Sam Allardyce named his 23-man squad

[bennythedip2]

Antonio gets England call - - (August 28 2016)

Sam Allardyce kicked off a new era for England by handing a first call-up to West Ham's Michail Antonio, but Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere have been given plenty to think about after being dropped.

Allardyce named his 23-man squad for the World Cup qualifier in Slovakia at 7.30pm on Sunday night, leaving players up and down the country with contrasting emotions.

Antonio, who only a couple of hours earlier had scored his second of the season in a losing cause against Manchester City, was overwhelmed by his unexpected selection but Barkley and Wilshere were left out in the cold.

In all there were five changes from Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad, with Luke Shaw, Phil Jagielka, Danny Drinkwater and Theo Walcott all earning recalls.

Barkley was an unused squad member in France but, after two goals in his first four appearances this season, his omission was a surprise.

Wilshere had made just two appearances from the Arsenal bench and it is understood that he has been left out for a combination of footballing and fitness reasons.

The retired James Milner, the injured Ryan Bertrand and Marcus Rashford, who had already been named in the under-21 squad, were the others to drop out.

Explaining his decision to bring in 26-year-old Antonio, who progressed through the divisions for the best part of a decade before landing at West Ham last September, Allardyce told FATV: "I think he's in outstanding form. This is another lad with a great journey - it's a fantastic journey that he's been on, from non-league to now an international call-up.'

"Last year his impact on West Ham was only overshadowed by (Dimitri) Payet.

'He scored nine goals in his first season and he's a terrific athlete, a good crosser and a goal-scorer. I'm looking forward to him coming, and looking forward to meeting everybody.

'Hopefully we will have a good few days' preparation and get to know each other on the basis of trying to go and win in Slovakia."

Antonio, who only found out he had been called up after coming off the field at the Etihad Stadium, revealed he had rejected Jamaica earlier this year in a bid to keep his England ambitions alive.

"I'm overwhelmed. I got slightly emotional when I found out," he told West Ham TV.

"It's just one of those things that I've always dreamt of, playing for England, as a kid, so now for it to happen after I've worked my way from non-league to where I am now, I am just so happy.

"I turned down an approach from Jamaica in March and for this to happen so quickly, I'm buzzing, I just want to keep my feet on the floor."

That should not be too hard for a man who eight years ago was making his way with Tooting and Mitcham.

"All I can do is go out there on the international stage and show there is a reason why the gaffer has called me up," he added.

'I didn't think that it would happen this quick, but I always said to myself that if I could get into the Premier League and keep playing the way I do, hopefully I could get into the England squad."

The return of Manchester United defender Shaw was expected and he is now ready to resume his international career after making a successful return to action from the double leg break that sidelined him throughout the 2015/16 campaign.

Leicester title-winner Drinkwater was also widely tipped to win a place after becoming the last man to be cut from Hodgson's pre-Euro training squad.

Jagielka adds an extra central defensive option after missing the Euros, edging out the likes of Burnley's Michael Keane, Hull's Curtis Davies and Stoke's Ryan Shawcross, while Walcott may consider himself fortunate to be back already after a quiet start to the season with Arsenal.

Allardyce had already confirmed Joe Hart would be involved, despite his ongoing exile at Manchester City, with Fraser Forster and Tom Heaton also involved and Jack Butland not yet match fit.

No captain has been named, with Allardyce unlikely to nominate his chosen man until after the squad get together at St George's Park on Monday evening, but the previous incumbent Wayne Rooney is listed among the midfielders.

The country's record goalscorer played in central midfield in France but his United manager Jose Mourinho has called time on that experiment and Allardyce had been expected to follow suit.

John Terry's name was unsurprisingly absent.

Allardyce had refused to rule out contacting the retired former captain last week but it is understood that was never a realistic objective.

Elsewhere Manchester City's Fabian Delph was overlooked, as were previous Allardyce favourites Mark Noble and Jermain Defoe.

They proved tried and trusted performers for the 61-year-old at West Ham and Sunderland, respectively, but did not receive a call for the September 4 meeting in Trnava.

