ecuador v england honduras v england

ISSUE 131
&
ECUADOR V ENGLAND
TH
4 JUNE 2014
HONDURAS V ENGLAND
7TH JUNE 2014
...the free England fanzine
produced and distributed by
the Football Supporters’
Federation (FSF) as part of
England v Ecuador
Sunlife Stadium, Miami
Wednesday, 4th June 2014
Kick–off 3.00pm, local time
England v Honduras
Sunlife Stadium, Miami
Saturday, 7th June 2014
Kick-off 4.45pm, local time
Useful Numbers
A
ND welcome to Miami,
the glamorous if sweaty
location for the last two
warm-up games, in every sense
of the words, before the World
Cup. The warmth of the weather
is all part of the preparation for
the jungle heat of Manaus and
the opening game against Italy,
and the games provide a useful
workout in terms not only of the
temperature but also the style of
play of the opposition.
Fans’ Embassy Helpline:
+44 7956 121314
British Consulate General:
+ 1 305 400 6400
Englandfans:
+44 7970 146250
All emergencies: 911
There will inevitably be a sense of
looking forward in anticipation even
as these two games unfold, but there
are a lot worse places to try to calm
any pre-tournament nerves than in
Florida. Miami has a lot to offer, not
least the sun, sea and nightlife of
Miami Beach, and we’re confident
that England fans will make full use
of the opportunities to practise our
partying talents.
Contact Free Lions
The police here are well used to
supervising a party, and have told
us that they’re looking forward to
welcoming us here. Nonetheless, it’s
E-mail: [email protected]
Gifts & Postcards to:
Free Lions,
1, Ashmore Terrace
Stockton Road
Sunderland
SR2 7DE
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still worth bearing in mind that the
policing style varies a bit from what
we may be used to back home, and it
might be a good idea to think twice
before taking issue with anything a
police officer says: they don’t always
indulge in a lot of discussion about
their execution of their work.
Hopefully you’ll find this issue of Free
Lions – just the one edition for the
two games here, so hang on to it after
the Ecuador match – useful, packed
as it is with information and guidance. There are also debate-provoking
contributions about on-field matters
from Clive and Joe Hetherington, the
familiar quizzes from Scouse Phil,
some comment on the FA Chairman’s
Commission’s League Three proposals
– something for everybody.
Enjoy your stay in Miami – then on
to Brazil!
COVER STORY
It’s been an impressive season for Luke Shaw: left back in the PFA Team of the
Year, short-listed for Young Player of the Year, his first cap against Denmark in
February, and finally becoming the youngest member of the squad for Brazil.
IT WASN’T ME
The Free Lions fanzine is produced by the
Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF), the
national membership-based organisation for
fans. We have tried to ensure the accuracy of
all the information provided in this fanzine,
but can accept no responsibility for any loss,
injury or inconvenience suffered by any one
relying on its contents. None of the financial
THE FOOTBALL
PAGE 3
our Fans’ Embassy service.
support we have received to produce Free
Lions impacts on what we put in it. Consequently, none of our supporters can be held
in any way responsible for the contents of,
nor the views expressed in, this fanzine.
THANK YOU
We are grateful to Getty Images and the
FAOPL for the cover photo.
Website: www.fsf.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
As ever, this fanzine has been a team
effort. This edition was edited by Kevin
Miles, and thanks are due to Phil Rowley;
Clive Hetherington; Joe Hetherington;
Anne-Marie Mockridge; Tony Conniford;
Sher Houston; Mark Smithson; Andy
Robinson; Harpreet Grewal; Michael
Brunskill; Vince Moran; Glenn Worthington and Kevin Gibson.
AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH CLIVE HETHERINGTON?
BY CLIVE HETHERINGTON
CONTACT CLIVE VIA [email protected]
T
football or otherwise, has been
in this country, so I can’t deny it’s
very special.
This time, though, it’s different. This
time, it’s England.
“I thought we landed in quite a
difficult qualifying group where
the serious rivals for the top spot
(Ukraine, Montenegro and Poland)
were teams with a track record,
a good football history and with
some good players, so we didn’t
get it given to us.’’
WENTY years since taking
unfancied Switzerland to
the World Cup, Roy Hodgson is again gearing up for the
greatest challenge a football
manager can face.
At 66, an age when many are
settling for the pipe and slippers,
Londoner Hodgson’s long and
varied career is about to reach
its pinnacle.
After the debacle of the last World
Cup in South Africa, where Fabio
Capello’s side performed abysmally, a measure of faith has been
restored in Hodgson’s two years
in charge.
There was an understandable sense
of foreboding as England faced
Poland at Wembley last October,
40 years on from that fateful
night under the old Twin Towers
when the same nation held Sir Alf
Ramsey’s men to a 1-1 draw and
denied them qualification.
