Barney Ronay on booing England taking the knee
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Thanks for joining me. Here is David Hytner’s match report.
My England team for next Sunday: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Coady, Trippier, Shaw, Bellingham, Rice, Foden, Sterling, Kane
Southgate: “I think we had chances to make it more comfortable but so did they. I think in the first half we did not work hard enough without the ball.
“After half-time we improved and it was helpful when we went to a 4-3-3 a bit later.”
On Grealish: “We have a lot of competition in those areas of the field. He did well to win the penalty.”
On Henderson’s penalty miss: “I was expecting Dominic to take it and when Hendo walked over I thought he was making sure that happened, so I will have to check what happened.”
Southgate offers no clarification on who will replace Alexander-Arnold.
My daughter is now on my knee. Her reaction to the game is an underwhelming one.
MORE CONFIDENCE.
@Will_Unwin Of course England are likely to get knocked out when they meet a superior team. That's largely how sport works. But it's not impossible, and that's the beauty of sport.
— Daniel King (@TunnelKing) June 6, 2021
CONFIDENCE IS WHAT WE NEED!
@Will_Unwin England have one of their most talented squads ever - they have a chance.
— Francis Mead (@francismead) June 6, 2021
Cormac De Barra responds: “In response to Greame Thorn. International football is not the same as club football. The teams that have consistently won big tournaments have a consistent team for 10 or 12 years. They don’t change their teams every 2 years.”
Rashford is very proud of captaining England for the first time, saying he dreamt of it as a kid.
On booing taking the knee: “It is something we can’t control. We think it’s the right thing to do, so we are going to continue.”
The two penalties ...
One good.
One bad.
Penalty saved! 😨@JHenderson steps up from the spot... but Nita keeps the @England midfielder's penalty out ❌#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/Zba5vcQxY3
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 6, 2021
Mary Waltz offers: “The Three Lions don’t get out of the group stage, Yes a terrible result. England losing to France or Belgium? The two top rated teams. The heavy betting favourites Well duh.”
Graeme Thorn says: “I just want to counter Cormac De Barra’s point at 80 minutes - how exactly are players supposed to get experience in international football without actually playing internationals? Besides, many of them have shown they can play against the best in their performances in their domestic leagues and European competitions.”
Rashford knows how to take a penalty, which is not new news. It would seem a little strange if Ward-Prowse does not go to the Euros in Alexander-Arnold’s place but Southgate has plenty of justifiable options within the 33.
Full-time! England 1-0 Romania
England got the job done but it was not a particularly useful exercise for anyone involved.
90+2 mins: The free-kick is pinged into the wall and England clear.
Ivan clashes with Godfrey in the box. The former once again goes down but on this occasion he does seem to have been hit in the face.
90 mins: A cross is pinged to the front post which makes its way to Johnstone who panics and palms the ball into the danger zone. In the end, Romania get a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Will they make the most of it?
James Robinson says: “Totally agree with Cormac De Barra. (80mins). England will go out when they come up against the first world-class team ie France, Belgium etc.
“Which is pretty much what always happens (when they even get that far). After 49 years I can’t even get excited anymore. It’s been disappointment upon disappointment ever since I did laps of my grandpa’s living room when Bryan Robson scored very early on against France in 82.”
88 mins: England will be happy enough with how it’s gone but not much has been learned. We all knew Ward-Prowse could deliver a set-piece.
86 mins: A cross from the left is attacked by a couple of Romanians but no one can get a touch and Johnstone gratefully claims.
84 mins: Watkins almost has an immediate impact after nice work with Lingard on the edge of the box let’s the Villa forward find space for a cross to the back post which lands on Bellingham’s head but his effort is deflected over.
Trippier’s corner is swung to the back post where Mings is waiting but he heads the ball over.
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82 mins: Calvert-Lewin powers a header down towards the bottom corner but Nita is equal to it and palms it over. The referee calls for a foul anyway.
That’s his final action of the game as the striker is replaced by Watkins.
80 mins: Henderson not guaranteeing himself a go in a Euros shootout.
