Lee Carsley won’t sing God Save the King before England games | Football | Sport

Interim England manager Lee Carsley has revealed he will not sing God Save the King before his first match in charge against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday night.

Carsley earned 40 caps for Ireland during his playing career and his maiden fixture coaching the Three Lions will see him go head-to-head with the Irish at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

But the 50-year-old insists his plan not to sing England’s national anthem is unrelated to his previous affiliation with Ireland.

Carsley says he never sang the national anthem before kick-off as a player and doesn’t plan on starting now. It is a stance that may upset some England supporters and traditionalists who expect players and staff to demonstrate their patriotism before matches.

Former manager Gareth Southgate always sang the anthem loudly. Yet Carsley argues that he is too engrossed in preparing for the match and prefers to stay “in the zone” rather than focus on singing the national anthem.

Born in Birmingham but eligible for Ireland through a grandmother, Carsley also refrained from singing while managing England’s under-21s, whom he guided to European Championships success last year.

He explained: “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 asked if he would ever sing the anthem, Carsley insisted that he would not. England anticipate nearly 3,000 fans at the Aviva Stadium for the Nations League match on Saturday evening.

Police and FA chiefs have not given special instructions to England fans, emphasising their trust in them not to engage in inflammatory chants during the game or before kick-off.

Carsley has meanwhile encouraged his new generation of young England players to create their own “legacy”. The interim manager has already his mark by promoting youngsters from his under-21 set-up into the seniors for the next international cycle.

The former Everton and Derby midfielder called up four uncapped players – Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento and Angel Gomes – for his first games in charge. After playing in Dublin, England face Finland at Wembley next Tuesday.

Carsley is placing his trust in the young talents who helped him win the under-21 Euros last year. The coach is effectively on a six-match trial to prove himself worthy of replacing Southgate on a permanent basis.

He explained: “The safer option would have been to go with the tried and tested. I felt it was important to put a different stamp on the squad and, ultimately when they all reported in, the shirts are there to fight for. And that’s sort of the week we’ve had so far.

“We’ve spoken a lot this week about being excited, playing with energy, playing with control. I have seen a lot of really good defending this week in terms of shots that have been blocked in games at the end of sessions.

“As exciting as you want to be at one end, ultimately, to win the game, you have got to keep it out of your goal. But this week has really hit home to me the level of players that we’ve got.

“If we can perform at the right time as a whole group, there is no reason why they can’t create a legacy for themselves. Some may see this as a chance to establish themselves as senior internationals.

“I’m aware that I’m going to be here for the three camps, potentially the six games and we’ve got to keep building in every camp. But I expect them to perform well. And that’s what we spoke about this week…

“Concentrate, really, on performances and results will come along with that. But more importantly, it’s important we’re building on a two-year programme to compete and ultimately try and win a major trophy.”

Carsley added: “It’s a proud moment for myself and my family but from a sentimental point of view that’s all it is. I think I have moved quite quickly onto the football which is the most important thing.

“The players seem quite together, especially with the new players coming in. They have made them feel welcome which is ultimately really a good sign of a squad that’s recognising that it’s got to evolve a little bit as well.

“I expect it to be a little bit scrappy and scruffy at times. But I’ve got total belief in the way that I think we can play.”