If the England team were picked from the Championship...

I've seen quite a few comments on here in the last year or so suggesting England pick a side from outside of the Premier League, as then it will mean so much more to those lads and we can then build a spirit and never-say-die determination as we see with the Welsh and Northern Ireland. I've always largely disagreed with this, as you look at the way the likes of Kane, Alli and Walker perform for their clubs and you have to say they're top players, who are asked to play in a stolid, uninspired England system that doesn't get the best out of them. They are talented lads and need to be in the side.

However... with the lack of options available and seemingly every Englishman who plays a few games in the Premier League getting a cap (only about 5 in the case of Winks), we aren't far away from seeing the England boss have to look to the Championship to pick a squad. And even if not, it's likely there are lads playing at our level who are better than many of the English players plying their trade in the league above but who don't get a look in.

So, I had a go at selection a non-Premier League England team and came up with this;

Johnstone (Villa)

Carter-Vickers (Sheffield United)
Terry (Villa)
Chambers (Ipswich)
Sessegnon (Fulham)

Skuse (Ipswich)
Huddlestone (Derby)
Swift (Reading)
Osborn (Forest)
Hammill (Super Reds)

Assombalonga (Boro)

Some things I learned from trying to pick an XI;

-It's still bloody difficult cos of the amount of non-English players in the Championship. This is particularly the case with teams who have acquired them in the Premier League and been relegated, but even the likes of Brentford and Bristol City are now packed with 'cheaper' foreign imports. Take the influx of overseas players out of the Premier League, and virtually every Championship player would be at a top tier club, as was the case 25 years ago. On the bright side, we get Hammill at our level to watch every week, instead of being at a Bournemouth or West Brom.
-Two of the lads I've picked are... surprise surprise, Prem loan players stockpiled by a 'Big Six' club. Two are already ex-England players on the wane and another four are probably destined for a Premier League move if their sides don't get promoted.
-There's less of a temptation to look at the club and level of the table a player is competing at when the blinding bright lights of Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd etc are taken out of it. Or the fees that have been spent on them when it's all 'Undisclosed'. Jack Grealish vs Hammill is a Michail Antonio vs Jesse Lingard, just as Jonny Howson vs Cole Skuse is a Jordan Henderson vs Dale Stephens, but in the Championship cases it's the less fancied team's player that is easier to pick.

So in conclusion, not news like, but football's fooked.

 

You'd possibly do better.

 

I have once or twice stated that the blinkered view of the choice of the National team should come from the premier league is *****... I do not think a team totally from outside the prem would be viable... however I do believe that even now as we speak there are players who would add some zest to the team. That's totally due to the fact that it would mean such a huge thing to them to win a cap and represent their country, and they would sweat blood and rub through walls for the shirt. But sadly the FA mandarins more or less pick the team and tell the lap dog that we call "the England Manager" what to do. So untill we allow a 'Brian Clough or Alex Ferguson' kinda guy into the hot seat and tell the suits to STFU then we will never ever EVER win major honors.

 

Robbo pre-birmingham!

 

I think there are a lot of Premiership players from unfashionable clubs that deserve a chance. Mawson and Shawcross for example. Drinkwater definitely.

 

You’re all fooking mad if you think we should start calling up Championship players

 

Who was the last championship player called up? Was it Heaton before Burnley were promoted? Other than goalkeepers I think you'd have to go back to around 2007 when Nugent was called up when at Preston? Could be wrong though.

 

Andy Johnson when Palace were relegated is the last outfield one I can remember. He eventually left to try cement his place in the England team. I think Nugent was at Pompey at the time, but in the Premier league.

David Stockdale was called up when playing for Fulham in the Championship. This is the most recent one I can recall.

 

Steve Bull and Peter Taylor both played for England whilst playing in Division 3.

 

Have the spirit of the Welsh team and fail to qualify for a World Cup for 60 years? No thanks.

 

Jay Bothroyd got called up a few year ago when in the championship

 

Slight probem with this.

Carter-Vickers is from the USA and Britt Assombalonga is from Congo. Apart from that though its a good side.