Thursday, May 26, 2005
US tour a waste of time
Unfortunately, I'll have to agree with Dominic Raynor:
With an absentee list that reads like the regular England line-up and a squad that can be only kindly termed 'experimental', just what does Sven-Goran Eriksson hope to achieve during England's current two-match tour of the USA?It'll be nice to see England line up against the US, but the game serves no true purpose. I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt when it was first announced, but the match makes little sense looking at the rosters now, particularly from England's point of view. Fans who are shelling out significant amounts of money for tix and/or travel arrangements to Chicago are likely to be disappointed, too.
According to the FA 'this tour has always been an opportunity for Sven and the coaching staff to look at some new players a year before the World Cup in Germany'.
Well at the risk of labouring a point, may I reiterate once more the suggestion that the England manager, and the FA, attempt to do that during the regular season friendlies that have been so devalued, undermined and misused.
And schedule the rare opportunities to play non-European sides at an appropriate time to further the experience of England's regulars.
No matter how the FA attempts to package this tour, it remains a waste of time. The Premiership managers know it, England's regulars know it and that's why every conceivable excuse for not travelling half-way around the world has been rolled out by the aforementioned parties.
