Too much Baggage: a new approach to selecting the England team

At England's pathetic exit from the World cup in the round of 16 in South Africa last month I wrote:

The debate or investigation into what went wrong will go on for some time. Was it the manager's fault in sticking rigidly to 4-4-2 or the players' fault for some inscrutable reason like incompatibility as personalities? I suspect there is a lot more to tell about this. Were they bored living and training together for 5 or so weeks? Is that relevant? Wouldn't it make them more eager and enthusiastic to be actually playing?


Well, things are not being investigated and all we may get is bits of gossip and speculation.  



It is time to change to the kind of player who would be better suited for the task. The England team should be chosen from the Championship, the league below the Premier League, plus the under-21s in the Premier League. Both of these categories have talented players who would relish the opportunity. They do not play as many games as those playing for teams in the UEFA competitions (Premier League teams) and would therefore be the fresher to play in the World Cup and European international tournament. Plus the fact that teams with 'stars' do not necessarily do well in these international tournaments: too much baggage!