James Maddison’s casino visit was arrogant and disrespectful to Gareth Southgate who will need England’s best talents at Euro 2020
IT is not as if James Maddison doesn’t understand the merits of good PR.
The Leicester playmaker recently gave an interview in which he spoke at length of the need for confidence without arrogance.
It was a point he was particularly keen to hammer home. Because he’d have known full well that he has developed a reputation for being a little too cocky.
Diamond earrings, boasts about his wage packet and cheeky social-media digs at celebrities which beg the question, ‘Yeah, but what have you actually achieved yet, mate?’
And so Maddison’s decision to visit a casino on Friday night — while England were playing in the Czech Republic and after he’d left the camp because of illness — was a dismal PR own goal.
It was not a hanging offence for a 22-year-old kid with the world at his nimble feet.
But it was arrogant and disrespectful to Gareth Southgate’s England team.
Maddison is yet to win a cap after three call-ups to the seniors, despite some excellent match-winning performances for Leicester.
And there is a reason for that.
England boss Southgate adheres to the New Zealand All Blacks ‘no d***heads’ policy.
And there are very few players in and around this remarkably decent and likeable bunch of England footballers, who ever stray towards that territory.
Yet two of those believed by Southgate to have such tendencies are the two most naturally gifted contenders for the England No 10 shirt — Maddison and Dele Alli.
If England truly have ambitions of winning Euro 2020 — or even defeating a single major rival at that tournament — they are likely to need the rare inventiveness of one or both of those artful lock-pickers.
We do not want to return to the bad old days of English flair players being underused at international level — but Southgate is not a boss willing to forgive indiscipline even when twinned with great talent.
During last year’s World Cup, Southgate took great pride in the humility of his players, so many of whom had modest footballing backgrounds.
But Maddison and Dele — both products of lower-league football — find themselves needing to prove their mentality as much as their talent over these coming months.
Dele, who has been struggling badly for form or fitness for a year, is currently impressing his Tottenham team-mates with a renewed dedication and focus.
After hamstring problems, this improved attitude is yet to pay dividends on the field and Maddison was chosen ahead of Dele in the latest Three Lions squad.
Now, though, it is Maddison who has some serious convincing to do.
Southgate, who shows a benign ruthlessness in his man-management, pointed out on Sunday that he knows “pretty much everything about my players”.
It was a line straight from Alex Ferguson’s ‘Big Brother’ handbook.
The England boss knows there are black marks against Maddison’s character from this summer’s disastrous Under-21 Euro finals campaign.
And he is also aware the player has caused concern for several club managers.
When Maddison arrived at Norwich from Coventry in 2016 — having turned down overtures from Liverpool — boss Alex Neil immediately had doubts about his attitude in training and swiftly sent him on loan to Aberdeen.
After that successful secondment, Maddison shone in a mediocre Norwich side two seasons ago.
And yet, despite Tottenham advisor David Pleat urging chairman Daniel Levy to snap him up, Maddison received serious interest from only Leicester and Southampton.
Again, doubts were expressed about the player’s mindset.
At Leicester, Maddison is being well-coached and cherished by Brendan Rodgers.
Yet having talked up Maddison’s chances of winning a first England cap, his club manager will have been dismayed by his ill-timed game of poker.
Now is the time for Maddison to play his cards closer to his chest.
England truly need him — but Southgate will not indulge him.
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MO-GO AREA IS WRONG
IT was one of the best press conference answers I’ve ever heard.
After Mo Farah won Olympic 10,000 metre gold at London 2012, he was asked whether his achievement would have meant more had he been representing his native Somalia.
An indignant Farah replied: “Look, mate, this is my country. This is where I grew up and when I put on my Great Britain vest I’m proud.”
It was such a positive message about immigration and multiculturalism and many of us mentioned it frequently.
So for Farah to infer media racism towards him, after his former coach Alberto Salazar was found guilty of doping offences, is especially galling.
Just as it’s galling that Farah should suggest a media conspiracy against him, when great investigative journalism helped bring down Salazar.
Farah won all ten of his global golds under Salazar, and spent two further years working with the coach after serious initial allegations were made against the Cuban-born coach.
There is no witch-hunt here and certainly no racism. Just serious questions which Farah needs to answer honestly and directly.
SILVER RING
IT was encouraging that Chris Silverwood was appointed England’s cricket head coach ahead of South African frontrunner Gary Kirsten.
Silverwood did an outstanding job with Essex, winning the County Championship, has been well-regarded as England’s bowling coach and an English boss of an England team should be the preference in any sport.
But the fact that, at 44, Silverwood is such a dead ringer for the 60-year-old Carlo Ancelotti has caused some amusement.
This suggests Silverwood had a tough paper round.
Given the gruelling schedules involved with coaching England in every format, that would stand him in good stead.
BRAVE BOYS
IF there was an ounce of cynicism about Japanese rugby, Sunday’s decisive game with Scotland would have been called off after Typhoon Hagibis hit the World Cup’s host nation.
But despite the fact that Japan would have qualified after a cancellation, the show went on — and their thrilling 28-21 victory was the game of the tournament so far. Like South Korea’s footballers at the 2002 World Cup, Japan’s rugby men are proving the merits of taking major events to less obvious venues.
The Brave Blossoms are the world’s favourite team right now.
Do not discount them producing another upset and beating South Africa for a second straight World Cup in Sunday’s quarter-final.
SWEAR ARE YA?
PEP GUARDIOLA has brought great joy to the Premier League — not least with the magnificent way he swears in English.
It’s been revealed, after last season’s VAR-ravaged Champions League exit against Tottenham, the Manchester City boss told his players to ‘eat this f***ing s**t we have to eat’.
There’s a hilarious internet mash-up comparing Guardiola’s expletive-laden team talks with Neil Warnock’s.
It’s enlightening to understand that two such contrasting bosses really aren’t all that different.
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OWEN GOAL
WORLD CUPS aren’t always won with long-settled teams.
Geoff Hurst didn’t start England’s group matches in 1966 and Jofra Archer was an international rookie for this summer’s cricket triumph.
But just four days out from the quarter-final against Australia, it must be a cause for concern that England rugby coach Eddie Jones does not have a set idea of where best to play his captain and star player, Owen Farrell.