England National Football Team Match No. 763

Scotland 0 England 2 [0-2]

Saturday, 13 November 1999

England Pre-Match

All information is complete to and including the match against Belgium on 10 October 1999.

Notes

Thursday, 4 November 1999 - England coach Kevin Keegan has recalled Andrew Cole to the international squad despite Cole’s criticism of Alan Shearer in his recent autobiography.  Also in the squad to face Scotland a week on Saturday is Coventry City winger Steve Froggatt who is picked for the very first time. Froggatt was tipped for the top six years ago while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers until a nasty collision on the field left him with a leg broken in two places. Froggatt’s inclusion in the squad is due to his ability to play on the left side a area which is usually filled by either Graham Le Saux or Gary Neville, both of whom are currently injured.  Steve McManaman is also included in the squad following his recovery from injury.

Saturday, 6 November 1999 - Michael Owen lasted 79 minutes of his comeback for Liverpool today in a 2-0 home win over Derby County in the Premiership.  Owen looked tired and slow for much of the game showing little pace or power in attack after a recent hamstring injury saw him limp out of a game at Southampton two weeks ago and miss two more Premiership matches.  The striker is now set to join the England squad for the Euro 2000 play-offs but work is needed on his fitness which may see him regarded as a doubt for the first leg at Hampden Park on the 13th.

Tuesday, 9 November 1999 - Kevin Keegan has reported few injury problems in his squad.  Michael Owen is already training and Andrew Cole is expected to recover quickly from a bruised calf. The only two real foubts are in midfield with Steve McManaman and Ray Parlour both lacking match fitness.  A confident Keegan said "the tie will not be decided by Saturday's result.  I want Saturday to come. It can't come quickly enough" and said he believed the game would be tight.  "The game means more in Scotland than it does down here " commented the England coach and he may suffer a few critical headlines if the English press decide to pounce on his words.

Wednesday, 10 November 1999 - Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour was ruled out of Saturday afternoon's game at Hampden Park but he may be fit for selection in the return leg at Wembley next Wednesday while Manchester United star Andrew Cole came through light jogging and stretching this morning and will undergo a full training session tomorrow.

Thursday, 11 November 1999 - England have suffered a major tactical blow with a recurrence of Steve McManaman's groin strain.  The Real Madrid star broke down in training yesterday only two matches after his return to the Real side from his groin injury and is unlikely to play in the game on Saturday.  The England medical staff and Kevin Keegan will decide later today if he is to be sent back to Spain for treatment but his injury leaves a major space on the left side of midfield - a frequent problem area for the English.  The lack of talent on the left side has been a talking point among the press for months and the injury to Graeme Le Saux robs Keegan of obvious cover for McManaman.  The coach has two other options but both players would be making a debut in the tempestuous Hampden Park atmosphere. Steve Froggatt is a left winger as Steve Guppy and neither are adequate defensive cover and may force players out of position in the England defence if either one is picked to play.

Friday, 12 November 1999 - Defenders Sol Campbell and Martin Keown did not join the squad for training today after they arrived to prepare at the Hampden Park venue for tomorrow night's first leg of the play-off.  Both defenders have been nursing injuries with Campbell only four games into a comeback for Tottenham that has seen him miss the first three months of the season. Although the central defender performed well last week in the derby game with Arsenal he has not felt well all week as the months of inactivity catch up with the 23 year old and he starts to miss match fitness. Also giving some concern to the England camp is veteran centre back Martin Keown who has missed several training session this week.

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PY/CG