England's stars set for final World Cup audition
Sunday, 30 May 2010
GRAZ (Austria), May 29 (AFP): Some of England's biggest stars may feel on trial this weekend as Fabio Capello's team play their final World Cup warm-up match against Japan just 48 hours before the squad is cut to the final 23 who will go to South Africa.
The announcement of an England squad for a major tournament is always a nervous and emotional affair and the reaction of Paul Gascoigne, who famously let his anger get the better of him in then coach Glenn Hoddle's hotel room when told he would not travel to the 1998 World Cup, shows how much it means to the players.
Gascoigne's omission only goes to show that even the most high profile player cannot rest easy in these situations.
So it is not only fringe performers such as West Ham's Scott Parker and Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock who are feeling anxious ahead of their last chance to make a case for inclusion here in Graz.
Chelsea's Joe Cole for instance, an established international with 53 caps and one of England's better performers in Germany in 2006, knows his World Cup future is hanging by a thread.
The announcement of an England squad for a major tournament is always a nervous and emotional affair and the reaction of Paul Gascoigne, who famously let his anger get the better of him in then coach Glenn Hoddle's hotel room when told he would not travel to the 1998 World Cup, shows how much it means to the players.
Gascoigne's omission only goes to show that even the most high profile player cannot rest easy in these situations.
So it is not only fringe performers such as West Ham's Scott Parker and Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock who are feeling anxious ahead of their last chance to make a case for inclusion here in Graz.
Chelsea's Joe Cole for instance, an established international with 53 caps and one of England's better performers in Germany in 2006, knows his World Cup future is hanging by a thread.