The most colourful aspect of Lee Carsley’s inaugural media briefing as England manager (interim for now) was elder correspondents sharing Oasis stories from the Manchester beat in the early 1990s.
Doubts were raised about Liam Gallagher’s dyed-in-the-wool loyalty to City from those who remember when the Anglo-Irish band briefly ruled the world.
Holding court at St George’s Park, the FA’s plush headquarters outside Burton-on-Trent, Carsley sounded as unfazed by the Oasis reunion as he was about returning to the country he represented between 1997 and 2008.
That soft Brummie accent provides instant clarification that Lee Carsley can be both nationalities at the same time. As Morrissey sang: Irish blood, English heart – he is a 50-year-old Birmingham boy with a granny from Dunmanway in Cork.
“Forty caps for the Republic of Ireland is something I am proud of,” he said quietly. “I am equally proud today; being named interim head coach of England. I am definitely proud of my heritage, and was back in Cork in the summer for a family reunion, so I am really looking forward to the game in Dublin.”
What is clear about Carsley is how different an international manager he will be to Gareth Southgate, and Heimir Hallgrímsson for that matter. He instantly put a “little mark” on the group that faces Hallgrímsson’s Ireland on Saturday week by naming six players he used in the Euros under-21 final victory over Spain last year.
Besides Cole Palmer, they are largely unknown to the wider world, although Noni Madueke did recently acquire some prominence. Madueke last weekend accidentally Instagrammed a private message that branded Wolverhampton a “shit” town. The Chelsea winger could barely contain his apologetic giggles in post-match interviews after scoring a hat-trick at Molineux.
“The way Noni has started the season, in terms of his energy, his pace, his directness, I think he is a player that will be really important for this camp. He is a player I know. Hopefully I can get the best out of him.
“He will definitely help the squad and coming off the back of losing [the Euros] final I think the squad needs that little injection of enthusiasm. The new players will definitely bring energy. These players have earned the right to start.”
“Carsley’s Kids” headlines are inevitable.
Declan Rice is guaranteed a warm welcome next week as the Arsenal midfielder won one of his three Irish caps at the Aviva Stadium, against the USA in 2018, before declaring for England. Jack Grealish was another English-born star who rose through the Irish system before changing allegiance at under-21, and Carsley welcomed his return to the England camp having been overlooked by Southgate this summer.
“I’ve known our Jack for a while,” he said. “Never worked with him, but I have seen the ability he has got. He is one of those players coming in who has a point to prove.”
Carsley batted away questions about the possibility of permanently replacing Southgate after the Nations League campaign and taking England to the World Cup in North America. But, in the same breath, he hardly dampened expectations.
“We are all aware that the head coach that comes in, the objective is quite simple: to win a big tournament. The expectation now is so high, and realistically it should be, as we’ve got some of the best players in the best league in the world. There is no hyping – we have players in this squad to go one step further.”
Gut feeling, Lee, do you want to be England manager?
“I’ve not really thought about it to be honest. I’ve learned in the past, that when I was caretaker manager at Brentford, Coventry and Birmingham City, I expended so much energy talking about why I didn’t want the job that I forget to do the job. I’m 50 now so a bit more relaxed, a bit more comfortable in my skin. I am happy to help out. I am happy to do the best job that I can and just see what happens in the future.”
If the FA offered you the job tomorrow, would you take it?
“It’s probably important that we see how the games go. It’s a boring answer but the best person is going to get the job. There are some brilliant head coaches out there. I trust the people involved in the process will find the best person.”
Was he worried about the abuse visited upon Southgate?
“No, not really. I am really confident in the job I can do.”
Some might say, impressive first day.
England squad – Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United). Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City). Midfielders: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atlético Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal). Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