England squad to face Slovakia: Forster (Southampton), Hart (Man City), Heaton (Burnley); Cahill (Chelsea), Clyne (Liverpool), Jagielka (Everton), Rose (Tottenham), Shaw (Man Utd), Smalling (Man Utd), Stones (Man City), Walker (Tottenham); Alli (Tottenham), Antonio (West Ham), Dier (Tottenham), Drinkwater (Leicester), Henderson (Liverpool), Lallana (Liverpool), Rooney (Man Utd), Sterling (Man City), Walcott (Arsena); Kane (Tottenham), Sturridge (Liverpool), Vardy (Leicester).

[Part-Timer]

How can he pick Antonio ahead of Barkley? Just another Londoner picked to appease the London press.

[bennythedip2]

Originally Posted by Part-Timer

How can he pick Antonio ahead of Barkley? Just another Londoner picked to appease the London press.

Oh shut up moaning https://youtu.be/dMoOEeMn_rU

You've done nothing but moan ever since we left Washington

[bennythedip2]

Wayne Rooney will continue as England captain after manager Sam Allardyce made the "easy" decision to retain his services.


Rooney, 30, has led his country for the past two years, but after taking over from Roy Hodgson following Euro 2016 Allardyce initially refused to confirm he would keep the armband.

Allardyce also declined to name a skipper in his first squad announcement on Sunday night, adding a minor element of intrigue, but the Manchester United forward always looked firm favourite.

Question marks over his place in the team appear to have been answered by a strong start to the season at Old Trafford, where Jose Mourinho has used him as a number 10, shoring up his position in the international fold ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on September 4.

"Wayne has been an excellent captain for England and the manner in which he has fulfilled the role made it an easy decision for me to ask him to continue," said Allardyce, who informed the players of his decision after the start of a week-long get-together at St George's Park on Monday.

"Wayne's record speaks for itself, he is the most senior member of the squad and he is hugely respected by his peers. All of these factors point towards him being the right choice to lead the team."

The 61-year-old might also have mentioned the lack of obvious alternatives, with Joe Hart and Chris Smalling currently out-of-favour at their clubs, while the likes of Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier and Harry Kane are still making their way with England.

Rooney might have been criticised for his lax showing in the defeat to Iceland this summer, but Allardyce believes he has broad enough shoulders to deal with the extra spotlight afforded by leading the national team.

"I like an on-and-off-the-field captain if there is one, but if there isn't one then being an on-the-field captain is the main basis," he said.

"You would hope the captain would make a decision on the pitch if he felt it needed to (be made). For me, that's the captain's role. It's a big responsibility at club level and even more so at international level. First and foremost lead by example.

"It's all about the personality. Can you handle the responsibility of being captain? We've seen some fabulous players in cricket who couldn't handle the captaincy.

"That's the last thing you want to do, name a captain and they be so uncomfortable with it their performance is diminished. We've seen that in cricket a few times.

Sam Allardyce "Wayne's record speaks for itself, he is the most senior member of the squad and he is hugely respected by his peers. All of these factors point towards him being the right choice."
Sam Allardyce

"I think he (Rooney) has enjoyed the responsibility. Some players don't want that responsibility."

Allardyce, much to his chagrin, is often portrayed as a meat-and-potatoes manager, keen on hard-hitting centre-halves and powerful target men.

But Rooney would be gratified to hear his manager's response when asked who his best captain had been in club football.

"Jay-Jay Okocha," he replied without hesitation, with the Nigerian playmaker having served with distinction at Bolton.

"On and off the field he was the captain you looked for. He sorted the odd scuffle out in the dressing room, talked to the players about how we had to go out and win, he'd take the manager's instructions and apply them in the right way.

"Then there was outstanding ability on the field, leading by example and showing everybody he wasn't a mercenary, which was suggested in the beginning, that he'd only come for the money.

"He became an iconic figure at Bolton Wanderers."

One player who might find Rooney's elevation frustrating is Tottenham's Dele Alli.

The 20-year-old is one of the country's brightest emerging talents and started three games out of four in the Euros, playing alongside Rooney in a midfield three.

But his favourite position is in the hole behind the striker, the very role Rooney has been enjoying at United.

Presuming Rooney starts, Alli would have to make do with substitute appearances or a more withdrawn position.

"Wayne is playing behind the front man at Manchester United...Dele Alli has started well too, so that makes it a difficult choice," mused Allardyce.

"We'll wait and see, but we are looking at balance of positions. We want to have two players in each position and not leave ourselves short. Hopefully we make that selection after this (training camp) and we know the best XI to start with."