Young City keepers Declan Rudd and Jed Steer could yet find themselves going for gold at the London 2012 after Team GB were finally handed a ticket to the Olympic football tournament.
For years the competing claims of the four, Home Nations and their respective football associations have denied the brightest football prospects in Great Britain the opportunity to compete on an Olympic stage.
But with London hosting the games in 2012, so a deal for Team GB to compete has finally been hammered out – an English-only Under-23 side, stiffened with three over-age players, will now fly the flag for the host nation.
All of which had the weekend papers speculating as to who might, actually, feature in any England Under-23 team come 2012. And who might manage said outfit.
The answer, according to The Guardian's feature writer, would be Alan Shearer – with City's England Under-17 prospect Steer in goal.
All of which, of course, reckons without Rudd's own designs on that Olympic No1 jersey.
He will continue to press his claim for an England Under-19 cap this evening when Brian Eastwick's teenagers face their Scottish counterparts in the deciding UEFA European Under-19 Championship clash of this week's four nation tournament.
Middlesbrough's Jason Steele has kept Rudd out of the limelight in the 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovnia and the 4-1 dismissal of Slovakia, but as he proved in the club's FA Youth Cup run to that quarter-final defeat against Manchester City, the Canary Academy product is not exactly short of confidence on the big stage.
And what could be bigger than representing Team GB in London 2012?
Quizzed earlier this summer, new Canary first team coach Ian Crook confirmed the widely-held belief that both Rudd and Steer are destined for the top of the game.
“They certainly are,” said Crook. “Both of them – I think – will be top class keepers in their own right.”
David Marshall's swift exit to Cardiff City this summer certainly gives Rudd the chance to claim that No1 slot; Steer may yet have to bide his time for at least another season.
Likewise, on the England Under-17 front Steer has competition on his hands – be it from either Manchester United's Sam Johnstone or West Bromwich Albion's Ryan Allsop, neither of the two Norwich contenders are going to have the gig to themselves.
That opportunity clearly knocks for both young men is not, however, in doubt after FIFA chief Sepp Blatter gave his blessing to the arrival of a 'Team GB' in the Olympic football tournament.
“I'm happy because I have always said don't make a big story about this,” said Blatter, with one-time Canary loan star Kieron Gibbs looking equally well-placed for a shot at Olympic gold having broken into the Arsenal first team in the latter stages of this season.
“You have to bring a Great Britain team for the 2012 Olympics in football and, as they are four associations, then take one association to be this team,” added Blatter, as Team GB prepare to face the likes of Argentina, Brazil and Spain in a highly competitive and, undoubtedly, highly-popular tournament.
“I said this at the very beginning and they did it. I am happy, they are happy, the IOC is happy, the organising committee is happy and I hope football is happy.”
The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs have, however, all opted out of the running to let an England Under-23 side run the show – lest it threaten their own, individual identities.
That then prompted criticism from Andy Burnham, the Sport, Media and Culture Minister.
“I'm obviously pleased that the four associations have come to an agreement that there can be a Team GB,” Burnham told BBC Radio Five Live last week.
“But I think it's very disappointing and actually a bit narrow-minded in some ways that we're just saying young talent from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can't represent that Team GB.
“I understand entirely if Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don't want to be in any way seen to support the principle of Team GB … but I think it is very unfair that a young player in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland who would get a call-up to that team, would be threatened with sanctions about joining that team.”
Leave a Reply