The Black Princes of England

David Patrick Lane — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:23:22 +0000

(Davy expects African sides to edge traditional Latin and Continental powers, but fancies England for the Cup. Below he discusses the likely England squad, highlighting what he expects to be the historic contribution of England’s black players.)

To be King in Africa, a useful prerequisite is to be a Black Prince. Africans have high expectations in 2010. Prince Michael of Ghana is regal. Didier of Orange, deadly. Other African Princes will soon have noble claims.

European and Latin Princes will not relinquish supremacy easily. Castilian legions led by the Boy Prince Fernando occupy the high ground. The colours of the canary have been sighted. Animals grow restless at the approaching beat of the Samba. Caravans of dancing distractions cannot be far behind.

England’s Princes are now schooled in the Florentine art of obtaining and maintaining possession. Possession is power. The tongue and territory will be familiar. Their opponents fattened at the premier table.

A procession of pretenders will threaten England’s pomp and circumstance. It will feel like Carnival, littered with cheekiness, Danes with red faces, disguises, elaborate costumes and systems, flags and whistles, a few inflatable kangaroos, Honduran dark horses, outrageous moves, outrageously unbelievably beautiful Brazilians in bikinis dancing and drinking ice cold Castle in tepid game time temperatures, tight formations, sloppy formations, Serbs, Slovaks, thundering thighs, sombreros, swinging elbows and shots heard all over YouTube.

Ultimately, Africa’s Football Princes may rival or edge Latin or Continental forces, but history suggests only the ignominious can disrupt a worthy succession such as that of England’s Princes. Knaves no longer, England can be Kings in 2010.

Why England? Why now?

In all key areas, England can be industrious, intricate, and irresistible. Imposing, intuitive gatekeepers. Ugly, brutal defending, when required. A penetrating and visionary midfield, mercurial and marathon-like. Flying full backs. Tricky in the transition. Everyone a locksmith. Forceful along the forward line. And fearless in front of goal. Even the new threads are majestic and superfly. England project imperiousness.

The names of Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney have been written and will be ubiquitous in replica, official and illicit. Yet, such larger than life names cannot conceal a new England reality. England’s conquering football Princes promise to be black, mostly. It is this remarkable contribution from the African Diaspora that will soon transpose itself from the back page columns and blogs to the front-page consciousness of England.

England’s Black Princes are familiar as individuals. But those Black Stars have never been classified together in one global English football galaxy. It has taken F. Capello, a cagey Italian football astronomer from the small commune of San Canzian d’Isonzo to structure their collective attraction and power.

Their projected visibility and victory at a period of dark realignment in the English body politic will be timely. Folks in Barking, Essex, need not adjust their television sets.

Who are England’s Black Princes?

Goalkeepers

Capello has a bunch of capable, if occasionally flawed flappers to choose from. Carson, Foster, Green, Hart, Kirkland, Robinson have all had their moments. Yet David James who has had more moments than most will almost certainly be awarded the No. 1 jersey. He probably deserves it, though I personally prefer Chris Kirkland and Joe Hart.

Full Backs

For the No. 2 and No. 3 shirts, there is no looking past Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole. There will be more than a few housewives having a flutter on those two brothers being among the goals. The race to back up Johnson and Cole is interesting, if less colourful. Neville is an able, though stale deputy. There is more competition on the left. Baines, Bridge and Warnock all possibilities. (Ryan Bertrand, Kyle Naughton and Kieran Gibbs will all probably have to wait until Brazil 2014.)

Centre Backs

It is conventional wisdom to assume Rio Ferdinand and John Terry will marshal the back line, though a connoisseur such as Capello could be tempted to try Ledley King. Capello has a long established his preference for the Tottenham captain. In reserve there are a multitude of mangling, dangling defenders: Cahill, Collins, Dawson, Jagiekla, Shawcross, Upson, Wheather, Woodgate to name but a few of the latest, great white hopes. And not a new Bobby Moore among them. The versatility of the Manchester players, Wes Brown and Joleon Lescott, should ensure their presence in South Africa.

Midfield

Barry, Gerrard and Lampard are pivotal players, each capable of turning a game. But the World Cup is not one game, it is a tournament, and star performers tend to be telescoped and guarded more closely than ever at the big dances. It goes without saying a midfield requires balance, depth and width. England have an abundance of players who bring all that and can also slip into the boots of the big stars. Crucially, England can also call on unheralded players who can produce the unexpected. It is the transitional contributions of such players that win tournaments. England have four cats that fit that category. Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Young. At least two or maybe three of those four should be in the mix. Ashley Young tops the list for me, followed by Theo Walcott, then Aaron Lennon. For some reason, James Milner is flavour of the month, though I don’t see him as a cat among the pigeons type of player.

The usual suspects are favoured to fill out the rest of the midfield roster. Beckham, Carrick, Cole, and Hargreaves are known big club competitors. The inclusion of most of the above makes sense, yet based on recent squads, it would not be a surprise to see Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone preferred. Strong cases will made for hard cases like Cattermole and Parker, while others will advance the merits of selfless midfielders with a nose for a goal such as Bullard, Johnson, Murphy or Noble. The prospect of injuries and patchy form will keep folks guessing until the summer, by which point precocious youngsters like Fabian Delph, Jack Rodwell, Danny Rose or Jack Wiltshire may have matured into reserve grade luxuries one cannot do without.

Forwards

Rooney gives the Pele-like impression he could win the World Cup all on his own. It is Capello’s job to complement the boyhood Evertonian. He seems to be vacillating between Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole. Crouch has an enviable England record, but his tap ins against inferior opposition should not fool anyone. A second line of poachers seems likely to be drawn from Gabriel Agbonlahor, Darren Bent and or Jermaine Defoe. My preference would be for the Aston Villa player. His speed can unsettle defences in ways the others cannot. There seems to be no room for Michael Owen. It would be foolish to discount him just yet. It seems he may have to prove himself all over again. And even then Capello may well be keeping a young blood like Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Daniel Sturridge, James Vaughn or Danny Welbeck up his sleeve.

The Symbols of Victory

Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard may score the goal that wins the World Cup. John Terry may be the Captain that lifts the World Cup. They will be forever symbolic of an England victory. David Beckham, whether he plays or not, too. But another all together more compelling symbol of England’s crowning on African soil will be their constitution. A majority of England’s new football Kings promise to be Young, Gifted and Black.

*Disclaimer: Davy was raised in England. Like many English folk he has had a history of dismissing England’s World Cup prospects. He supports Uruguay.

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The Black Princes of England