Lee Carsley might have thought that an inquiry about anthem-singing at his pre-match press conference on Friday was harmless enough. “I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries,” he said. But he has never joined in on the crooning either as a player for Ireland or as manager of the England under-21s because he is “in a zone at that point”, he wants to focus on the match ahead, being “wary” of his mind “wandering off”.
Grand. Moving along ... ooooooh, hold it.
Never mind asking God to save the King, it’s Carsley who needs saving from that section of the English press that lost its tiny mind on hearing his comments. It was the lead story – the lead! – on the front page – the front! – of the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, there was a deluge of incandescent opinion pieces, it featured on the news on BBC Radio and LBC and ... you get the drift.
The Daily Express even ran a poll on the matter: “Should Lee Carsley be sacked for refusing to sing God Save the King?” At the last check, 60 per cent said yes. No, seriously.
Writing in the Telegraph, Jason Burt argued that Carsley “cannot expect to manage England if he does not sing the anthem”, pointing to the fact that even the non-English-born Fabio Capello “did sometimes appear to move his lips” when it struck up, and Sven-Göran Eriksson gave it an (unsuccessful) bash too.
No one, though, was angrier than the Daily Mail’s Jeff Powell. “At least we didn’t expect a Swede and an Italian to warble God Save the King,” he wrote, which, in truth, would have been odd seeing as there was a Queen on the throne during their reigns.
The headline on Powell’s piece somewhat hinted at how grave a matter he considers this to be: “Lee Carsley should be sacked by the FA today. His refusal to sing the national anthem is a betrayal and he’s not fit to be England manager”.
Yes, Powell wanted Carsley sacked before kick-off at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon, which would have seen him beat Sam Allardyce’s record for the shortest reign ever as England manager – Big Sam was gaffer for one game.
“This is no job for an Englishman who refuses to pay even so much as lip service to our realm ... this is more of a betrayal than when England turned to foreign managers,” he wrote. Zinger alert: Powell never expected “the FA to fall for a closet Irishman”.
“His answer to the Irish question has told us where his heart belongs. On the Emerald Isle. We don’t need it confirmed by lips stuck together as if by Sellotape on the Aviva Stadium touchline ... it becomes all the more aggravated as Carsley defers to his Republican antecedents even as he takes England’s helm.
“Listen to this from Carsley upon his ‘interim’ appointment: ‘Being head coach of England is a major achievement but I’m definitely proud of my (Irish) heritage.’ Well, thanks a lot for that Lee. Who went on to enthuse about his recent summer break with the family in ... Cork.”
Note the ominous dot, dot, dot. You’d wonder if Jeff has some Kerry blood in him, why else would he be so offended by someone holidaying in Cork?
He concluded by suggesting that Carsley has “disowned” the flag. “Unless immediate remedial action is taken, where England’s only World Cup-winning team used to have Sir Alf Ramsey we now have Little Lee. Even though we already know his true colour: Green.”
D’you know, if they could turn Graham Taylor into a turnip, it’s likely that they’ll portray Carsley as Mr Potato Head soon enough, even if he’s victorious, happy and glorious after this afternoon’s game. Although, for the craic, he should place his hand on his heart, bellow out Amhrán na bhFiann, play Declan Rice in goal and Jack Grealish in a flat back one, then head for a holiday in Cork. God save him.
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