Andros Townsend for England

by Ben Howard | 05/10/2021

19 Comments [Jump to last]

Buoyed by my ever-increasing confidence in this Everton side, I found myself contributing to the Andy Goldstein phone-in on TalkSport last Thursday. The discussion was about outside selections for the England team.

Danny Murphy had already damned Jordan Pickford with faint praise by suggesting that, although shaky for his club, he is still a definite starter for his country and (begrudgingly) admitting that he never lets England down. I fully planned to challenge this lazy journalism with the statistics to show his complete turnaround in attitude and application since January, but decided to ease myself in slowly with a suggestion that Andros Townsend should be considered for an England recall.

Murphy was fairly dismissive, as you might expect, and so imagine my delight when Andros scored again on Saturday and I discovered who was a pundit on MotD on Saturday night.

Unfortunately, I wasn't name-checked and given the apology I rightly deserved.

I also wasn't given a right to reply on Thursday when I'd planned to give him both barrels about Pickford.

Listen Again: talkSPORT Drive with Andy Goldstein & Danny Murphy. Thursday, 30 September 2021 (16:00 - 19:00)

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Reader Comments (19)

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Ben Howard
1 Posted 05/10/2021 at 15:39:47

-16:20 if you want to take a listen.

Dennis Stevens
2 Posted 05/10/2021 at 15:52:43

I don't imagine you remember, Ben, Valentines Day 2012 at Portsmouth Pyramids. I was chaperoning my daughter, but it was a good gig. Decent crowd too.

Ben Howard
3 Posted 05/10/2021 at 18:04:26

Of course I remember Dennis! Always lovely to meet the fans.

Dennis Stevens
4 Posted 05/10/2021 at 18:10:45

Aye, there were a few of them there too!

Tom Bowers
5 Posted 05/10/2021 at 18:19:14

I don't like Southgate and some of his squad selections at times are just inane.

Not withstanding injuries he chops and changes when he should just go with the same squad instead of following the media.

Picking the likes of Tammie Abraham is ridiculous as he will never be a class act. He may stand out if he was in the struggling Andorra team they are facing next but he will never do well against the class teams they meet in the World cup proper.

I suppose if Townsend had signed for Manure he would have been selected on current form.

John Raftery
6 Posted 05/10/2021 at 18:32:16

We don't want Townsend anywhere near the England team.

Peter Neilson
7 Posted 05/10/2021 at 18:46:21

Reported that Southgate taking into account the 6 times Tammy Abraham has hit the woodwork (plus two goals in 7 league games). Apparently shows he's getting into the right areas. Demarai (3 in 7) now knows what he needs to do!

Sancho included not on form but so Southgate “can put an arm around his shoulderâ€. Farcical stuff.

Bill Watson
8 Posted 05/10/2021 at 19:34:54

I'm with John #6.

I don't want any of our players selected for any national side. Too many come back crocked with the latest examples being Digne, Coleman and Allan.

Thanks but no thanks.

Dale Self
9 Posted 05/10/2021 at 20:07:16

How is he going to play for England when CR7 won't even shake his hand?

Brian Williams
10 Posted 05/10/2021 at 20:48:47

Keep AT14 well away from the England setup, for fuck's sake.

Ben Howard
11 Posted 05/10/2021 at 21:00:55

I was merely highlighting the farcical notion that Southgate (and previous managers) pick players purely on form. I wouldn't want him near the squad either but he probably should be.

Luckily I don't think my comment had Southgate wondering...

Drew Oâ€™Neall
12 Posted 05/10/2021 at 21:52:45

Demarai Gray should be knocking at the door.

Difficult to break through in his position because of the talent in front of him but he is the one who looks like he can comfortably play at the next level to me.

Ben Howard
13 Posted 05/10/2021 at 23:47:59

Drew, although Demari is a wonderful player and we're lucky to have him, I'd say he's a little too similar to Sterling and Foden but not quite as good as either. Andros offers something else, in my opinion.

Mick O'Malley
14 Posted 06/10/2021 at 13:32:24

Can't stand Andy Goldstein, not a program goes by without him having a Man Utd themed phone in, Maybe if Andros played right back he'd get picked cos Gareth loves his right backs, and how is Sancho in?,he's hardly played this season

Phil Gardner
15 Posted 08/10/2021 at 00:44:05

Why would anyone subject themselves to conversing with Goldstein? You'd get more sense out of Micky Quinn, another Gobshite. I despair.

Danny Broderick
16 Posted 08/10/2021 at 14:07:49

I think Townsend's time has passed with England. He's 30 now, he'd be a stop gap at best. He's clearly not the future.

Demarai Gray, though, is a different matter. If he carries on the way he has started, he'll have to be given a shot at some point. Especially when you look at the indifferent form of Hudson Odoi, Rashford, Sancho, Loftus Cheek, Barkley, Maddison etc

He's more likely to make it than Townsend in my opinion, even though I love what Townsend has been doing in a blue shirt. The pair of them are contenders for signing of the season without a doubt so farâ€¦

Kevin Molloy
17 Posted 11/10/2021 at 08:57:53

The thing about Townsend which will give him a longer career is he's so two-footed. So he'll always have a bit more time on the ball, cos nobody knows which way he's going to go.

Micky Norman
18 Posted 13/10/2021 at 09:43:28

Nooooooooooooo! He is too important to be touted around risking injury, playing pointless matches in front of moronic flag shagging supporters for a coach who doesn't know how to set a team up. Use the international breaks for Everton's benefit.

Matthew Williams
19 Posted 13/10/2021 at 11:07:12

Just wish he had Welsh blood in him...as for the England team probably too old to compete with all the young quality players Southgate now has at his disposal.

As long as he keeps doing the business for us,than am more than happy folks!.

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