Cormac De Barra says: “My 2 cents on England’s chances for the tournament. Quarter finals or maybe semi’s if they get lucky! Southgate has no idea what his best team is, mostly because he has refused to pick anything like their best team for the last 2 years. He doesn’t know if what he thinks his best team is can play effectively together. They are also lacking experience. Looking at their forwards 90% are under 25 with few caps. Compare that to France! No chance!”
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Missed penalty! Henderson
78 mins: Henderson sends the penalty to the goalkeeper’s right but it is a good height and Nita goes across to save with relative ease. Henderson has still never scored for England.
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78 mins: Grealish is fouled but then Chiriches kicks the Villa man in the back of the head. The Romanian is claiming it is an accident. I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
Chiriches then jumps into Calvert-Lewin in the box and a penalty is given.
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76 mins: Lingard and Trippier on for Rashford and Shaw.
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74 mins: Ivan dives in the box and then holds his head as if he’s been kicked. What a shithouse.
He tries to redeem himself by whacking a shot from six yards out after a rebound lands favourably but Johnstone gets up quickly and drives across to palm the ball wide.
72 mins: Samuel Campbell demands power: “In the unlikely event I ever become in charge of football decision making, those sorts of ‘fouls’ will not be given anymore. Grealish has run away from the ball and made sure his leg makes contact with the defender. It’s cheating but for some reason it gets praised as being clever.”
70 mins: Rashford is on the right now and sends a low cross into the box but Nita dives down to collect.
England have taken the lead and now my daughter is crying. I guess she is Hagi all the way. In other Romanian news ... Căpușa means ‘tick’ as in the arachnid, which makes sense based on his first challenge.
Mary Waltz says: “It is not restricted to football, this tendency to compare current players to past ideals. It is common in all sports, music, film, the list goes on. Honestly, it’s just lazy journalism. No doubt, in 10 years the “next “ Harry Kane will be anointed when living memories of Gazza fade. And pity the next African American golfer who gets tagged as the next Tiger Woods.”
GOAL! England 1-0 Romania (Rashford, pen, 68)
Rashford marks his first game as captain by slotting the ball to the keeper’s left. Nita does not move.
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67 mins: Hagi is on for Romania! Căpușa is also on but his dad probably isn’t very interesting. (A quickly Google show Căpușa’s father was a less good footballer)
Căpușa’s first act on the pitch is to clip Grealish in the box to give England a penalty.
65 mins: Some pigeons are flying in front of the cameras, which is pretty exciting.
Bellingham and Rice are on for Ward-Prowse and Sancho.
63 mins: Rashford collects the ball 10 yards inside his own half and burns the Romanians with his pace, eventually reaching the box but he sends his shot wide due to being off-balance.
61 mins: It’s a low bar, to be fair.
@Will_Unwin James Ward Prowse MUST go to the tournament - best on the park for #England by some distance. Tiger in midfield AND a dead ball specialist.
— Stephen Yolland (@yolly1234) June 6, 2021
59 mins: Shaw is the latest man to be pulled back. Ivan goes into the book, which shows how many indiscretions there have been. Another Ward-Prowse free-kick incoming. He tries a shot, which Nita reads and claims on his goal-line.
57 mins: Grealish lays it off to Rashford, who tries to dribble through three defenders, he gets past two but the third is one too many.
55 mins: Calvert-Lewin is holding the back of his knee. he is up and about, which is good news.
“Will, is it a particularly football-based phenomenon to have to understand something by comparing it to something else, or does it apply universally? Asks Ben Watson. “Because literally every dribbling-based English player has to be heralded as the ‘new Gazza’.
“Descartes argued that God must exist because how else could the human mind comprehend Him? I’d argue that it proves He doesn’t, because He’s just a spirit imagined in man’s image.
“And if that proves anything it’s that Grealish isn’t the new Gazza or the new anything else, just a decent inside left. Or that I’ve had too much red wine.” Let’s all drink red wine.
53 mins: A cross from the left is not cleared by Rashford, allowing Sorescu to ping a shot from 20 yards but it flies well wide.
51 mins: Henderson looking like me at my first game of five-a-side after a year out: avoid running and pass it to someone else.
49 mins: Not sure how White or Godfrey could really play their way into the England squad against this mediocre Romania team. Not much defensive work to do.
