Southgate choosing Delph and Livermore over Jack Wilshere is criminal

What is Gareth Southgate thinking? by Dan Smith

Jack Wilshere has been omitted from our World Cup squad

While Barkley didn’t get in the Chelsea team, super Jack did everything asked of him, starting games for Arsenal to prove his long term fitness. Yet (including our standby list) apparently Jake Livermore and Lewis Cook are ahead of him in the pecking order.

This isn’t a bias from a writer who happens to support the club the man in subject has represented since a child. Football after all is dominated by various opinions and the man in charge of FA senior team is more crucial then mine. Heck Arsenal’s owners are willing for him to run out his contract so it’s not like Wilshere is universally adored. My anger more comes from who Wilshere has been rejected for the sake of.

If Southgate was preferring an Adam Lalana over Jack, not wanting to gamble on both not breaking down then fair play. If our England boss could argue a Jon Jo Shelvey had played his way into contention they I could not argue. Or even if this decision was made for the sake to take a gamble on, say, a Ryan Sessegon I could at least turn the other cheek. Yet the reality is Jack Wilshire will spend his summer on a beach because of a Fabian Delph and Loftus-Cheek.

That indicates this is a simple case of Southgate not rating Jack Wilshere as a player and nothing to do with his injury history. When you are calling up a Fabian Delph who on the few starts this year he has been a makeshift left back, you can no longer lie that minutes on the field is your criteria.

Given that this man is paid millions of pounds to use his judgement, Jake Livermore (relegated with West Brom) being viewed better then Jack Wilshere is a sackable offence.

These tournaments come round every 4 years. All we ask for is to come away from a competition proud of the football we have watched. Having not seen that in over a decade that is our sole expectation.

Not even having Wilshere on a standby list tells me exactly what style of play to expect.

Dan Smith

32 Comments

    1. Maybe Southgate knows Wilshere better than the rest of us. Maybe he knows that, just like Joe Hart, Wilshere is a divisive influence. I for one, as an Arsenal and England fan, am glad that Wilshere will not be there.

  1. Am really torn, I cannot honestly say the decision is good or bad but I would have love for our Jack Wilshire to be there. He has worked very hard. The injury has had a real effect on is career.

  2. Perhaps Livermore has been selected to do a completely different job to Wilshere, just a thought…….

  3. I guess Southgate wants more physical players in his squad

    Wilshere did good at the beginning, but then he gradually became Wenger’s typical midfielder, produced a lot of sideways and backward passes without any consistency of breaking forward

    Maybe he just needs a better gudance from Arsenal’s next manager, since he did not get it from Howe and Wenger. But it’s been too long waiting for Wilshere’s potential, hence Arsenal had better move forward, like what they did to Walcott

  4. I thought Wilshere being left out was a travesty and has caused me much distress and emotional harm.

    I want compensation

  5. Jack the overrated Wenger orphans, might be heading to championship next season,he used to warm the bench at Bournemouth how he purports to be good enough for Arsenal is beyond me

  6. I am trying really hard not to put any expletives in here, ….ing ludicrous Southgate.Up until now I thought you were doing well! Now right when it matters you have me genuinely worried man! A midfield devoid of creativity but tough enough to bolster our defence,so a long ball for the Vardys, Kane’s and welbecks? Mmmmmmnn should be fun ……briefly then home!!!

    1. It really doesn’t matter who goes we are simply making up the numbers, we have absolutely no chance as a country of doing anything. To be honest I cant be bothered to watch.

  7. Wenger has just confirmed that Arteta is the man.let it be.If it was meant to be.It will be.Welcome to Arsenal Arteta you have all the quaties be a successful manager.Case close

  8. Does his ommission make him more or less likely to leave Arsenal. My gut says more likely.

  9. I am not happy with the decision but honestly I expected it. Jack was sh*t for good part of the season. Check his stats and you’ll understand how poor he is. I find it particularly annoying when some fans rate him more than Ramsey. He might look more talented but he’s just not as effective as Ramsey in any aspect bar holding the ball. Sorry Jack, work harder

  10. England are the filler materials among the world cup teams. We know they break faster than an egg.The squad selection does not matter they are not good enough,not going far

  11. Excuse me sir, can you tell me the quickest way out of the World Cup?
    Yes, of course, take the Southgate !

    Perhaps my memory has faded, but I recall Southgate being as useful as a chocolate fireguard, during his England career!!!

