Cole comfort as youth gets chance

After watching over 70 games between them in five different countries over the past three months, the most eagerly anticipated event in English football since Kevin Keegan's resignation, the first England squad of Sven Goran Eriksson and his highly regarded assistant Tord Grip, was named yesterday.

It did not make the earth shudder in the manner some had expected but there were enough minor tremors to justify the excited talk that had preceded the announcement. The emphasis, with a couple of notable exceptions, was on youth, thereby partially continuing a theme set by England's interim manager Peter Taylor when he chose a squad of players aged 30 or under for the friendly in Italy.

With Tony Adams and Alan Shearer retired, there were no places for either Chelsea's Dennis Wise or Middlesbrough's Paul Ince, but there were call-ups for Arsenal's Ashley Cole (20), West Ham's Joe Cole (19), and the younger Cole's Upton Park team-mate Michael Carrick also 19.

Frank Lampard made it a hat-trick of West Ham midfielders. Not since the 1966 World Cup final have three West Ham players featured in the same England side, but the Swede is clearly impressed by the "excellent talents" of Cole, Carrick and Lampard.

Andy Cole's inclusion made it three Cole men for Eriksson. Proving that Eriksson is not fanatical about youth Andy Cole's Manchester United colleague Teddy Sheringham earned a recall as did 37-year-old David Seaman.

Michael Ball of Everton and Ugo Ehiogu of Boro were surprise names in a larger than foreseen squad of 31, but the only one really out of left-field - literally - was Chris Powell of Charlton Athletic. Aged 31, until yesterday Powell has been seen as a workmanlike left-sided wingback who neither stood out in or was embarrassed by Premiership company. Or first division company for that matter.

But Eriksson explained this and other decisions thus: "My assistant, Tord Grip, and I have watched a lot of games but I'm not so stupid that I think I know every player I ought to.

"It's a friendly so we thought it would be better to take many players to meet them, talk to them, see them practice and get to know them.

"We may have made some errors, with some players out who should be in, some who are in who should be out. Who knows?

"The door is open to all English players. We might have forgotten someone but it's not easy in five weeks to have an absolutely perfect opinion about all English players."

Eriksson was nevertheless determined to ensure that even with just three training sessions with his players, he brings his influence to bear on the fortunes of the team.

"I hope there will be a revolution on the pitch. I'm not coming here to try to start a revolution, but I am coming here to try to do it my way," he declared.

ENGLAND SQUAD (for friendly against Spain): Seaman (Arsenal), Martyn (Leeds), James (Aston Villa), Wright (Ipswich), G Neville (Man Utd) P Neville (Man Utd), Brown (Man Utd), Ferdinand (Leeds), Campbell (Tottenham), Ball (Everton), Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Ehiogu (Middlesbrough), Powell (Charlton), Dyer (Newcastle), Beckham (Man Utd), Scholes (Man Utd), McManaman (Real Madrid), Carrick (West Ham), J Cole (West Ham), Lampard (West Ham), Parlour (Arsenal), Butt (Man Utd), McCann (Sunderland), Barmby (Liverpool), Heskey (Liverpool), Owen (Liverpool), Fowler (Liverpool), Andy Cole (Man Utd), Sheringham (Man Utd), Phillips (Sunderland).