47 mins: Grealish intercepts a loose pass from Nita, resulting in Sorescu pulling the Englishman back for a foul. Ward-Prowse has another chance to swing in a cross from the left. It is a great delivery for the boys in blue to attack but Calvert-Lewin can’t get a decent connection, sending it straight into Nita’s arms.
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Second half
Here we go again!
Henderson is on! Phillips off.
Andrew Patrick says we are all wasting our time watching this: “Flipped to Austria-Slovakia at half time and Austria have a midfielder named Grillitsch who looks a bit like Grealish. Plays for Hoffenheim apparently. That passes for mild amusement on a rather dull day of friendlies.”
Robert Lin says: “You say it will seem a little weird when JWP doesn’t go to the Euros but surely he’s the frontrunner to replace Trent.”
I would take Lingard as I think he can change games. Southgate is looking for a replacement for a defender. Ward-Prowse has certainly made the biggest impression, though, so could change minds.
England’s most dangerous weapon today is Ward-Prowse’s set-pieces, so it will seem a little odd when it doesn’t go to the Euros.
For a view on the pitch invader.
@Will_Unwin ... he's probably paid stupid money to get himself one of the limited number of tickets, thought it was clever to run on to the pitch, didn't even get on the telly and won't get to go to another football match again in his life. Numpty ... #ENGROM #ENGROU
— VoiceOfTheMysterons (@Mysteron_Voice) June 6, 2021
Niall O’Keefe emails to say: “It is absurd to say taking the knee and BLM is a ‘political’ movement. As with the very ‘social’ issue (not political) that is climate change, there is no one party pushing the agenda down anyone’s throats. Facts are facts.
“As for the football, would English players do better if they had a more unifying anthem like Flower of Scotland. I wonder how many players on that team are pro-monarchy?
“But the 3 Lions and the Unicorn symbolism make sense. Seen all four gallivanting around the Lake District many years ago. They are proud to be English.”
Half-time: England 0-0 Romania
Not much to say: England have hit the crossbar twice, Romania are not very good.
The fans are booing again. Cracking support!
45 mins: One minute added on.
44 mins: Sorescu reminds everyone that Romania are also playing in this game, as the defender bursts forward before playing a one-two, which allows him to fire a shot on goal which Johnstone repels with his right foot. Stanciu then picks up the ball and whacks a shot just over.
42 mins: Romania will be pleased to get in at half-time at 0-0.
40 mins: England have a free-kick on the left flank, as Romania aren’t very good so are just fouling people to delay the inevitable. Ward-Prowse curls it in but the referee gives a free-kick for a foul on Chiriches.
There is a pitch invader. How tedious.
38 mins: Rashford decides to liven things up by having England’s first shot on target but it dribbles into the goalkeeper’s arms from 20 yards.
Grealish bursts into to life to take the ball into the box before laying it off to Sancho who curls one towards the top corner, only to see it ping off the crossbar.
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36 mins: Mings gives away a foul on the halfway line. Stanciu spots Johnstone about six yards off his line, so decides to shoot from 45 yards out. It does not go well for the Romanian.
Controversial view: England will be a lot better with Chelsea and Manchester City players in the team.
34 mins: Romania are calmly passing the ball around and England are not doing much in the way of pressing. A time to conserve energy.
32 mins: Grealish is getting annoyed with the referee after he is fouled for the third time. Cicaldau is the culprit and he looks to be doing it quite deliberately as he is getting nowhere near the ball.
Ward-Prowse swings in the free-kick from wide on the right, finding Calvert-Lewin on the edge of the box but his fine header pings off the crossbar. Finally some life in the game.
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30 mins: Paun collects a cross 22 yards out and swivels to fire a shot at goal but it is straight at Johnstone.
Judging by the opening half an hour, I think my daughter is going to be more of a cricket fan.
28 mins: Sam Matterface has just said the best chance of the match has fallen to “Austria”. Better luck next time, Sam.
26 mins: All gone a touch quiet.
24 mins: England are dominating possession and starting to stretch the Romania defence. A ball is pinged out to Sancho on the right wing who lays it off to Godfrey, the defender puts the ball on his left foot and sends a disappointing shot wide.
