Within a few days, two sharply contrasting
results for the England football team.
First, a dull and unimpressive display
in Prague, where two arguably avoidable
goals were given away and the incentive
of an early penalty lead was squandered.
The Czechs, with adventurous full-
backs, used the flanks well, but their
Ever genial Elton
“I think Watford might have saved my
life,” writes that immensely successful
singer Elton John, who has just published
“ME”, his autobiography. It was surely a
reciprocal affair, as the club have much
benefitted from his support.
Roy Dwight, a cousin he much
admired, played for Nottingham Forest
in the 1959 FA Cup Final at Wembley
and later got him a job packing parcels
in Denmark Street, Soho, where
bandsmen traditionally gathered.
Years ago I wrote a long magazine
profile of him. In the late 1970s he tells
that he was taking cocaine and says that
all he can recall of that period were the
victories obtained by Watford.
My own recollections of him are of
someone fundamentally decent and
generous. When a Canadian magazine
asked me for a version of that article
they initially rejected the idea that the
photos be taken by my younger son.
Elton declared that if Toby didn’t take
the picture he’d refuse to co-operate.
Toby duly took them.
During that dire time, he recalls:
“I couldn’t lose my temper or sulk nor
could I take drugs or get drunk. I was
there as a representative of the club.”
He cheerfully endured the teasing of
the spectators around the directors’ box.
Under his aegis and the managementof Graham Taylor, the club came shooting
up from the depths of the fourth division
to second place in the top, and to
Wembley for an FA Cup Final.
Reg Dwight, his actual name, had
modulated into an international singing
star. An ever genial one.second goal was an embarrassment for
the England defence.
The subsequent match in Bulgaria,
who had been comfortably defeated at
Wembley, was a sharp and productive
contrast. This time the home side gifted
England with surprisingly abundant space
which was largely put to good use. TheWhat future for
Foden at City?
“We were fantastic,” exulted the Wolves
captain Conor Coady after victory over
Manchester City, but we should surely
keep things in proper proportion.
City were without Aymeric Laporte,
John Stones, Leroy Sane and perhaps
most significantly of all, Kevin De Bruyne,
the outstandingly effective and creative
attacker. So all credit to manager Pep
Guardiola for not trying to use these
salient facts as a valid excuse for his
team’s defeat.
Given that they were missing so many
first-choice players, it was baffling that
Guardiola kept on the subs bench the
gifted Phil Foden, who must surely be
wondering what kind of future is afforded
him by a club which fails to turn to him
in such a dismal display as was this.The two sides of Southgate’s England
arrival in central defence of the 6ft 3in
Tyrone Mings filled what had been an
embarrassing weakness.
The lack of a valid playmaker had
been all too obvious in Prague but in
Sofia one was scarcely needed. There
still seems to me a good case for giving
a chance to Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish,
who should surely have been at least
in the squad for the previous couple
of games. Now that his team are in
the Premier League he will surely be
at least given attention.
If you are going to use a number 10 it
should be a genuine creator; something
which cried out to be remedied in the
defeat in Prague.
Sooner rather than later we should
surely be seeing the impressive and
precocious Callum Hudson-Odoi back
in a senior England squad.
Very much a Chelsea development,
born not far away in Wandsworth, he
turns 19 in November. Last season he
made just 10 league appearances, but
this season he has begun to come into
his own. One more natural English winger
with a bright future before him.ORead Brian Glanville’s
weekly online column
at worldsoccer.com
Home...Elton John
(centre) playing at
Vicarage RoadStruggle...Raheem
Sterling fails to
escape the Czech
defence in PragueGifted...
Phil Foden