EURO 2024

Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Ebereche Eze, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, James Maddison, Kobbi Mainoo? Whisper it exceedingly quietly but we're quite good.

He's a player though.

Not sure I understand why Konsa and Guehi are going, but Branthwaite and White aren't.

The England set up all think White is a cunt.

White hasn't made himself available. He's a bit of a weirdo frankly. Supposedly doesn't actually enjoy playing football, just does it as a job.

Branthwaite I agree.

Also this. I suspect they are correct.

The management do. The players have made it clear that they don't.

Multiple players over the years have treated football as a job rather than their passion, and still been exceedingly good at it. If the management think that's an issue that seems like more an issue of management than player.

David Batty got over it and played for England.

I did read somewhere he had a run in with one of the England coaches.

Yes, I saw the same story. As I said, that's a management problem.

Batty's a good example. Carlos Tevez and Gabriel Batistuta also famously weren't very interested in football, but they were both good enough at it to win World Cup medals.

If your USP is man management and inspirational leadership, which is what Southgate is (as opposed to being a master tactician or an ex World Cup winner) then having White around may not be such a good thing.

Also, when did Tevez and Battistuta win World Cup medals?

The Sainsbury's ones, maybe?

Konsa is very good and a large part of Villa's success.

Whereas James Tarkowski is a large part of Branthwaite's success.

Guehi also fantastic recently for Palace.

When I thought Batitstuta won the World Cup in 1986 and Tevez in 2014. Look, I'm getting old and my memory wasn't good to start with, all right? The point is largely the same though, they were both elite players who didn't have much interest in football.

I don't understand your point about Southgate. The point of a man manager is that he can put together disparate personalities and have them work together as a team for the common goal.

Only if all the members believe in said common goal. Southgate has a choice of players who he wants to blend into a team. There is a long list of international players who were left out for their attitude.

If Ben White doesn’t really like football and just does it to get paid (oversimplification, I know) then he perhaps doesn’t buy into the objectives of the England team. I suspect Southgate feels that if White is not motivated to play for England, he’ll take someone else who is. Ben White is not pivotal to this England team.

White might argue that he is not motivated or inspired by the Southgate vision. (Or more precisely the Steve Holland approach.)

In a separate note, I would have taken Branthwaite over Dunk. And one of Grealish or Maddison over Bowen.

Yeah. This article would seem to suggest that he probably wants to focus on club football and not worry about England until Southgate and Holland have fucked off, which presumably will be in about a month's time.

White is overly groomed. I suspect he has his eyebrows threaded and therefore can fuck off.

Someone tweeted a picture of Steve Stone at Euro 96 yesterday/today and asked where all the 25-year-old footballers looking like that (bald) had gone.
I presume the answer is Turkey for Rooney-esque hair transplants.