Lee Carsley lets England players make all right noises in smooth audition | Jacob Steinberg
Anthem storm before serene Nations League victory over the Republic of Ireland was silly but avoidable
At precisely 4.59pm in Dublin, an act of great treachery took place. Nobody will forget where they were on the day when Lee Carsley from Birmingham stood and decided not to sing a song moments before leading England to an easy 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in their 2024 Nations League opener.
Has a victory ever tasted so bitter? Has the imagination of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing, the audacity of Jack Grealish’s dribbling and the general sense of an England team treating the ball like an old friend ever felt so irrelevant when placed next to the Shame of Carsley?