But a 2-0 victory, courtesy of goals
by Wayne Rooney and Steven
Gerrard, banished the spectre of
Jan Tomaszewski and Company
– and booked England’s passage
to Brazil.
Hodgson admits that such nights
are draining. He said: “Well, it’s the
concentration level, isn’t it? You
kick every ball, you suffer every
time the ball is anywhere near your
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Wayne Rooney helping England
to a 2-0 victory over Poland
penalty area, you’re on your toes
every time it’s anywhere near their
penalty area, hoping it’s going to
bounce your way.
“There’s always that little doubt
in your mind, wondering will it be
one of those nights when we come
away with 25 shots and 15 clear
chances and it ends up 0-0 or 1-1.
“I have to say, it was a major relief
when Steven slipped through and
tucked the ball away. Gary Neville
said, ‘That’s it, you can enjoy the
last four minutes’, and I said that
I’d only enjoy it when the referee
blows the final whistle.
“It rivals getting there with the
Swiss. That night, when we beat
Estonia to qualify for the World
Cup, that was pretty special.
“But I’m English, I was born and
bred here and all my education,
A tongue-in-cheek Hodgson insists
he won’t be ruled by the fear of
failure. He added: “I don’t allow
myself to think like that. When you
take on the job, people are quick
to point out that it’s impossible
to succeed and that it can only
end in tears. Who knows? Maybe
that’s right.
“But, at the same time, I never
saw it that way. I saw it as an
opportunity to work with some
fantastic players, a chance to go
to a World Cup and I’ll go hoping we can do something there,
knowing full well it could end
in tears ... because all of us will
be slaughtered if we don’t come
home with a trophy!
“But I’m not certain that what’s
written is swallowed wholeheartedly by the people who go to the
games. We’ll always have the
situation when we go to World
Cups that a large body of the mass
media say, ‘This is the one we’ve
got to win’. I’m just not convinced
that the general football public
think and believe that.
“I’d like to think they’ve been satisfied so far and even got a degree
of excitement from the players who
are coming through now, and the
way we’re trying to play.
“This could be an interesting
tournament, but it’s the big test,
isn’t it? When you’re banging
the drum, ‘We’re going to win’,
we can all believe that, but how
you’re prepared to back it up is
the big question.’’
With greater experience in
the England ranks, Hodgson
confesses he can assess his squad
better than when he took a leap
into the unknown to lead the
Swiss to the last 16 at USA ’94
- a tournament the Three Lions
missed out on, of course.
But issues like boredom between
games – Manchester United striker
Rooney has spoken openly on the
matter – keep Hodgson exercised.
The England boss emphasised:
“Sometimes you won’t know if
players are good tourists until
you’re there. Probably, with England, you’ve got more chance of
having previous knowledge than
you would, for example, when I
picked that team to go to the US
with Switzerland.
“No-one had ever been to a tournament before. Even a 37-year-old
had never been to a tournament,
so how do you know how they’re
going to react? We’ve got more
idea I think. We have a lot of players who have been to tournaments
before, but you never really know.
“It’s a recurring theme because,
you could speak to any manager
in any country going to the World
Cup, and every one will tell you the
same story.
“We’ll be sitting around a table
and we’ll all be saying that we are
happy with our players, we are
happy with our training, they are
Getting ready for
the greatest show on earth
going to work hard, what’s our
concern? It’s how are we going to
get through these long days? How
are we going to occupy the players? The perfect answer is to have
that routine players have with their
clubs – but we can’t get that.
“We will never solve the conundrum, we’ll never get to a situation
where players like Wayne and
thousands like him say, ‘There’s no
problem me being away for five
weeks, I love every minute of it’.
That’s because, frankly, you don’t.
It’s the sacrifice.
“Do I get bored? Of course, but
when you get older it’s different.
You maybe read a bit more. We can
get more satisfaction from sitting
around in a group and just talking.
Your desire for excitement, I suppose, diminishes somewhat.’’
Hodgson insists he won’t
be ruled by the fear of failure
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Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
But it’s a safe bet Hodgson will
be as excited as anyone when the
curtain goes up on the competition
they call the greatest show on earth.
PAGE 5
PAGE 4
THIS TIME, IT’S ENGLAND
PAGE 6
FLORIDA MUSIC QUIZ
Y
ES, it’s another music
quiz from our Liverpudlian
friend, and he’s made a
special effort to theme all the
questions, or answers, around our
Florida venue. What did you expect – questions about Ecuadorian
or Honduran music?
2
3
4
5
Question 9: .
Debbie Harry .
1
With which band did Gloria
Estefan team up to score top ten
hits in the 80s with ‘Rhythm is
Gonna Get You’ and ‘Cant Stay
Away From You’?
