It’s funny being an England fan: you’re always a mix of total cynicism and disbelief that we’ll ever win anything but there’s a little voice in the back of your head that still whispers, ‘It’s coming home’ – and after looking at some of the stats from our squad this season, that voice sounds a little louder.
On Wednesday night, Manchester City star Phil Foden went 21-up for goals this Premier League campaign, not to mention 10 assists to boot, and our brains have already started drifting to visions of him creating or scoring an all-important goal at the Euros this summer.
Undoubtedly one of the rising stars in world football, not just England, the Stopfordian midfielder is having his best statistical season ever there’s no doubt he already looks at home on the biggest stage following the treble last year, but it’s also the company he’s now joined that’s getting us really excited.
As it turns out, not only does Foden have the stats to back it up but he’s also just the fifth player to manage 20+ goals and 10+ (and without penalties) across all of Europe’s top five leagues this season. We were also delighted to find out that only one of those other players wasn’t English:
Five players have registered 20+ goals and 10+ assists in Europe's big five leagues this season, across all competitions 🔥
England players putting up these kinds of stats is making us believe we could actually win something.
When putting things into a wider European perspective (which we have to start doing now the tournament is just over two months away), you can’t help but start to feel more positive when you hear that key members of Gareth Southgate‘s squad are putting up the best numbers on the continent.
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Although Harry Kane will obviously be starting presumably every game unless we romp through the group stage, having a second striker in Ollie Watkins, who is also having his best season in the top flight and looks to be leading a team outside of the ‘big six’ into the European spots, is not a bad place to be in.
Better still, with Ivan Toney having now returned from his lengthy league ban and already back to scoring, it seems the Three Lions boss has plenty of options up front when the Euros rolls around. Even Marcus Rashford is on 14 all-told in a fairly off-season for him.
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In fact, it may have been a problem for England teams in recent years but this current squad seems to have attacking players galore, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and Cole Palmer all on 20 goal contributions each this season too.
Bowen himself said he wants to give Southgate as big a selection headache as possible, whereas Palmer turning one goal into a hattrick in stoppage time on Thursday to make it 21 goals and a dozen assists is the kind of match-winning mentality you want in your squad. These are good problems to have.
✈️ This is the most likely England squad for the Euros based on the odds
On paper, you can’t deny it’s a seriously impressive squad.
And then we come to that all-important midfield, which has also historically caused us a dilemma at major tournaments, either through not having enough creative players or the right balance between defence and attack. The classic Scholes-Gerrard-Lampard-Beckham problem.
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We don’t want to get carried away but this year it looks like we might have one of the best lineups in the middle of the park you could hope for not only in quality and balance as mentioned before but in depth, physicality and overall engine too.
With Jude Bellingham being quite literally one of the best players on the planet right now and having quickly become a ‘galáctico’ star at Real Madrid in his first season and Declan Rice proving why everyone wanted to sign him as he’s been instrumental in Arsenal’s title race, it’s hard not to dream.
Oh, and we can’t forget about the latest inclusion to the squad in Man United‘s phenomenal young midfielder, Kobbie Mainoo, another Stockport-born starlet who hasn’t only just looked like the most mature player on the pitch at club level but earned player of the match on his very first England start.
Mainoo has been virtually undroppable since bursting onto the scene and after Ian Wright and countless other fans said he simply has to be in the squad, it already looks like he’s done one better and forced himself into most people’s starting 11.
We’re not ones to get overly obsessed with the most specific of stats but what we will say is that all three of these England players boast great numbers when it comes to passes played and accuracy, dribbles completed, tackles and low turnover rates when pressured – Mainoo, especially, at such a young age.
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To cut a long story short, what we’re saying is that there is a supreme amount of talent in this squad and even aside from things like xG and all those more minute metrics, it’s a really energetic squad with some key experienced players all throughout the spine to help keep the younger players more grounded.
Whether or not Southgate is around after Euro 2024 remains to be seen and although there are lots of players to build around in the future, it looks like this is arguably his best chance to win something as England manager. It’s all there on the table, we’ve just got to believe. It’s coming home.
Featured Images — Man City (via IG)/Harry Kane (via IG)/England (via IG)
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Stockport County release second drop in retro range as classic ‘Romania’ shirt is revived
Danny Jones
Stockport County FC have released the latest drop in their collection of retro football kits and casualwear, resurrecting the legendary ‘Romania’ shirt as the centrepiece of the new range of old school casualwear.
