England
Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson
Tactics: Strong in midfield but the left flank remains a problem area.
Star Player: Wayne Rooney - supremely talented and seems to be curbing his temper.
Verdict: Have the players to go all the way but consistency remains a problem. Defeat to Northern Ireland in qualifying was followed by a thrilling win over Argentina in a friendly in Geneva. Question marks exist about the defence at the highest level. John Terry is a rock but Rio Ferdinand needs to get back to his best, and fast.
Ten things you didn’t know about England
1. England is in fact, England – NOT Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom, and certainly not Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. It is the most populous part of Great Britain, representing 84% of Britain’s population.
2. England derives its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe which settled in ‘England’ in the 5th and 6th centuries.
3. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the EU, second only to the Netherlands.
4. England’s longest river is the Severn, which rises in central Wales and flows through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester in England to the Bristol Channel. It is 200 miles long.
5. No point in England is ever more than 75 miles from the sea.
6. English people drink more tea than any other nationality in the world.
7. The English village of Hay-on-Wye, while only having a population of only 1,300, has 40 bookshops.
8. England has not been a distinct entity since 1707, when the Act of Union formally united England with Scotland and Wales. The current “United Kingdom” came into being with the addition of Northern Ireland in 1927.
9. Since 2000, England has been the only part of the UK without its own ‘devolved’ parliament. This has led to an apparently anomalous situation whereby Scottish MPs sometimes vote for certain matters that apply to England only, while English MPs have no say over equivalent matters in Scotland. This is known as the West Lothian question.
10. While not a legal entity as such, the concept of England is very much with us. Apart from the fact that most foreigners muddle ‘English’ up with ‘British’ all the time, ‘England’ remains an important entity in some respects: For example, the Queen is technically the Queen of Great Britain, but this form is rarely used and she is more often known as the Queen of England. Similarly, the United Kingdom’s major financial dealings (e.g. setting of interest rates, commercial bank regulation, management of national gold supply, etc.) are handled by the Bank of England.
England player profiles
Goalkeepers
Paul Robinson
Made his debut for England on February 12, 2003, against Australia, aged 23. Currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Robinson has 19 England caps (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of Birth: October 15, 1979
Height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
Fact: Paul Robinson, to date, has a 100 per cent record for saving penalties for England. Up until the start of the 2006 World Cup, in his England career, he has faced one penalty kick, which he saved—against Spain, in November 2004.
David James
Made his debut for England on March 29, 1997, against Mexico, aged 26. Currently playing for Manchester City, James has 33 England caps (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: August 1, 1970
Height: 1.94m (6ft 4in)
Fact: Although he made his senior England debut in 1997, it was not until after the 2002 World Cup (and the retirement of David Seaman) that James enjoyed a spell as England's first choice keeper. Aged 35, James is the oldest member of Eriksson's squad.
Scott Carson
Currently playing for Liverpool. At the start of this summer's World Cup, Carson was yet to make his full international debut; he has won 19 caps for the England U21 side.
Date of birth: September 3, 1985
Height: 1.90m (6ft 3in)
Fact: Carson trained alongside fellow England goalkeeper Paul Robinson when the two players were in the Leeds United squad; Carson made his senior league debut for Leeds in January 2004 when he came on as a substitute to replace Robinson, who had been shown a red card.
Defenders
John Terry
Made his debut for England on June 03, 2003, against Serbia and Montenegro, aged 22. Currently playing for Chelsea, Terry has 22 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: December 7, 1980
Height:1.88m (6ft 2in)
Fact: John Terry was voted PFA Player of the Year in 2004-2005.
Rio Ferdinand
Made his debut for England on November 15, 1997, against Cameroon, aged 19. Currently playing for Manchester United, Ferdinand has 45 England caps and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: November 7, 1978
Height: 1.89m (6ft 2in)
Fact: On joining Manchester United in July 2002 for a fee of £29.1 million, Ferdinand became the country's most expensive player and the world's most expensive defender.
Gary Neville
Made his debut for England on June 3, 1995, against Japan, aged 20. Currently playing for Manchester United, Neville has 78 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: February 18, 1975
Height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Making his international debut in 1995, Gary Neville is the longest-serving player in the current England squad, and has played under five different managers (Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan, Peter Taylor, and Sven-Göran Eriksson).
Sol Campbell
Made his debut for England on May 18, 1996, against Hungary, aged 21. Currently playing for Arsenal, Campbell has 66 England caps and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: September 18, 1974
Height: 1.88m (6ft 2in)
Fact: During his international career, Campbell had two vital goals controversially disallowed—one against Argentina during the World Cup in 2002, and the other against Portugal in the quarter final of the European Championships in 2004.
Wayne Bridge
Made his debut for England on February 13, 2002, against Holland, aged 21. Currently playing for Fulham (on loan from Chelsea), Bridge has 22 England caps and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: August 5, 1980
Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Bridge was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award in 2002, and the same year was one of only two English players to be included in the PFA's Premiership Team of the Year.
Jamie Carragher
Made his debut for England on April 28, 1999, against Hungary, aged 21. Currently playing for Liverpool, Carragher has 23 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 28, 1978
Height: 1.86m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Together with Gareth Barry, Jamie Carragher holds the record for the highest number of caps for the England U21 side, with 27 appearances at this level.