6
7
Born in Jacksonville, Florida
in 1970, Fred Durst is the lead
singer of which iconic American
band: Papa Roach, Green Day or
Limp Bizkit?
Question 1: .
Gloria Estefan .
Who starred in The Fresh Prince of
Bel Air and later had various hits in
the late 90s including ‘Getting Jiggy
Wit It’ and ‘Miami’?
Jan Hammer had a top five hit
with the theme tune from which
crime drama series featuring
detectives Crockett and Tubbs?
Which American rock band,
hailing from Jacksonville, Florida,
brought out the timeless rock
classics, ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Sweet
Home Alabama’?
Voted the third best band to
come out of Miami, which type
of music did the 90s band Harry
Pussy play: rock, punk or ska?
Lacel Dillard who had hits in 2008
with songs such as ‘Low’ and
‘Right Round’?
8
9
The best way to make sure you’re
kept abreast of developments while
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Which pop and RnB singer born in
Miami in 1989, scored his third UK
number one in 2013 with the song
‘Talk Dirty’: Bruno Mars, Jason
Derulo or Lil Wayne?
The wonderful Debbie Harry was
born in Miami in 1945, but what
was the name of the famous club in
New York where her band Blondie
first made their mark?
10
Born in 1979, what is the stage
name of American rapper Tramar
Answers on page 15
You never know when you’ll need
the latest information about what’s
happening at the World Cup. Not
the latest score, but if there’s a road
closure on the way to the stadium
and the shuttle buses have been
re-routed. Or if a kick-off’s been
delayed due to a protest demonstration. Or if more tickets for a game
have become available.
YOUR FREE LIONS GUIDE
you’re in Brazil is to sign up to the
FSF’s text message update service.
We’ll provide news about issues
affecting supporters, and if the worst
comes to the worst, we’ll also convey
any emergency messages from the UK
police or the British Embassy.
The update service is free of charge: all
you have to is make sure you’re registered to receive them. And that couldn’t
be easier – just text the words “Brazil
Updates” to +44 7956 121314.
Founded in Hialeah in Florida in
1973, which band has had numerous worldwide hits including,
‘That’s The Way (I Like It)’, ‘Please
Don’t Go’ and ‘Give It Up’?
W
ELCOME to Miami,
on Florida’s Atlantic
coast, venue of the
last two friendly fixtures before
England’s World Cup campaign
kicks off in earnest. It is Miami’s
location, and more precisely
its climate, that make up the
main reason why we’re here,
of course: officially classified
as having a ‘tropical monsoon
climate’, it’s been deemed the
ideal preparation for the oppressively hot and humid conditions
the team are likely to endure in
the Amazonian jungle.
Miami is a very cosmopolitan city.
According to the United Nations
in 2004, a bigger percentage of
residents here - 59% - were born
outside the country than was the
case for any other city in the world
(Toronto was second with 50%).
70% of the population are classed
by the census as Hispanic, with
Spanish as their first language –
which might give us an idea of the
balance of forces in the stadium
during the two games.
The climatic conditions are just
about the only thing that Miami
has in common with Manaus
though. Miami is a spectacularly
modern and wealthy city, ranked
in 2010 as thirty-third in the world
in terms of finance, commerce,
culture, entertainment, fashion
and education. It’s also big: while
Miami city has a population of
420,000, the metropolitan area
is home to some five and a half
million people.
HE FA are requiring
all tickets for the two
games in Miami to be
collected. It will be possible
to collect tickets for both
games at the same time,
but each ticket holder must
attend in person, and provide
either their membership card
or photo ID.
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For many England fans here,
these games are of course a
precursor to the real action
in Brazil – almost relaxing,
compared to the high stakes in
games to come. Miami’s a great
place to unwind and party, and
South Beach in particular seems
primarily focussed on providing
the atmosphere to do exactly
that. Make the most of it – but
don’t forget you’ve got to pick
your tickets up.
ENGLANDFANS
T
The englandfans ticket collection
point will be open from 11am to
Website: www.fsf.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
6pm on Tuesday, 3rd June 2014,
and it will be located at the
Marriott Stanton South Beach
hotel, which is at 161 Ocean
Drive (near the junction with 2nd
Street), Miami Beach, FL 33139.
Tickets can also be collected
from englandfans representatives in a ticket booth at the
stadium , which will be open for
an hour and half before kick-off
for each game.
