Lee Carsley is ready to stay silent and not sing God Save the King ahead of his first game as England manager.
Interim boss Carsley insisted it was nothing to do with him representing the Republic of Ireland at international level during his playing days. But Carsley says he never sang the national anthem before kick-off during his playing or coaching career and made it clear he is unlikely to start now.
That may infuriate some England fans and traditionalists who want the players to show passion for their country when they line up before games and former boss Gareth Southgate always joined in. But Carsley says he is too busy preparing for games and is "in the zone" and therefore does not want to concentrate on singing the national anthem. Former Everton midfielder Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but eligible for Ireland through a grandmother, also says he did not do it while in charge of England under-21s, who he led to European Championships success last year.
Carsley said: "This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland. The gap between your warm up, you coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it's something that I have never done. I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off. I was really focused on the football and I have taken that into coaching."
"We had the national anthem with the Under 21s also and I am in a zone at that point. I am thinking about how the opposition are gonna set up and our first actions within the game. I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It's something I am really respectful of."
When pressed on whether he would ever sing the anthem, Carsley insisted he would not. It has led to a mixed reaction among fans and commentators across social media and television. One comment on social media declared: "Who cares. So long as Lee Carsley performs in his job as the manager." Another added: "It really doesn't matter if he sings it!" And there were many others that insisted it simply isn't an issue, given it makes no difference as to whether he can actually do his job or not.
But an op-ed in the Daily Mail claimed Carsley "should be sacked by the FA today. His refusal to sing the national anthem is a betrayal and he's not fit to be England manager." And the fact he wasn't going to sing the anthem was indeed a cause of indignation for others, with another commenting: "Sven Goran-Eriksson sung the national anthem and he wasn't even from our country. I don't care if Lee Carsley played for Ireland, but if there's a political reason you he won't sing the national anthem then he should quit."
Kelvin Mackenzie was quick to get on his high horse too, writing on social media: "With some old cobblers about wanting to focus on the game, Birmingham-born but capped by Ireland l, the new England football manager Lee Carsley explains he won't be singing the national anthem at our international with Ireland tonight. England cannot have a British born manager who doesn't sing our anthem. It's as simple as that. An insult to many and will become a major distraction . Thank you for your service Mr Carsley and goodnight. God Save The King."
It really has led to a remarkable reaction among those who don't see it as a problem and those supposed 'patriots' who would see him sacked no matter if England go on to win 4-0 in Dublin. On the pitch, Carsley is set to recall Harry Maguire to the starting lineup after he missed out on a place at Euro 2024.
Carsley said: "He's a leader. He leads by example in terms of his preparation on and off the pitch. Obviously his quality is there to see as well when we do our sessions, so that's what I'm expecting to see. In the games that I've seen him play, I think he's got stronger as the games have gone on. Also, obviously, he didn't play in Manchester United's last game, but he's come into camp physically very, very good. And mentally, yeah, he's been good on and off the pitch I felt. What I want we've already had in terms of the way he's been around the squad, what I expected."
Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose midfield experiment at the Euros didn't work for predecessor Gareth Southgate, is set to start at right-back while Jack Grealish, who played for Ireland's Under-21s, is also set to be given the nod in midfield. England are expecting nearly 3,000 fans to be in the Aviva Stadium for the Nations League clash with Republic of Ireland on Saturday. Police and FA chiefs have not issued special instructions to England fans, stressing they trust them not to sing inflammatory chants during the game or before kick-off.
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