Lee Carsley national anthem decision needs no explanation in face of tabloid fury

“I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off.

“I was really focused on the football and I have taken that in to coaching. We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point.

“I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game.

“I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of.”

Sounds perfectly reasonable. But unfortunately for Carsley, he has committed an unforgivable sin in the eyes of reactionary columnists who have leapt on his comments with a ruthless fervour. 

The Telegraph’s Jason Burt wrote that the coach was “naive” for making such a decision that would cause “unnecessary offence” and questioned “whether he can psychologically cope with the added duties, attention and pressure” of the job.

The usual coterie of tabloid rags reliably followed suit to go in two-footed on Carsley and his supposed act of sedition, knowing full well it would boil the p*ss of their gammon-faced readers.

There has been little else to write about this week in what has to be the most muted buildup to an Ireland vs England game in living memory, so every hack jumped on the opportunity to load up on hate clicks before Saturday’s 5pm kickoff.

‘Man Makes Personal Choice Which Is No One Else’s Business’ would make a more appropriate headline, but it won’t sell newspapers or generate hits for publications that have steadily lost public trust over the years.

Carsley is an outsider to get the England job on a permanent basis, having taking a patient and circuitous route in his coaching career. Whether he has what it takes for the role will depend on the only thing that really matters: winning games.