PAGE 7
WELCOME TO MIAMI
SCOUSE PHIL’S FREE LIONS
3 Sun Life Stadium
2 Englandfans Ticket Collection Point
1 FSF Fans’ Embassy
Major Streets and Thoroughfares
Miami-Dade County
3
2
History
Miami
1
Pérez Art
Museum Miami
Museum Park
Mary Brickell Village
Downtown Miami Residential
& Visitors Center
Greater Miami
Convention & Visitors
Bureau
Downtown Miami
Welcome Center
Adrienne Arsht Center
for the Performing Arts
Downtown Miami
/
2
1
Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
World Erotic Art Museum
Miami Beach Cinematheque
LGBT Visitor Center
Fillmore Miami Beach
at the Jackie Gleason Theater
New World Center
Miami Beach
Rowing Center
Byron
Carlyle
Theater
-FIU
2
Art Deco
Welcome Center
World Erotic
Art Museum
Tourist
Hospitality Center
New World
Center
Medical Facilities
Parks & Golf Courses
Points of Interest
2 Englandfans Ticket Collection Point
1 FSF Fans’ Embassy
Miami
Beach
SOUTH POINTE DR
Visitor
Information
Center
South Beach and Art Deco District
1
YOUR FREE LIONS GUIDE
where dedicated turnstiles will
be made available for England
fans (though it is understood that
usually ticket holders can enter
through any gate and then make
their way around the ground to
their allocated block). It’s normally
expected that fans sit in their allocated block, and we were told that
tickets will be checked again within
the ground.
GROUND RULES
THE STADIUM
T
HE Sun Life stadium is a
75,540-capacity allseater American football
stadium, located in the Miami
Gardens suburb in the north of
Miami. It is the home stadium
of the Miami Dolphins NFL
team, and also of the University
of Miami Hurricanes.
Construction was begun on the
stadium in December 1985, but
only after a 20-year saga of failed
attempts to raise the finance to
build it, as local voters several
times rejected new or increased
taxes to fund it. The stadium then
became the first of its kind to be
built entirely with private funds.
Founder and owner of the Miami
Dolphins Joe Robbie – after
whom the ground was initially
named – designed the stadium so
that it would be easily adaptable
for baseball, and the wider than
usual field also lends itself to use
for “soccer”.
The first game in the stadium was
played on 16th August 1987, when
the Miami Dolphins hosted the
Chicago Bears, who didn’t quite
enter into the spirit of the occasion,
winning 3-10 in front of a crowd of
63,451. The first association football
match played here was on 4th March
1988, the USA national team beating
club side Millionarios of Colombia
2-1 watched by a more modest
crowd of 14,877. The first baseball
game was held here a week later.
The Joe Robbie Stadium went through
five name changes before becoming
the Sun Life Stadium in 2010 in a
sponsorship deal scheduled to end in
2015. The biggest crowd here for a
“soccer” match was the 71,124 who
turned up to watch Brazil v Honduras
in November 2013, but the biggest
attendance ever at the ground was for
the WWE’s pay-per-view Wrestlemania XXVIII, when over 78,000 saw The
Undertaker defeat Triple H in a “Hell in
a Cell” match. There have also been
a number of high-profile concerts
held here, from The Who in 1989 to
Justin Timberlake in 2013, and the
venue was also a location for the
filming of, among other films, “Ace
Ventura: Pet Detective”.
G
ates are due to open
two hours before kickoff. Blocks 145 – 153 had
been reserved for England supporters (a little bit deceptive, as
there are no blocks numbered
151 or 152) but it appears that
the official England section –
T
he only way to get to
the Sun Life stadium is
by road; there is no rail
connection. For Miami Dolphins
games, the club arrange buses
from Downtown, but only if
the crowd is expected to be
over 50,000. Given that the
Dolphins have no role in the organisation of our two fixtures
and that the crowds are not
expected to be huge, then realistically for most of us, the only
option for getting to the game
will be a taxi, or driving.
Either way, it would be wise to allow
plenty of time, as the traffic on
the roads around the stadium can
become very congested prior to kickoff. There should be no difficulty finding a taxi from either Miami Beach
or Downtown; expect the fare to be
around $50, plus a tip. Taxis will drop
off at Gate 4 on the south side of
the stadium, and that’s also the best
spot for picking up a taxi for the
return trip after the game.
There is an abundance of car
parking space near the stadium,
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Easiest access to these blocks is
through the turnstiles at Gate H,
GETTING TO THE GROUND
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the FA have sold around 1,000
tickets to members for both
fixtures – will be located in
blocks 149 and 150.
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l h games a llot off
andd ffor Dolphins
‘tailgating’ – eating and drinking
beside parked cars – takes place
pre- and post-match. Expect
to pay around $30 for parking;
car parks will open three hours
before kick-off.
Website: www.fsf.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
There will be a bag and body
search before the turnstiles, and
the usual sorts of rules apply as
to what is and is not allowed
inside the ground. No alcohol can
be taken in, but it will be on sale
within the ground until the end of
the half-time interval, and unlike at
home, it can be consumed within
sight of the pitch. All drink containers within the stadium area must
be open.