If you’re a die-hard Hatter, we don’t need to tell what jersey we mean or how iconic it is within the club’s rich heritage.
We are, of course, talking about the 1996/97 third strip that County players and Stockport supporters alike donned in their droves during their historic EFL Cup run.
Teaming with local town centre hotspots SK1 Records and Underbank bar, The Spin Off, for an official launch event, here’s how they debuted it to the public:
It’s anyone’s guess as to which throwback fit they’ll go with next or whether they’ll simply complete the 96/97 revival, but it’s safe to say that both have gone down a treat with the local community.
Revolving around the bright and unforgettable yellow, blue and red jersey itself – the shirt that County had to swap into before they went on to knockout then-established Premier League side Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park – the colourway is just as bold as ever.
Here’s a closer look at the second County Classics kit:
It’s no surprise that just like the previous instalment, replicas have been snapped up in no time, as indeed has their current third kit for the 2025/26 campaign, which also pays homage to their history.
Dave Challinor’s side hosts Stevenage Town at Edgeley Park this Saturday, 13 December, before taking on Mansfield away the following weekend – you can expect a fair few Hatters to be wearing the third strip (both the original and the re-issue) at each.
You can see more from this second edition in the County Classic range down below; all of the items are now on sale, and find out how much each piece from the full collection costs HERE.
Featured Images — Stockport County Football Club (supplied)
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Former Salford Red Devils player planning phoenix club after the team’s collapse
Danny Jones
A former Salford Red Devils player is planning to start a phoenix club from the ashes of the fallen rugby league team.
Retired winger Mason Caton-Brown, who played for the Red Devils between 2014 and 2016, is leading the consortium currently being linked with resurrecting the Salford side.
The Greater Manchester sporting institution sadly folded following liquidation on 3 December after a prolonged period of uncertainty and crippling debts.
Despite investors promising funds and multiple adjournments to their winding-up ceremony, time simply ran out and now Caton-Brown and co. are, hopefully, looking to pick up the pieces.
Heading up the move to bring back the beloved outfit, the former chairman of the ‘Forever Reds Supporters Trust’ (FRST), Malcolm Crompton, local entrepreneurs Paul Hancock and Ashley Washington are also assisting with the proposal.
Simply known as ‘The Phoenix Bid’, they are said to have potentially secured a six-figure sum and have already reached some provisional pre-contract agreements with a new coach and several players ahead of the formal offer being taken into consideration.
Publishing a lengthy mission statement on social media earlier this week, the ex-pro wrote: “I moved to Salford from London over 10 years ago, and the club and city welcomed me with open arms.
“It made me who I am today. The Salford City community is like no other, and the club is a big part of that, so when I saw it was at risk of going under, I truly felt the need to be a part of a solution and give back to the club, city and the community.
“But I’m not on my own, I’m part of a team of people that are passionate about what this club means and truly focused on making sure a true Salford RLFC stays alive and is something the fans and the city can call their own.”
Chatting with BBC Sport Manchester in a recent interview, the 32-year-old Enfield-born athlete turned businessman – who also represented the London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity – claims that conversations with investors and stakeholders are progressing nicely.
🗣️ "We are looking to bring this club back to life"
Former Salford winger Mason Caton-Brown has outlined his plans for a new phoenix club.
Salford fans, make sure to listen back to last night's Total Sport.
Signing off the post with a strong assurance, he said: “If our bid is successful, I promise we will do everything we can to protect the club and build a future Salford can be proud of.”
As for the fans, a spokesperson for the aforementioned supporters’ trust dubbed the prospective personnel spearheading the revival as a “powerful and credible team”, with Caton-Brown promising to reveal all the exciting details if the bid gets green-lit.
Speaking in an official press release shared with The Manc, the one-time Jamaican international and adopted Salfordian added: “This isn’t just about rebuilding a club, it’s about rebuilding belief.
“Salford means everything to me as a club and is part of my story. We want to create something the city can be proud of again; a club that stands for honesty, sustainability, and genuine community connection.”
“We’re inviting the people of Salford to stand with us. Together we can rise again, not just to bring rugby league back to this city, but to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”
Do you think The Phoenix Bid will be successful and, more importantly, do you think this group are the right people to bring the club back and get them moving onwards and upwards again?
Danny Jones -
5th April 2024 
