He may have had a case two seasons ago, but it comes as something of a surprise to read in The Guardian that Kevin Nolan is gutted to have missed out on a place in Fabio Capello’s England squad. Speak to many Bolton fans and they’ll tell you their captain has been inconsistent this season and part of the reason why the Trotters find themselves near the foot of the division.
“I’m not surprised because I have been in this position before but I am upset and hurt. I thought with the new manager coming in that I might have had a shout,” Nolan said of his England omission. “But I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and maybe the manager will see that and give me a chance.
“I think those who are on the outer fringes should be swapped around now and then,” he said. “That way, if the manager needed to call upon them they would have the experience of playing and being around the established players that England already has. That’s how I would get in and, given a chance, I feel I could give England something different.”
Indeed, it would have been a shock if Nolan had been included in a squad short of surprise inclusions. The Wanderers skipper isn’t helped by the fact that England have plenty more midfielders than strikers from which to choose, with Manchester United’s Michael Carrick left out of the trimmed down squad of twenty-three available for Wednesday’s match against Switzerland.