At the time of going to press, no
arrangements had been offered
for early access to the stadium to
hang flags. It will not be permitted
to hang flags over the front of the
stands around the pitch, but it will
be OK to hang them on the fascia
boards at the back of the first tier.
Access to seats for disabled fans
will be via Gate G; the disabled
seating area is at the back of
block 153, and sightlines are
reasonably good.
The usual rules about behaviour
are in force, and the police were
keen to impress on us that any
incursion onto the pitch will result
in arrest, without exceptions.
PAGE 13
PAGE 12
WELCOME TO MIAMI
The liveliest of all is the Miami
Beach area, and in particular
South Beach and the famous
Ocean Drive, which runs parallel
to the beach. Virtually the whole
length of the street is lined with
hotels, bars and restaurants, and
the whole district sometimes
seems to reverberate with the
music played in the pavement
bars. The licensing laws are more
relaxed in Miami Beach than
elsewhere too, with bars allowed
to continue serving alcohol till
5.00am (compared to 3am in most
of the rest of the city).
Remember that the minimum age
for purchasing alcohol is 21, not
D
The more typical fare-charging
options include the Metrorail
system, a 25-mile elevated rapid
transit system operating on two
lines, Green and Orange (the
orange line connects with Miami
International airport). The
Metrorail does not accept cash
You need to carry identification
with you at all times. It’s also more
likely here than in most places that
you’ll actually be required to produce it: you’ll need it when driving,
often when using a credit card, and
when buying alcohol – and it will
have to be the original document,
not a copy.
1st June marks the start of the
Atlantic Hurricane season. This
doesn’t mean that they actually
schedule storms, but they certainly
do happen. In the event of a hurricane or tropical storm, follow the
advice of the local authorities at
all times.
GETTING AROUND
UE to the high water
levels in the city, there
is no underground train
system, but there are plenty
of other options, and unusually a couple of them are free.
First of these is the Metromover, an elevated track that
loops between Downtown,
Brickell and Omni districts. It
runs every few minutes between 05.00am and midnight,
and there’s no charge. The
second free option is FreeBee,
a company offering lifts in
environmentally-friendly electric vehicles around Downtown and South Beach.
TIPS
payments; you’ll need to buy an
EASY card or ticket at the vending machines before travelling.
EASY cards and tickets are also
accepted on the Metrobus services, but on buses it is possible
to pay the $2.25 fare in cash.
Taxis can be hailed on the street,
but here’s a few numbers to book
one anyway:
IC Yellow Cab (305) 200 4152
Central Cab (305) 532 5555
Super Taxi (305) 888 7777
As in any large city, always
be aware of your surroundings
and what’s going on around
you. Beware of pickpockets and
bag-snatchers; don’t carry large
amounts of cash – use your hotel
safe; avoid travelling alone late at
night, and stay on well-lit populated streets.
In Miami smoking is prohibited
in all restaurants and public buildings, and in public areas such as
bus stations.
Quiz
Also in Miami Beach, but not quite
as hectic as Ocean Drive, is the
Lincoln Road “open air mall” (a
long pedestrianised street running
east to west between 16th and
Other areas well worth a look are
Bayside Marketplace, a waterside
complex with souvenir shops and an
array of bars and restaurants, and
the Brickell area, around Brickell
Avenue in the south end of the
Downtown district.
18, and that as a matter of course
you may be asked for ID; for the purposes of buying alcohol, the original
document will be required, not a
copy. It is generally not permitted to
drink alcohol on the streets, defined
as more than 100 feet from the
establishment where it was bought,
or in public places. The first response
of the police is likely to be to ask you
to pour your drink away (not down
your throat); non-compliance is likely
to lead to arrest.
Answers
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Driving: apart from the obvious
fact the Americans drive on the
right, you should also be aware
that some of the toll roads and
bridges won’t accept credit or debit
cards, so carry cash with you.
Driving while intoxicated is
unsurprisingly illegal, and carries
a heavy penalty. It is also illegal to
travel with an open container of
alcohol anywhere in the passenger
compartment of your car; if containers have been opened, you’re
legally required to keep them in
the boot.
Money: banks are generally
open from 9.00am every day except Sunday. They close at 4.00pm
Monday to Thursday, at 6.00pm on
Friday, and 1.00pm on Saturday.
Most have 24 hour ATMs; if you
have to change cash, you will need
original photo identification.
Tourist-style information is
available from the Greater Miami
Convention and Visitors Bureau,
701 Brickell Avenue, Suite 2700,
tel (305) 539 3000, open from
8.30am to 5.00pm, and from the
Visit Miami Visitors Centre, 1901
Convention Centre Drive, Miami
Beach, tel (786) 276 2763, open
daily 10.00am to 4.00pm.
