey Boam. The same could've said of the uncapped Mowbray and Pallister. Pally played 243 times for us and got precisely 2 caps before moving to Man United and picking up 20 more.
David Armstrong got just a single cap in 1980 before moving to Southampton despite being one of the best left sided forwards in the country for at least three years at a time when England couldn't qualify for anything. In fact his cap was the only Boro England cap between 1965 and 1988! Stuart Ripley played the best football of his career for us for 7 years but it wasn't until he went to Blackburn that he was capped.
For as long as anyone can remember we've been turning out some great players who are mysteriously overlooked for the national side. Sven, perhaps because he was a foreigner and hadn't absorbed the subconscious anti-Boro bias and at McClaren's suggestion gave Downing a chance, and for obvious reasons McClaren has continued to do so, despite deploying his usual dubious man-management skills on the lad.
Woody returned on Wednesday and he is one of the best defenders in the land but would he have got his chance if Terry was fit? No. However, he's faster and a much better distributor of the ball than Terry. But Terry is seen as undroppable as is Ferdinand.
It's always been the case that players who played for the big London and North West clubs were more likely to get an England cap, but ironically, those clubs are now more often than not stuffed full of overseas players, so inevitably, less fashionable clubs are starting to provide more players internationally and with the Boro having more English lads on the books than any other top flight side, in the coming years we should see more of them playing for their country. But will we? I doubt it.
It appears that the likes of Gerrard and Lampard and others have got their place in the side booked forever no matter how crap they play for England, how useless the England teams they play in perform and how many competitions they fail in. In a couple of years, Lee Cattermole will be ready for international football but will he be given a fair chance? History suggests not and his case won't be helped by the fact that by then McClaren will have been sacked for being total rubbish, probably after the Israel game next month.
The bias exists amongst some England fans too. Downing was treated appallingly by England fans last year. Blame for the sides rubbish performances were laid at his feet when any casual observer of the terrible games against Macedonia and Croatia would have been able to see that in fact he was one of the most willing, committed players. He didn't hide but maybe if he had he'd not have got such a slagging. He needs to make his final ball more telling more often but he was far from the worst England player in those games.
Is the fact that he plays for Boro seen as a reason to take the piss out of him? Some fans see us as a crappy little club up north and if anyone plays for us they must defacto be a loser because if they were any good they'd play for a big club down south. That's the level of stupidity some stoop to.
I see Richard Williams in the Guardian was slagging off Woodgate for his performance on Wednesday. This is typical of the posh ex Melody Maker editor, picking on someone who didn't hide, who was committed and made one minor defensive error that led to a well struck goal. Yet again, anyone watching that game should have been able to see that in a team of crappola, Woody was probably the best player on the pitch.
Ironically, one of the only good things about McClaren being England manager is that he might end the anti Boro's bias. However, he is awful as England manager. And will surely get canned if we lose one more qualifier. And with him might go the chance of seeing any of our lads play regularly for England.
A good article and very true to be honest and these two facts prove it I think.
Stuart Ripley played the best football of his career for us for 7 years but it wasn't until he went to Blackburn that he was capped.
Pally played 243 times for us and got precisely 2 caps before moving to Man United and picking up 20 more.