We used to bemoan every international break, but right now we’d kill to see England struggle through a 1-0 win against the Faroe Islands.
While we’re getting all nostalgic about the Three Lions, we got thinking about those players who somehow managed to blag their way into wearing an England kit.
We’re not talking about the one-cap wonders though. We’re talking about the cap burglars. The men who repeatedly picked up caps despite being consistently average. Not terrible, but bang average.
Here we go…
Brian Deane
Brian Deane gets on the list simply for the fact he played against New Zealand twice and never scored.
Geoff Thomas
We’ve got the utmost respect for what Geoff Thomas has done off the pitch. But the fact he got nine England caps still baffles us.
Steve Stone
Hands up if you have nine caps too many for England. Yes, we’re looking at you Steve Stone.
Stewart Downing
Stewart Downing built a career on a simple drop of the shoulder, picking up a whopping 35 caps in the process. 35 caps. Seriously.
Darius Vassell
Darius Vassell picked up 22 caps for England despite only hitting double figures in the league once in his career.
Kieran Richardson
Kieran Richardson scored twice on his England debut. Ended up picking up eight caps.
Andy Johnson
Andy Johnson scored for fun in a Crystal Palace shirt. Couldn’t find the net for toffee for England.
Luke Young
Surely there was a better right back than Luke Young. Anyone?
Wes Brown
Wes Brown got 23 caps for England despite never being first choice at Man United and playing in the golden era of English centre backs. ‘Nuff said.
Carlton Cole
Carlton Cole has the record for most substitute appearances for England without any starts. Seven caps too many.
Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley gets a tough time. Presumably it has something to do with earning 13 caps for England.