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Music Quiz
M
IAMI is a major tourist
destination with a
lively party scene, and
there is an abundance of places
to eat and drink, catering for all
styles and tastes.
17th Streets), where there are a lot
of good restaurants and shops.
1.Miami Sound Machine 2.Limp Bizkit
3.Will Smith 4.Miami Vice 5.Lynyrd
Skynyrd 6.Rock 7.Flo Rida 8.Jason
Derulo 9.CBGB’s 10.KC and The
Sunshine Band
EATING AND DRINKING
FSF FANS’ EMBASSY
The FSF Fans’ Embassy will be in
operation for both the Ecuador
and Honduras games, in each
case on the day before the
game and on match day up
until three hours before kickoff. So that’s Tuesday 3rd June,
and the morning of Wednesday
4th June; and then again on 6th
June, and until 1pm on 7th June.
We will be based, we believe, on
Ocean Drive, by the junction
with 10th Street.
We will however be contactable
the whole time, around the
clock, via the helpline on
+44 7956 121314.
BRITISH CONSULATE
GENERAL MIAMI
1001 Brickell Bay Drive, Miami,
FL 33131. Tel: (305) 400 4600 or
(407) 254 3300. Public access by
appointment only.
Website: www.fsf.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
PAGE 15
YOUR FREE LIONS GUIDE
Scouse Phil’s Free Lions Football Quiz
1.Torquay United 2.Daniel Sturridge (21 goals) 3.They have both qualified twice before: Ecuador in 2002 and 2006, Honduras in 1982 and
2010 4.102 points 5.James Chester of Hull 6.Fabio Borini of Sunderland
7.Rotherham United 8.Gerrard, Hart, Johnson, Lampard, Milner and
Rooney 9.Lisbon 10.Roberto Di Matteo
PAGE 14
WELCOME TO MIAMI
BY CLIVE HETHERINGTON
E
NGLAND boss Roy Hodgson admitted that leaving
Ashley Cole out of his
provisional World Cup squad
was one of his toughest calls
and a potential gamble.
In my view, Hodgson is entirely
vindicated in ditching Cole, who
announced his retirement from
international football when he
was informed of the decision.
But I think Hodgson should have
pensioned off another Chelsea star
– Frank Lampard.
Before Blues fans suggest there is
an anti-Chelsea agenda here, let
me stress that is not the case.
Let’s take Cole first. The left-back,
33, has been a fine servant to his
country and his omission means his
vast experience has been sacrificed.
But the emergence of an exceptional young talent like Southampton’s Luke Shaw could not
be ignored. He may be only 18,
but his form for the Saints in the
past season was outstanding and
it is no wonder he is said to be
destined for a £27million move to
Manchester United.
It is surely no exaggeration to
say that even Leighton Baines,
England’s first-choice left-back,
must be looking over his shoulder
at Shaw.
The old adage ‘If they’re good
enough, they’re old enough’
comes to mind. Not only is Shaw
one for the future – England
should be looking to Euro 2016 as
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well as the World Cup – he is one
for the present.
to stick to his task make him a
useful asset.
So what about Lampard? Again, he
is a player who has graced the England shirt. Like Cole, he has amassed
more than 100 caps and therefore
has a wealth of experience.
Elsewhere in midfield, Hodgson is
right to unleash the precocious talent of Everton’s Ross Barkley. There
are shades of Paul Gascoigne and
Wayne Rooney about Barkley who,
at 20, has the world at his feet in
more ways than one as he heads
for Brazil.
At nearly 36, the midfielder is
the oldest member of the squad,
though there are those who will
be quick to point out he is only
a year older than Italy’s axis,
Andrea Pirlo. But whereas the
Juventus maestro is still rightly
regarded as one of the best
players in the world, Lampard’s
powers are clearly on the wane.
Frank Lampard, lucky to
be on the plane to Rio?
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho
evidently thinks so because he
no longer sees him as a regular
starter for his club.
Manchester United’s Michael
Carrick may not be everyone’s cup
of tea, but he can consider himself
unlucky to have only been named
on standby. The Geordie has had
a tough season with deposed
Premier League champions United,
but his assured passing and ability
Southampton’s Adam Lallana is
another attack-minded midfielder
who has produced potent performances on the domestic stage in
recent months.
Hodgson certainly has no shortage
of midfield options. Liverpool pair
Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson will be battling for places
alongside Arsenal duo Alex OxladeChamberlain and Jack Wilshere.
But the influence of skipper
Steven Gerrard will perhaps be
more crucial than ever in such a
youthful party.
