Wednesday 17 June 2015 13:37, UK
England’s U21 captain Jack Butland believes young footballers have a responsibility to act as role models to younger fans.
Following the photos on Twitter of Aston Villa’s 19-year-old rising star Jack Grealish, where he appears to be lying in the street while on holiday in Tenerife, the England U21 squad have been reminded of the standard of behaviour that is expected of them.
And Butland, one of the most articulate footballers currently playing the game, is only too aware of the pitfalls of modern society with its camera phones and instant social media messaging.
“We all know the power of social media, things can get out there so quickly,” Butland told Sky Sports. “We are high-profile footballers, we know that. We have to be aware of our profile all the time now, there are cameras everywhere.
“It can be difficult at times, we are young men after all. But we know we have to be careful. We have to be responsible. We are very proud of the way this group has conducted itself in the past, and continues to do so."
But the FA hasn’t changed its rules for this tournament, and Gareth Southgate, the U21 manager, is continuing to allow his players a laudable amount of freedom, outside of the team commitments here in the Czech Republic.
When my cameraman and I are doing lives for Sky Sports News, standing outside the team hotel in Olomouc, the players and staff come and go as they please.
Harry Kane may soon be the subject of a possible £40m bid from Manchester United but here, he can wander around in the street, pop for a coffee at the local café, or (as we saw him on Monday evening) throw a mini-football around with his mates on the grass.
Those “mates” just happened to be Everton’s John Stones and Tottenham’s Tom Carroll.
Butland is next to return. He stands 10 yards away and watches as I do my latest piece to camera, then heckles me after I’ve finished: “One take – can’t believe you managed it!”
Such is the relationship between the media and England’s u21s at the Euros so far; and it’s a relationship nurtured by the manager.
Southgate is the next to arrive at the hotel, on his phone, carrying a plastic bag. But he interrupts his call to give me a cordial: “Hey, Rob. How are you?” before heading into reception.
It’s Southgate’s philosophy: treat people with respect, and expect respect back. The message seems to have hit home with his players.
“We behave ourselves – behave like professionals," adds Butland. "And that’s why the manager has given us the freedom to head out of the hotel whenever we want. We can pop out for a coffee, go bowling, but we know we have to responsible with that.”
It’s a very mature attitude, for one so young. But as captain, you know it’s a message that’s been passed on to every other member of the squad. Any misbehaviour would not be tolerated within this very tightly-knit group. James Ward-Prowse makes it very clear that the players self-police.
“We do have to be aware of it (the recent high-profile embarrassments on social media) but our focus is on the football,” he says.
“We’ve been allowed our freedom out here. The manager has given us that space and expects us to be professional. But there are no in-house troubles. We all look out for each other, and the manager trusts our maturity.”
It’s in that atmosphere that England’s U21’s go into this tournament brimming with confidence. Yes, the stats will tell you that they won more points in qualifying than any other nation; that they’ve won 15 of their last 16 internationals; that they boast a strikeforce of Kane, Berahino and Ings who notched at total of 62 goals for their clubs last season.
But the belief within this squad goes deeper than those statistics would suggest. It’s a belief born out of months of travelling together to far-flung countries like Moldova and Lithuania in qualifying, and the fact that most of these players have come through the England ranks together, from a very tender age.
“For the past two years, everything we’ve done has been geared to wining this tournament. These are my best mates,” says Butland.
“And when you’re going into battle with your best mates, you feel impregnable.”
A typically eloquent way to sum things up.