Ashley Cole
Made his debut for England on March 28, 2001, against Albania, aged 20. Currently playing for Arsenal, Cole has 44 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: December 20, 1980
Height: 1.72m (5ft 7in)
Fact: Cole played in every match for England in the World Cup in 2002 and the European Championships in 2004, and following his impressive performances in Portugal, he was named in the Euro 2004 All-Star squad chosen by UEFA representatives.
Midfielders
David Beckham
Made his debut for England on September 1, 1996, against Moldova, aged 21. Currently playing for Real Madrid, Beckham has 87 England caps and has scored 16 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: May 2, 1975
Height: 1.82m (5ft 11in)
Fact: Shown the red card in matches against Argentina (June 1998) and Austria (October 2005), David Beckham is the first player to have been sent off twice for his country, and the first England captain to have been dismissed by the referee.
Frank Lampard
Made his debut for England on October 10, 1999, against Belgium, aged 21. Currently playing for Chelsea, Lampard has 38 England caps and has scored 10 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: June 20, 1978
Height: 1.83m (6ft)
Fact: One of England's longest-serving players, Frank Lampard comes from a famous footballing family—his father, Frank Lampard, Senior, played twice for England in the 1970s, cousin Jamie Redknapp made 17 appearances for the national team, and uncle Harry Redknapp is a Premiership manager.
Steven Gerrard
Made his debut for England on May 31, 2000, against Ukraine, aged 20. Currently playing for Liverpool, Gerrard has 40 England caps and has scored 6 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: May 30, 1980
Height: 1.85m (6ft)
Fact: Steven Gerrard's vast list of footballing achievements and accomplishments in his eight seasons at Liverpool FC includes winning the League Cup (2001, 2003), FA Cup (2001), UEFA Cup (2001), and UEFA Champions' League (2005), and being named the PFA Young Player of the Year (2001) and UEFA Champion's League Most Valuable Player (2004-2005).
Owen Hargreaves
Made his debut for England on August 15, 2001, against Holland, aged 20. Currently playing for Bayern Munich, Hargreaves has 29 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 20, 1981
Height: 1.81m (5ft 11in)
Fact: Despite playing regularly for the national side, Owen Hargreaves has never actually lived in England—he was born in Calgary, Canada, and has spent his entire professional career to date playing for Bayern Munich, in the German Bundesliga.
Jermaine Jenas
Made his debut for England on February 12, 2003, against Australia, aged 19. Currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Jenas has 15 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: February 18, 1983
Height: 1.79m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Jermaine Jenas was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 2003.
Joe Cole
Made his debut for England on May 25, 2001, against Mexico, aged 19. Currently playing for Chelsea, Cole has 30 England caps and has scored 5 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: November 8, 1981
Height: 1.75m (5ft 8in)
Fact: Although he was part of the England squad for two major tournaments (the World Cup in Japan and Korea in 2002 and the European Championships in Portugal in 2004), Cole did not play in either competition.
Michael Carrick
Made his debut for England on May 25, 2001, against Mexico, aged 19. Currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Carrick has 5 England caps and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: July 28, 1981
Height: 1.83m (6ft)
Fact: Michael Carrick joined West Ham United's youth team when he was 16 years old and played alongside current England counterparts Jermain Defoe, Joe Cole, and Glen Johnson.
Aaron Lennon
Currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur. Lennon is yet to make his full England debut, but is a regular for the England U21 side.
Date of birth: April 16, 1987
Fact: When Lennon made his debut for former club Leeds United in August 2003, aged 16 years and 129 days, he became the youngest ever player in the history of the Premiership.
Stewart Downing
Made his debut for England on February 2, 2005, against Holland, aged 20. Currently playing for Middlesbrough, Downing has 1 England cap and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: July 22, 1984
Height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
Downing was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award in 2004-2005 and the same season was voted Middlesbrough FC's Player of the Year by his team-mates.
Strikers
Michael Owen
Made his debut for England on February 11, 1998, against Chile, aged 18. Currently playing for Newcastle United, Owen has 75 England caps and has scored 35 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: December 14, 1979
Height: 1.73m (5ft 8in)
Fact: Currently England's leading goalscorer, Owen was the youngest player to represent England in the 20th century and was voted European Footballer of the Year in 2001.
Wayne Rooney
Made his debut for England on February 12, 2003, against Australia, aged 17. Currently playing for Manchester United, Rooney has 29 England caps and has scored 11 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: October 24, 1985
Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
Fact: On making his debut for his country, Rooney became the youngest ever England player aged 17 years 111 days; his first international goal—against Macedonia in September 2003—made him England's youngest ever goalscorer, aged 17 years 317 days.
Peter Crouch
Made his debut for England on May 31, 2005, against Colombia, aged 25. Currently playing for Liverpool, Crouch has 5 England caps and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 30, 1981
Height: 1.98m (6ft 7in)
Fact: Although, at 1.98m Crouch is easily the tallest player in the England squad, he is not the tallest footballer likely to be making an appearance in Germany—this honour goes to Czech international striker Jan Koller, who is a towering 2.02m (6ft 8in).
Theo Walcott
Currently playing for Arsenal. Walcott is yet to make his full England debut, but has played for the England U17 and U19 sides.
Date of birth: March 16, 1989
Height: 1.72m (5ft 7in)
Fact: Shock inclusion in the England squad, Walcott has yet to make a senior appearance for Arsenal in the Premiership; his highest level of international experience to date is one game for the U19 side, but his debut, against Slovakia in February 2006, was a memorable one. He missed a penalty but was allowed to retake it, and then successfully converted his second attempt; the game finished 3-0 to England.