An abundance of attacking intent
in midfield offers Hodgson the
relative luxury of naming only four
out-and-out front men, with Wayne
Rooney and Daniel Sturridge in
pole position.
There is sound back-up for
goalkeeper Joe Hart in Ben Foster
and Fraser Forster. But the worry
is in defence, where keeping the
preferred centre-back partnership
of Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka fit
and available will be vital.
MIAMI TWICE: ENGLAND’S
OPPONENTS HERE IN FLORIDA
BY JOE HETHERINGTON
Could Barkley be facing a
tough Ecuadorian defence?
England v Ecuador
and Brian Kidd, in a warm-up
game for the 1970 World Cup
in Mexico.
handed a World Cup draw that
pits them against Switzerland,
France and Ecuador.
GIVEN their domestic conditions, Ecuador have long been
regarded as a side reliant on
altitude, a strength that may
stand them in good stead going
into the World Cup.
Last July, Christian “Chucho”
Benitez passed away from natural
causes. The former Birmingham
City striker was a popular member
of the squad and his tragic death
has left the nation in mourning.
Gaining only one point at the 2010
World Cup in South Africa, where
they failed to score in their three
games, Honduras will be hoping for
a big improvement.
The South Americans’ home record
has been excellent, the high
altitude of Quito proving a key
factor. Ecuador’s defensive record
in qualifying was third best in the
group. They conceded just 16 goals
in as many games, only bettered by
Argentina and Colombia.
The most familiar face to English
fans in the Ecuador squad is
Manchester United winger
Antonio Valencia, whose pace is
a great asset.
A David Beckham free-kick
dispatched the Ecuadorians in the
2006 World Cup in Germany, in a
far from convincing victory for the
Three Lions.
Beckham, defying illness, became
the first England player to score
at three World Cups in securing a
quarter-final with Portugal. But it
was a stuttering Stuttgart display
by Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side, who
almost trailed early on when Carlos
Tenorio’s effort deflected off Ashley
Cole and hit the bar.
England’s only other game
against Ecuador saw Alf
Ramsey’s men win 2-0 in Quito
thanks to goals from Francis Lee
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In another Manchester connection,
former City forward Felipe Caicedo
was top scorer for Ecuador in World
Cup qualifying with seven goals.
England v Honduras
THIS will be the first time the
countries have met and England
will face a Honduras side full of
confidence after reaching successive World Cups.
Honduras finished ahead of a
strong Mexico side in the final
qualifying group, and registered
an 8-1 thrashing of Canada in the
previous round. Only the United
States and Costa Rica qualified
above them.
The Central Americans will also
be in high spirits after being
Website: www.fsf.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
At least in Luis Fernando Suarez
they have a coach with some
pedigree in the tournament, having
led Ecuador to the round of 16 in
2006, when they lost to England.
In part down to Wigan Athletic,
many Hondurans have experience
in the top two tiers of English football, some with far greater success
than others.
Hull City’s Maynor Figueroa is an
integral figure in the Honduras
backline, which also boasts Celtic’s
energetic Emilio Izaguirre. Carlo
Costly is a name Birmingham City
fans will probably want to forget,
but after scoring seven goals in
qualifying, Honduras will be looking to him and Jerry Bengston to
find the net.
Stoke City midfielder Wilson
Palacios was named in the World
Cup squad, despite having played
so little for the Potters in the past
season and being omitted from
the party for the 2-1 friendly win
over Venezuela.
PAGE 17
PAGE 16
RETIREMENT BLUES?
PAGE 18
TO B OR NOT TO B?
PROTECT OUR PYRAMID
L
AST month saw the
publication of FA Chairman
Greg Dyke’s England Commission Report which aims to
improve England’s chances at
future tournaments.
The report clocks in at 84 pages
and there’s some good stuff in
there such as increasing the
proportion of home-grown players at the top of the game and
improving grassroots facilities.
No argument there.
Improving grassroots
facilities for our future stars
Sadly, it’s not all like that. Alongside the more laudable aims there
are some madcap ideas about
a new “League 3” - made up of
Premier League “B teams” - which
is somehow meant to help the
national team.
Every few years English football
looks at Spain, puts two and
two together and comes up with
five. Yes, Spain has had B teams
for decades. Yes, Spain are the
current World Champions. But
where’s the evidence that those
two facts are linked?
Before 2010 the Spanish national
side had never been to a World
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Cup final. If B teams are a magic
bullet for success, why did Spain
fail to qualify for the 1970 or 1974
World Cup? Why did they lose at
home to Northern Ireland in 1982
and crash out in Round 2? Why has
Spain failed to qualify for World
Cups more times than England?