Rashford bursts into the box, Chiriches comes across and the England captain goes down but it would have been a soft penalty. The referee rightly is not interested.
22 mins: A fine pass is slipped through the Romania defence for Rashford to latch onto but Nita comes out quickly to claim.
Peter Oh says: “I have very modest expectations of a Hendo appearance. If he manages to kick the ball reasonably accurately a couple of times and not re-ack his gah-twang, I’ll be more than satisfied.”
20 mins: I am not sure Gareth Southgate has learned much about this 11 in the opening 20 minutes. All a bit flat and tedious so far.
18 mins: Calvert-Lewin gets behind the defence from where he attempts to find someone in the box but there is no one in the area in blue as the goalkeeper calmly claims it.
16 mins: Ward-Prowse’s next corner is head well clear. The ball belatedly falls to Grealish who pings his shot about 20 yards over the bar from distance.
Ivan thrashes a dangerous cross into the box which is flicked on by an England head and eventually cleared by Godfrey before anyone in a white shirt can pick it up.
My inbox is full of people discussing the booing of taking the knee. I will look to post a few at half-time.
14 mins: Ward-Prowse swings in a corner but Godfrey is penalised for a foul. Looked very soft.
12 mins: Sancho runs from an offside position to collect a ball over the top, before cutting inside and whacking a shot high and wide. The assistant must be having a nap as Sancho was a good yard off.
Mary Waltz says: “Southgate will put Henderson in for 45 minutes, see how he performs, then make a decision. This game is a friendly, it counts for nothing, it is the perfect place to experiment.”
He has already been named in the squad, though.
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10 mins: Grealish gets on the ball for the first time, allowing him to play a one-two with Rashford to get the Villa man into the box but his cross is blocked by Chiriches.
Down the other end Romania do get a cross into the box which finds Marin 12 yards out in space but he sidefoots his shot straight at Johnstone.
8 mins: Plenty of condemnation of the ‘fans’ booing taking the knee. Romania’s Stanciu and Nedelcearu didn’t bother to join in. I am not sure why.
6 mins: England get the ball in Romania’s defensive third but the visitors look pretty well organised early on.
Mike MacKenzie says: “Okay I admit at outset that I’m a Liverpool fan. But Roy Keane must have lost the plot completely to criticize Henderson getting 45 minutes. Hendo is the best England has at his position and also offers leadership. So what’s the harm in giving him some time in a mostly meaningless match to see if he is fit?”
4 mins: The Romania corner is worked back into the box after a clearance but the dangerous cross bounces off a forward and out for a goal-kick. A little nervy from England so far.
Vibhanshu Bisht says: “As much as Keane always needs something to be angry about, the key to resolving any dilemma in international football is asking - What would Germany do? And I do not see Germany ever taking two players in two key positions into a tournament when they are not ready to play 90 minutes from day one.”
2 mins: There were some boos before kick-off for taking the knee. Let’s focus on the football ...
The first bit of action sees Mings make a mistake, letting the ball go past him and out for a corner to Romania.
Kick-off!
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
“I would love to see Grealish really turn it on in this game and make himself undroppable from the first eleven,” says Dean Kinsella. “He’s the nearest thing we’ve got to a Gazza at the moment.”
The Romanian national anthem is being sung in Middlesbrough and my house. What a way to start.
England are playing in all blue in an attempt to sell shirts to the masses or something. Romania have gone for an all white number to confuse fans.
The Romania support staff are having photos with Harry Maguire on the bench. Good bunch of lads.
To offer the contrary view on booing the knee, here is Tory MP Lee Anderson:
Southgate on the team selection: “We have players that need minutes and players that definitely don’t need any more minutes. We have players and combinations we need to look at.
On replacing TAA: “We are still openminded and we will see after today’s game.”
On Rashford being captain: “He is by far the most experienced international player in the team. He had a big smile on his face when I told him.”
He also confirms Henderson will get 45 minutes.
