Fingers Crossed

What's the worst that can happen!

Gareth Southgate has named his England squad and there's no surprise that questions have to be asked.

He had stated early after his appointment as the England manager that “My preference is always that you have clarity for the players, in terms of you need to be playing regularly, you need to be in good form.”

Really!

Danny Welbeck, included in the squad, has only started two Premier League matches in the last five months and has only managed 3 goals in the Premier League this season.

Jake Livermore, mirroring his team, has been in really poor form this season and has scored no Premier League goals and has only one assist all season.

Adam Lallana has started just two games this season, featuring in only seven games so far in this campaign.

Joe Hart has only played one game in the last ten after being dropped by West Ham.

John Stones is another who is no longer assured of a Premier League starting place and Danny Rose, Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jesse Lingard are other players who have, to varying degrees and for different reasons, found regular starting berths at club level difficult to come by.

There had also been a lobby for the inclusion of the Brighton striker Glenn Murray who, at the age of 34, is in the form of his career having scored 11 this season, more than Welbeck and Rashford combined.

This brings us on to Wayne Rooney, 2 years younger than Murray, who has scored only one goal less than Murray this season but was forced out of the England set-up when Southgate named his first squad as England manager. Why? Well Gareth gave the reason, “I don’t think he expects, if he is not playing every week for his club, to be picked in this sort of situation. He is very mature in this sort of discussion."

Also dropped for that initial squad was Theo Walcott despite the fact the then Arsenal forward had scored 17 goals in all competitions – more than any other player in his squad. He is not in the current despite back to his best, playing well and an ever present for his Everton team currently.

At least Gareth is consistent.