Brazil has two independent football pyramids and Germany didn’t
even have a professional second
tier until 1974 but no-one would
recommend those models. Where’s
the proof that league structure
determines international success?
England’s pyramid has its own
unique history and tradition which
shouldn’t be jeopardised. No other
country on the planet draws such
big crowds down to levels 4, 5, 6
and beyond. Measured by attendance Leagues 1 and 2 are in the
top 15 in Europe.
Chris Smalling started
out at Maidstone United
players who started at Shrewsbury
Town (Joe Hart), Maidstone United
(Chris Smalling), and Blackpool (Ricky
Lambert). Our last WC semi-final was
in 1990 – our squad that year featured
players who’d debuted at Wealdstone
(Stuart Pearce), Tow Law Town (Chris
Waddle), Carlisle United (Peter Beardsley), Crewe Alexandra (David Platt),
and Tipton Town (Steve Bull).
WHAT DOES THE FSF THINK?
T
Many England fans follow sides
at lower and non-league level.
Do you want your team to face
Premier League B sides week in,
week out? Ex-England international Danny Mills, a member of
the Commission, claims you do
but our polling shows 90% of
fans oppose B teams.
HE FSF submission to the
FA in December 2013
focused on a number of
key areas such as investment
and participation levels, best
practice in player development, international exchanges
of youth coaches, and quota
systems. It clearly outlined
opposition to feeder clubs
and the like.
Fan after fan has contacted us to
argue that elite clubs already hoard
the top youngsters and the need for
a B squad will only make this worse.
The idea that only “elite” clubs can
produce players who go on to great
things is a bit dubious too – even
England’s latest squad consists of
A whole array of campaigns
opposing the FA’s plans (such as
Against League 3) have already
popped up and you can contact
the FSF if you’d like to get involved. Find out more via www.
fsf.org.uk. Sign the petition at
www.againstleague3.co.uk.
GOING TO BRAZIL?
If you’re going to Brazil to support the team at the
World Cup, you’d be very welcome to draw on the help
and support of the Football Supporters’ Federation’s
Fans’ Embassy service.
The Fans’ Embassy service has been with England’s
fans at every tournament since Italia ’90, offering
information, advice and practical assistance on a
confidential basis.
This year, we’re going to be in every England venue, distributing a new edition of Free Lions freshly produced
for every game, full of useful information about the city
along with news and updates on fans’ experiences and
the usual football opinion.
We’ve produced a 132-page full colour guide book,
the ‘England Fans Guide to Brazil’, and while the hard
copies have pretty much all been snapped up (we may
just have one or two spare with us here in Miami, it’s
worth asking), the digital versions for Kindle, iPads,
tablets and laptops are still available for download
from the FSF website at www.fsf.org.uk/freelions.
Things often change during the course of a tournament, of course, and so it’s also well worth making
sure you keep up to date with any other information
that we have. We are available around the clock on
the Fans’ Embassy helpline on +44 7956 121314,
for any questions or problems we can help with.
We’ll be issuing regular updates on Facebook and
Twitter, and of course on the website, but there’s one
other thing you can do to make sure you never miss
out on vital info.
We’ll again be operating our text message updates service: you
won’t be bombarded with spam, but you will receive texts with
any urgent news, whether it’s about tickets, changes to match arrangements, or urgent messages from the police, the Foreign Office
or anyone else. To make sure you don’t miss out on any important
news, sign up for the text message service by texting the words
“Brazil Updates” to +44 7956 121314.
ENGLAND SQUAD WORDSEARCH
H
ere’s a handy reference list of the members of the England squad as registered (and accurate
at the time of going to press) for the 2014 World Cup. And it’s also a little game! You can try to
find all their surnames hidden in the Wordsearch grid. No prizes, it’s just for fun.
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Scouse Phil’s Free Lions Football Quiz (answers on page 15)
1
2
3
4
5
Which team finished bottom of the Football League
this season?
Who was the top-scoring English player in this
season’s Premier League?
Both Ecuador and Honduras have qualified for
this year’s World Cup finals tournament, but
which of these two countries has qualified most
times previously?
Juventus this season scored the highest number of
points ever achieved in the top flight of any of the
top European leagues: was it 101, 102 or 104 points?
Which player scored the first goal in this season’s FA
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6
7
8
9
10
JOIN THE FSF FOR FREE
Cup Final?
Who scored the first goal in this season’s Carling
Cup Final?
Which English League team play their home games at
the New York Stadium?
Who are the six players in the England World Cup
squad who have been in the squad at previous World
Cup tournaments?
In which city was this season’s Champions League
Final held?
Who scored in the 1997 FA Cup Final and managed a
winning FA Cup Final team 15 years later?
Sign up at www.fsf.org.uk to become a member
of the Football Supporters’ Federation.