Mary Waltz emails: “Why did the players decide that taking a knee was necessary? Because the vile racist abuse on the pitch, in the stands, and on social media was a constant feature in football. “Oh, I am here to be entertained, I don’t want to be lectured, keep politics out of Sport.” The abuse was not being addressed. This has been going on for decades. You don’t like mixing politics and sports? Then turn in your mates when they start pouring out their hatred and bile. “Of course no one agrees with the racists but don’t remind me that it is happening and just sit there and take it” They will stop taking the knee when the abuse stops.”
Skipper stat.
23 - Aged 23 years and 218 days, @MarcusRashford is the youngest player to start a match as @England captain since Michael Owen (23y 179d) vs Slovakia in June 2003, which was also at the Riverside Stadium. Honoured.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 6, 2021
Should England throw caution to the wind? No, says Jacob Steinberg.
Gabriel Clarke has a load of photos of Tyrone Mings and Conor Coady for the two defenders to discuss. This is CLASSIC CLARKE.
Luke Nicholas offers a fair riposte to my analysis: “Only Godfrey, White and Ward-Prowse in the starting line up aren’t in the Euro squad and it’s safe to assume that one of them will replace Alexander-Arnold so not really that weird to play them.”
I would still argue at a week away from a tournament to have a back four including two people - Godfrey and White - I think will not be at the Euros is a bit odd. I think Lingard will go to the Euros in Alexander-Arnold’s place.
Get your optics around this ...
Henderson is on the bench and is set to get about 45 minutes of action. Roy Keane thinks it is all a bit silly to have some of these injured players in and around the squad. Keane does always need something to be angry about, that’s for sure.
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Some Jonathan Wilson to get you in the mood for the Euros ...
David Wall emails: “Earlier in the week Paul MacInnes wrote an excellent article where he called the booing of players who take the knee before kick-off a racist gesture. And he made a good suggestion that other fans should cheer as loud as they can to make clear that they are supporting players taking the knee and rejecting that racism. But there is also a role for the authorities here. If supporters made any other kind of racist gesture in a stadium they would be thrown out, perhaps even arrested, and their team would face sanctions (whether from the league they are part of or the relevant international governing organisation). The same should apply for those who boo taking the knee. And if that means ejecting hundreds of supporters, or even abandoning the game, then so be it. That would make clear that racism is unacceptable and that football is serious about that this time.”
What times like this really call for is a niche reference to today’s game, so here is my interview with the only Englishman to play for Steaua Bucharest ...
One of those starting is James Ward-Prowse, who could be on the move this summer.
Southgate is playing a number of players who are not in the current Euros squad, which seems slightly off. Is he just protecting those he is taking? It is nice for those earning their debuts but it seems a little futile seven days before their opening game against Croatia.
Starting lineups
England: Johnstone, Godfrey, Mings, White, Shaw, Phillips, Ward-Prowse, Sancho, Calvert-Lewin, Rashford, Grealish
Subs: Pickford, D Henderson, Ramsdale, Trippier, Coady, J Henderson, J Lingard, Watkins, Bellingham, Kane, Rice
Romania: Nita, Sorescu, Chiriches, Nedelcearu, Camora, Cicaldau, Marin, Stanciu, Ivan, Alibec, Paun
Subs: Vlad, Iacob, Căpușa, Ganea, Rus, Maxim, Morutan, Hagi, Buedescu, Olaru, Baluta
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Good afternoon
Today is the big day when we find out if football really will be coming home this summer. If England manage to beat the nation ranked 43rd in the world at the Riverside, it will be a true indication of where the Three Lions are currently.
OK, that is all a lie. Basically, today is about whether some England fans continue to boo the players taking the knee and to see if Jordan Henderson is in any fit state to lead England into the tournament after four months out injured. The Liverpool skipper is set to play his first minutes since February, which is good news but it is still a bit of a concern for Gareth Southgate that his main midfielder is very short of time on the pitch.
Southgate has spoken very eloquently about the boos before the Austria game from people who blighted the good work being done by the players, staff and may in wider society. Hopefully those who want to support their national team will realise what that means today.
The subplot to this game is very personal. My six-month old daughter is half English and half Romanian - today will determine who she will support at football for the rest of her life. Will it be a lifetime of Carlton Palmers or Gheorghe Hagis for her?
Let’s hope - at the very least - it will be a good watch for her.
Kick-off: 5pm BST
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