England national under-21 football team
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| England Under-21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Young Lions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Association | The Football Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  Stuart Pearce (since 2007) |
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| Captain | David Wheater | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | James Milner (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Alan Shearer & Francis Jeffers (13) |
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| First International England U-21 0-0 Wales U-21 (Molineux, Wolverhampton; December 15, 1976) |
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| Biggest win England U-21 8-1 Finland U-21 (Boothferry Park, Hull; October 12, 1977) |
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| Biggest defeat Romania U-21 4-0 England U-21 (Ploieşti, Romania; October 14, 1980) & England U-21 0-4 Spain U-21 (St Andrews, Birmingham; February 27, 2001) |
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| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 10 (First in 1978) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Winners 1982, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U-21s, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for English players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year European Under-21 Football Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Also in existence are teams for Under-20s (for non-UEFA tournaments), Under-19s and Under 17s. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U-21s, senior side and again for the U-21s, as Kieran Richardson, Darren Bent and Theo Walcott have done recently. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player is eligible). Nigel Quashie is a current Scotland international and former England U-21 player.
The U-21 team came into existence, following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions, in 1976. A goalless draw in a friendly against Wales at Wolves' Molineux Stadium was England U-21s' first result.
England U-21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia dotted all around England, in an attempt to encourage younger fans in all areas of the country to get behind England. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds can be used. The record attendance for an England U-21 match was set on March 24, 2007, when England U21 played Italy U21 in front of a crowd of just under 60,000 at the brand new Wembley Stadium, also a world record attendance for a U21 game. [1] The match was one of the required two "ramp up" events the stadium hosted in order to gain its safety certificate in time for its full-capacity opening for the 2007 FA Cup Final in May.[2][3]
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[edit] Competition History
| Year | Progress |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Semi Final |
| 1980 | Semi Final |
| 1982 | Champions |
| 1984 | Champions |
| 1986 | Semi Final |
| 1988 | Semi Final |
| 1990 | Failed to qualify |
| 1992 | Failed to qualify |
| 1994 | Failed to qualify |
| 1996 | Failed to qualify |
| 1998 | Failed to qualify |
| 2000 | Group Stage |
| 2002 | Group Stage |
| 2004 | Failed to qualify |
| 2006 | Failed to qualify |
| 2007 | Semi Final |
As a European U21 team, England compete for the European Championship, with the finals every odd-numbered year, formerly even-numbered years. There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an Under-20 World Cup. For the first six (1978-1988) European Under-21 Football Championships, England did well, getting knocked out in the semi-finals on four occasions and winning the competition in 1982 and 1984. Then, as one might expect with a rapid turnover of players, followed a lean period.
After losing to France in the 1988 semi final, England then failed to qualify for the last eight for five whole campaigns. In the qualifying stages for the 1998 tournament, England won their group, but fate was not on their side. Because there were nine groups, and only eight places, the two group-winning nations with worst records had to play-off to eliminate one of them. England lost the away leg of this extra qualifying round and were eliminated on away goals to Greece. In effect, England finished ninth in the competition despite losing only one of their ten matches.
England qualified for the 2000 finals comfortably. Under the 1996-appointed Peter Taylor England won every match without conceding a goal. But with 3 matches to play, Taylor was replaced in a controversial manner by Howard Wilkinson, who won the next two matches. The three goals conceded in the 3-1 defeat to group runners-up Poland were the only blemish on the team's qualifying record. England got knocked out in the group stage of the European Championship finals in 2000 under Wilkinson.
After enlisting former international star David Platt as manager, England qualified for the 2002 tournament in Switzerland. Again England did poorly in the group stage. Platt's England failed to qualify for the 2004 tournament and he was replaced by the returning Peter Taylor. Taylor's England qualified from the group but lost to a strong France team in a two-legged playoff and failed to qualify for the 2006 tournament.
The next campaign started shortly after the 2006 finals - the qualification stage of the 2007 competition. UEFA decided to shift the tournament forward to avoid a clash with senior tournaments taking place in even-numbered years. The qualification stage was heavily reduced, being completed in a year's less time. In a 3-team qualification group, England qualified over Switzerland and Moldova, and then won a two-legged play-off with Germany to qualify for the finals to be held in the Netherlands. At the tournament, England progressed through to the semi-finals where they led for the majority of the match against the hosts. However, after a late equaliser and a marathon penalty shootout, England were eliminated.
Note: The year of the tournament represents the year in which it ends.
[edit] Coaching Staff
[edit] Head coach
On 1 February 2007, Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce was appointed as head coach on a part-time basis until after the European Championships in the summer of 2007. Nigel Pearson, Newcastle United's assistant manager, agreed to become Pearce's assistant. Their first match in charge was a 2-2 draw against Spain on 6 February 2007 at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium.
For the match against Italy Nigel Pearson took charge as Stuart Pearce had club commitments. Steve Wigley assisted Pearson.
