England's new coach has really swung the axe, asBack of the Net's John Foster explains...
New England manager Roy Hodgson has been defending his surprise decision to leave everyone out of his squad for the European Championships in June
The ex-West Brom boss swung the axe in his first national team selection, choosing to omit Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards, Adam Johnson, Paul Scholes, and Michael Carrick.
There was also no place for Aaron Lennon, Peter Crouch, Daniel Sturridge, Scott Carson, or any of the other 4,000 professional football players eligible to play for England.
âÂÂWe needed to try something new,â explained the 64-year old at a press conference yesterday to announce the 0-man party.
âÂÂEveryoneâÂÂs had their chances at previous tournaments to show what theyâÂÂre capable of, and unfortunately, everyoneâÂÂs made it repeatedly clear that theyâÂÂre not up to the task.âÂÂ
How England will line up for their Euro 2012 opener against France
Having spent a career getting the most out of limited resources, Hodgson insisted that he had thought carefully about how to make best use of EnglandâÂÂs pool of available talent.
âÂÂWhen I asked myself who deserved to be in the team on merit, the obvious answer was nobody, so thatâÂÂs who weâÂÂve gone for,â he told FourFourTwo.com.
âÂÂItâÂÂs not the most physical line-up, given that it lacks any corporeal form, and I wouldnâÂÂt expect us to dominate possession,â he added. âÂÂBut IâÂÂm confident that this team can be more than the sum of its non-existent parts.âÂÂ
The decision to take no footballers means England will presumably line up in a 0-0-0 formation, though a more flexible 0-0-0-0 has also been touted. And with no big egos to contend with, the dressing-room disharmony that has plagued previous squads should be kept to a minimum.
Reaction among supporters to everyoneâÂÂs omission has been mixed, however.
âÂÂItâÂÂs great to see Roy get rid of the dead wood, but I worry about this teamâÂÂs strength in depth,â said England fansâ spokesman Hugh Merryweather. âÂÂWeâÂÂre lightweight in every position, and thereâÂÂs literally no-one on the bench.âÂÂ
âÂÂAlso, I canâÂÂt believe he picked Stewart Downing.âÂÂ
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