  12. I’m not quite sure whether or not Jack deserves to go to Russia but I do get your point about some of the fragile players Southgate has chosen. Mind you I have never rated Southgate as a player or a manager considering Sam Allardyce was chosen ahead of him and has now been sacked by Everton.

    1. Talking about about Allardyce, who have thought years ago watching a big lump of a centre half kicking anything that moved, playing for Bolton Wanderers would end up being sacked by a sleeping giant club like Everton and getting £6 million pound to leave and having the cheek to say the club treated him atrociously. Football’s gone mad.

  13. he hasn’t been good, it’s not criminal. England NT not very good anyways and they should be happy to get out the group. Zero creativity in the midfield, and an average Wilshere would only have helped a bit. Wilshere not making NT should be a wakeup call that he is not good enough and has not been for ages. Don’t think Arsenal is the place for him to revive his career either.

  14. Wilshere had been poor this season, for a creativty player, he offer nothing.
    Delph have good season with city, and a middlefield who also play good at left back is far better than wilshere ar this momment.

  15. England have one of the least creative midfields of the big teams in World Cup which is why they will come up short yet again … Wilshire probably unlucky not to go given the crap that is but between injuries wenger’s inability to develop him as a player and his own stupidity it’s not a big shock … The question is will a new manager get the best out if him … Unlike the likes of Ramsey and xhaka the guy has footballing qualities that don’t just evaporate

  16. Wilshere was playing to cautious to prevent himself from getting injuries, but doing so his game did suffer a lot and therefore him being ignored. Tough luck Mr Jack but there are more important things as going to the world cup. Something England wont win any time soon anyway.

    Comon Henry. Plz. not my fav. but to compared to Arteta he is a diamond. Kinda starting to think that the board are playing a game with us. Trying to shock us with no names only to get us a good guy in the end as a manager who as a second thought would not be that bad. Not the caliber of Alegri und co but somehow okay manager.

  17. Wishere has been average at best this season.He seems to have lost a yard of pace since his series of injuries and while he was never quick he could be sharp as he attacked in the final third.He is not the player he was but I can understand the frustration of Arsenal fans when they see a squad which is top heavy with wing backs and water carriers.Had Wenger trusted AMN more often he may have just made the squad but apart from Lalanna there is not one creative midfielder available.Southampton must feel aggrieved when the likes of McCarthy and Bertrand are omitted.In my view McCarthy has been the best and most consistent English goalkeeper during the past sixmonths.

    1. I agree with you Grandad, I’ve also been watching McCarthy lately, can’t understand why we’ve not made a move for him. All I can say is this Leno must be a bit of a keeper.

    2. Grandad you are right that there isn’t any creative midfielders. Going forward England has quick wingers, very good strikers who are also quick. If Lallana or Jack was in the squad…you would see through balls between defenders from all angles which makes it easier for strikers and wingers to score since they have that flair of finding spaces in tight and open spaces.

  18. To be honest, I don’t give a monkeys about England, full of northerners and Spuds, the quicker the get knocked the funnier it will be. As for Southgate, wasn’t he the clown that missed a vital penalty then made money making a supposedly funny advert about it. A***hole

    1. Our season really cost some of our players the world cup, even lacazette has been omitted for france. Mustafi doesn’t deserve to go anyways and i would have liked to see wilshere go.

      1. Totally agree with you. Don’t know whether to be sorry for them or to say serves them right.

  19. I would also have taken Delph over an average creative midfielder like Jack. At least I could employ Delph for other tasks

  20. I am a arsenal fan, yes i am somewhat disappointed that jack was not made apart of the england squad, but even more so that SHELVY from Newcastle was not given a shot, indiscipline in the earlier part of the season but had a wonderful end of season run, i think he is the best player England have in the role as a provider.

    In truth jack has been crappy for arsenal and games he should have been dominating, he looked plain and simple,, with others around him looking far better, once a player plays with fear of getting injured he has lost confidence and once you lose confidence in self, then there will be issues.

    England i think will make it to the next round but would need a lot of luck to move any further, midfield has been severely overlooked especially in the creative sense, quick forwards, big defenders, seem like it calls for long balls

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