As a Newcastle United ex-pat now living in France – This is my take on England and the 2024 Euros final | OneFootball

Living in France these days and looking ahead to the England v Spain match tonight, my attitude to the national team is that they are representing me and my country and they deserve my support.

They’re not immune to criticism but I want to see them play and, hopefully, win.

As a Newcastle United fan, I don’t go along with any of the conspiracy theories about the FA and/or the England manager “having it in” for NUFC. We’re only just beginning to get players in the team good enough to be selected and they have been.

OK, Anthony Gordon should, in my opinion, be playing more minutes, but his exclusion is more about the Gormless One’s caution and determination to go with his tried and trusted favourites, rather than sticking two fingers up to the Geordie Nation.

That isn’t to say that I don’t think the Premier League and the Septic Six (aided and abetted by a significant number of big hitters in the mainstream media) are deliberately trying to derail – or at the very least severely disrupt – the progress being made by the Newcastle United owners.

Never mind England, this whole tournament’s been a big disappointment bar a few odd games – mainly involving Spain, but with honourable mention to Albania, Georgia and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland.

It gives me great pleasure to point out to my neighbours (and even more so that they don’t disagree) that France have easily been the most boring team of the lot. When they mumble about England being in the easy half of the draw I just tell them that if their team had won the group like ours did, they would have been in the same half.

My take on why so many teams have struggled to put so-called lesser teams to the sword is this.

Decent coaches have got hold of those countries’ teams and turned them into dogged, defensive units that sit back, soak it up and look for the odd break. Even though many of these countries are small, they can still find 15 or 16 good athletes with a bit of intelligence and the ability to stick to the plan. It’s easier to stop someone else from playing than it is to play yourself. Most teams find it difficult to break them down, not just England.

Of course, it doesn’t help when the big boys’ coach insists on taking players to a tournament who have been injured and not played for nearly six months, ignoring players who have had a real impact in previous matches, employing ultra-cautious tactics and regularly playing people out of position.

I think England have improved in the last two games but could easily have lost both of them, if the opposition had been more clinical. Spain will be the toughest test yet, but I was encouraged by the way a very ordinary, even poor, French team pressed them in the second half and could have taken the game. England have the individuals to match the Spanish but will GG be bold enough to let them play?

On The Mag, attention has understandably focused on Anthony Gordon’s exclusion (Flash looked great in his three to four minute cameo) but other players must be feeling every bit as aggrieved. Ivan Toney has looked good in the short run-outs he’s had, Ollie Watkins won us the last game and Bowen looked decent in the pre-tournament warm-ups, yet I would bet my house that none of them will start in the Final. Poor Adam Wharton seems to have been forgotten about completely.

I liked the way we played in the first half of the semi. We moved the ball quickly and with purpose, looking to go forwards and Foden in particular was far more involved.

I would start Ollie Watkins instead of Harry Kane but I fully expect the England team that starts tonight will be the same as for the semi-final and I would give them an even chance of winning the game – especially if Declan Rice can show the form that’s made him one of the top performers in the Premier League!