Lambert and England - Not a Bad Start

Off you go Wayne

It’s a day after the night before.  We all saw it – Sir Rickie Lambert came on as a sub for England and within two minutes, scored the winning goal against Scotland with his first touch, a thumping header that no keeper on earth would have stopped.  I was watching it on the TV with two of my kids who were both wondering why Dad (Aged 44) hit the roof and was then crying.  Afterwards I explained that it’s because I’m a Saints fan.

Get in!!!

So, where was the last crying episode? If we go back to Cardiff 2003, I can remember crying during ‘Abide with me’ but I also remember the strange spectacle after the game where Arsenal had won and all their fans had left the stadium and we’d lost but forty-odd thousand of us were still in there and singing.  We’re not used to success like the fans of the big clubs are, though not Arsenal now oddly enough.    However, would there have been any Arsenal fans in tears when Walcott scored last night, or United fans when Welbeck did?  I very much doubt it unless the goal had caused their accumulator to go up in smoke.  I had the same feeling when Rickie’s header hit the net as I did when Le Tiss smashed in that goal against Arsenal in the last game at The Dell in 2001. 

The rest of the country now knows all about Rickie Lambert – they now know what we’ve known all along.  They’ve seen the interviews and his down to earth humble nature, his obvious pride at pulling on an England shirt and heard the rags to riches story from the beetroot factory through the lower leagues and they now know that ‘overweight lower league striker’ is not really an accurate description any more.  There have been accusations in the past that players from smaller clubs are not welcomed by the established England players and I thought there was some substance in this when Wayne Bridge broke into the squad whilst at Saints and no one seemed to pass to him.  This was never going to happen with Rickie a) because of this age, b) because of his nature and backstory and c) because two of the major personalities in the England squad, Gerrard and Rooney are fellow Scousers.  The way he was congratulated by the established players when he scored was heartwarming stuff and restored a lot of my lost faith in the England set up and the attitude of a lot of the players.

Not only did he score but he ran the channels well and held the ball up, only giving it away once when he tried an over-optimistic pass.  He will know he should have scored a second when he hit a post from 8 yards but in mitigation, a Jock defender got a toe on the cross so it hit Rickie's shin instead of his foot.  Rickie has of course done himself no harm and in all likelihood will be in the next squad and has given himself a chance of playing in the World Cup in 2014.  He has to stay fit and score goals this season and as far as his competition in the squad goes, firstly he has to prove he’s a better bet than Andy Carroll as there is no way that Roy Hodgson will take both of them.  Usually, we take 4 strikers to a tournament and baring injury, three of these will be Rooney, Welbeck and Sturridge leaving one place between Lambert, Carroll and Defoe.  As far as I’m concerned, he’s better than all of the other 5 and maybe if all 6 are in the next squad then Roy Hodgson will see that as well.

Of course, England have to get there first and the next few games are qualifyers.  Will Hodgson have the balls t give him game time in those or will he resort to type and play Rooney, regardless of his form and fitness.  There are other issues as well, especially in defence where Cahill and Jagielka don’t look like a partnership that inspires confidence.  The much maligned Welbeck and Cleverley started the game appallingly badly but both had a hand in goals which seems to have disguised the fact that they weren’t all that good and then there was my personal favourite James Milner who was encapsulated in the 93^rd minute when England won a corner, sent everyone forward and Milner managed to hit it behind Baines who was our last man, forcing him to race back and knock it back to Hart.  The positives though were the full backs Walker and Baines who I would play ahead of Johnson and Ashley Cole and the return of Jack Wilshere.

That’s for another day – this was a day when it’s all about Rickie Lambert and Saints and their fans.  Moments like this don’t come around too often so make the most of it. 

Yep, still smiling.