Pearce was dismissed as Manchester City manager on May 14, 2007, before the 2007 European Championships, but on 19 July 2007 he was named full-time U21s coach. His contract runs until the summer of 2009.[4]
| Tenure | Head Coach/Manager |
|---|---|
| 1977-1990 | Dave Sexton |
| 1990-1993 | Lawrie McMenemy |
| 1994-1996 | Dave Sexton |
| 1996-1999 | Peter Taylor |
| 1999 | Peter Reid |
| 1999-2001 | Howard Wilkinson |
| 2001-2004 | David Platt |
| 2004-2007 | Peter Taylor |
| 2007- | Stuart Pearce |
[edit] Other staff
| Assistant Coach | Nigel Pearson |
| Coach | Steve Wigley |
| Goalkeeping Coaches |  Martin Thomas |
| Eric Steele |
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| Physiotherapists | Dave Galley |
| Mike Healy |
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| Doctor | Dr. Mark Waller |
| Masseur | Paul Small |
| Exercise Scientist | Gary Phillips |
| Video Analyst | Steve O'Brien |
| Kit Manager | Mark Simkin |
[edit] Current and recent players
Players born in 1984 or later were eligible for the 2006-07 UEFA European U-21 Championship, players born in 1986 or later are eligible for the 2007-09 UEFA European U-21 Championship, and so on. The Under-19 team will be the most obvious source for the next crop of Under-21s.
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1986-born |
1987-born |
1988-born 1989-born
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Those players in italics have caps for the senior team. Details of exactly which players were selected in the squad for the latest fixture(s) are available here
[edit] Most Appearances - Top Ten
Because of the age restriction, a player can't be in the team for very long and the most promising young players spend little time, if any, with the U-21s before winning senior caps. James Milner holds the record for the most Under-21 caps, with 35.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | U-21 Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Milner | Leeds United, Newcastle United | 35 |
| 2 | Scott Carson | Leeds United, Liverpool | 29 |
| =3 | Jamie Carragher | Liverpool | 27 |
| =3 | Gareth Barry | Aston Villa | 27 |
| 5 | Tom Huddlestone | Derby County, Tottenham Hotspur | 26 |
| =6 | David Prutton | Nottingham Forest, Southampton | 25 |
| =6 | Steven Taylor | Newcastle United | 25 |
| 8 | Jermaine Pennant | Arsenal | 24 |
| =9 | Jermain Defoe | West Ham United | 23 |
| =9 | Nigel Reo-Coker | West Ham United | 23 |
Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team at the moment.
Statistics up to and including Wales vs England May 15, 2008.
[edit] Most Goals - Top Ten
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | U-21 Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Alan Shearer | Southampton | 13 |
| =1 | Francis Jeffers | Everton, Arsenal | 13 |
| =3 | Frank Lampard | West Ham United | 9 |
| =3 | Darren Bent | Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic | 9 |
| =5 | Mark Hateley | Coventry City, Portsmouth | 8 |
| =5 | Carl Cort | Wimbledon | 8 |
| =7 | Mark Robins | Manchester United | 7 |
| =7 | Shola Ameobi | Newcastle United | 7 |
| =7 | Jermain Defoe | West Ham United | 7 |
| =10 | Emile Heskey | Leicester City, Liverpool | 6 |
| =10 | Leroy Lita | Reading | 6 |
| =10 | Theo Walcott | Arsenal | 6 |
Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team at the moment.
Statistics up to and including Wales vs England May 15, 2008.
[edit] Current Under-21 Squad
Statistics up to and including Wales vs England May 15, 2008.
[edit] 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification Group 3
[edit] Current table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England |
19 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 |
 Portugal |
10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 |
 Montenegro |
6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 |
 Republic of Ireland |
3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -8 |
 Bulgaria |
3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | -5 |
| September 7, 2007 20:45 CEST |
Montenegro |
0 – 3 | England |
Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica Referee: Mechalis Germanakos  |
| Report | Onuoha  6'Agbonlahor 10'Surman 90' |
| September 11, 2007 18:00 CEST |
Bulgaria |
0 – 2 | England |
Balgarska Armiya, Sofia Referee: Fredy Fautrel  |
| Report | Huddlestone 25' Noble 32' |
| October 12, 2007 20:45 CEST |
England |
1 – 0 | Montenegro |
Walkers Stadium, Leicester Referee: Anders Hermansen  |
| Derbyshire 20' |
Report |
| October 16, 2007 21:00 CEST |
Republic of Ireland |
0 – 3 | England |
Turners Cross, Cork Referee: Andrea De Marco  |
| Report | Noble 10' 17' Milner 26' |
| November 16, 2007 19:00 CEST |
England |
2 – 0 | Bulgaria |
Stadium:mk, Milton Keynes Referee: Luc Wouters .svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} |
| Agbonlahor 41' Milner 82' (pen) |
Report |
| November 20, 2007 22:00 CEST |
Portugal |
1 – 1 | England |
Estádio Municipal de Águeda, Agueda Referee: Istvan Vad  |
| Machado 3' (pen) |
Report | Johnson 49' |
| February 5, 2008 20:45 CEST |
England |
3 - 0 | Republic of Ireland |
St Mary's Stadium, Southampton |
| O'Halloran 59' (o.g.) Milner 68'Walcott 78' |
Report |
| September 5, 2008 TBC CEST |
England |
TBD | Portugal |
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[edit] Recent Friendlies
| August 21, 2007 20:45 CEST |
England |
1 - 1 |  Romania |
Ashton Gate, Bristol City |
| Derbyshire 8' |
Stancu 25' |
| March 25, 2008 19:00 CEST |
England |
0 - 0 |  Poland |
Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton Wanderers Referee: Kevin Blom  |
| May 15, 2008 19.30 CEST |
Wales |
0 - 2 | England |
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| Huddlestone 19 pen' Walcott 25' |
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- European Under-21 Football Championship
- England's European Under-21 Football Championship Record
- England (Senior) team
- England Under-19
[edit] External links
- Official FA England Under-21 website Contains listings of current England U-21 players.
- Uefa Under-21 website Contains full results archive
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21 Championship hosts and additional statistics, such as the Group Winners table for the 1998 qualifiers.
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Reserve and Youth football in England
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