THE REAL QUIZ
After the frothy frivolity of Euro 2024, international football is back with the focus on the far more prestigious Nations League, a tournament pretty much everyone agrees isn’t quite as pointless as they presumed it would be, despite not really knowing anything about how it works. Among the plumbers, chippies, sparks and IT experts in Football Daily’s local drinker, our comparatively useless field of expertise is a thorough understanding of the format of the Nations League and we look forward to sharing this knowledge with baffled fellow drinkers when England face the Republic O’Ireland in their opening Group B2 game in Dublin next Saturday.
In their first match since losing the Euros final to Spain, England will be managed by Lee Carsley, the unassuming former Everton midfield enforcer who wasn’t Thomas Gravesen, who is in interim charge after stepping up from the under-21s in much the same way as his predecessor, Gareth Southgate. A Birmingham lad by birth but an Irish international by the grace of God, Carsley has no qualms about doing battle against a team he represented 39 times. “I’m very proud of my heritage,” he told reporters at his maiden press conference. “I’m really looking forward to the game in Dublin and I think it’s going to be a brilliant occasion and a proud moment. It’s a match that I’m really motivated for.”
Having received their first senior international call-ups for the double-header against Ireland and Finland, Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento and Morgan Gibbs-White are likely to be similarly fired up, while Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish are also back in the fold after missing the Eur … ah here, you’ve lost interest and are googling Angel Gomes, aren’t you? One man who isn’t in the squad is Kieran Trippier, who took to Social Media Disgrace Instachat to reveal he was quitting international football a couple of hours before Carsley’s presser. Whether the 33-year-old actually wanted to step down or was warned in advance that a pre-emptive retirement announcement might allow him to avoid the indignity of having his place taken in two separate teams by Livramento in the same month is anyone’s guess, but the Newcastle full-back goes out after 54 appearances and four tournaments with his head held high.
“I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country, let alone achieve 54 caps,” he wrote, before thanking his England teammates, along with Gareth Southgate and his backroom team. “I want to wish Lee, the coaching staff and the team all the best for the future. And finally a big thank you to all the England fans for your incredible support travelling all over the world to support us and keeping us going in the difficult moments.” Despite remaining available for selection, Trippier’s fellow full-back Kyle Walker was a conspicuous absentee from the squad, while Lewis Dunk, Joe Gomez, Ivan Toney and Adam Wharton will also be left at home to ponder a potentially difficult moment in their international careers.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Refereeing has given me so much including many amazing memories and I hope to continue to see more youngsters take advantage of the growing opportunities which are there for everyone. I’m now excited by my new challenge and giving back to the game I love in a new capacity” – Rebecca Welch, the first woman to take charge of a Premier League game, calls time on officiating at 40 to take up a managerial role with the PGMOL and develop new WSL and Championship talent.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
A reminder that this is the best day of football in the year, with 34 do-or-die matches as teams play to advance in assorted European competitions, with something for everyone. If you root for underdogs, see Larne v Lincoln Red Imps. For a favourite under pressure, see Fiorentina travelling to Hungary after a 3-3 draw with Puskas Akademia in the first leg. Then the matches between clubs you’ve heard of (Panathinaikos v Lens) and clubs who are embarrassed to be there (Ajax v Jagellonia, Servette v Chelsea). Not to mention The New Saints, Shamrock Rovers, Hearts and Kilmarnock all in action, some of them with a realistic chance to win” – Alan Terlep.
Further to Krishna Moorthy’s tribute to Wojciech Szczesny as he rides into the sunset (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), it would be remiss of me not to point out that there may have been a reason he picked Tuesday to announce his retirement, just as certain Mancunian musicians announced their reemergence. His kids are called (and I am not joking) Liam and Noelia!” – Derek McGee.
Reading about how Blyth Spartans had a ‘Visit North Korea’ ad board (yesterday’s Football Daily) reminded me how they once had Viz, at the height of its influence, as their shirt sponsor. They even went so far as putting various characters on the front of their programmes – one I saw had Roger Mellie as a player. Sadly, their attempt to put ‘Drink beer, Smoke tabs’ on the front of the shirt, a la the ads in Billy the Fish, didn’t go down well with the authorities” – Kevin Gier.
The mention of Ashington in yesterday’s Football Daily brought back chilling memories. In the early 1970s, I played drums for a rock band in the Newcastle area and the Three Ones Club in Ashington was a regular gig for us. It had a well-earned notoriety for its, um, rowdy clientele. If we’d had the option then, I think North Korea would have been the safer bet” – Bruce G Bradley.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Derek McGee. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
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