Neville’s calming presence helps England rise above the egos

An accurate measure of just how much Roy Hodgson has reunited a fractious England camp can be found in the outspoken and insightful rhetoric of Gary Neville.

The 37-year-old has offered an opinion on almost everything in the game since trading in his boots for Sky Sports’ wall-mounted touchscreen last summer and in March he was typically forthright on the Football Association’s malaise in the wake of Fabio Capello’s depature.

“It’s every man for himself,” he began, scathingly. “There’s no longevity. Everybody likes stability and to know where they stand, whatever environment you work in. With England, there’s not that core or sense of togetherness. The FA look after the FA; the manager is caught in between. And as for the players...

“You talk about club England, but it’s not like a club spirit. As a player, you’re not protected. No one feels happy.”

Fast forward three months and England stand on the brink of a Euro 2012 quarter-final clash with Italy in Kiev with Neville assimilated into a backroom staff deserving of great credit for restoring realism and creating cohesion. Neville’s 85 international caps have been described by the man himself largely as a “massive waste of time”.

The ‘Golden Generation’, lauded at their clubs, were either over-valued or unwilling to commit the requisite work ethic to make England successful in tournament football.

Hodgson’s refreshingly conservative approach resonates with Neville’s straight-talking style. The 37-year-old has been warmly received by the players, many of whom would have been somewhat affronted by his 19-year association with Manchester United.

But times have changed and so, too, it would appear has the dressing room ethos. “I genuinely believe there is a good spirit in this team,” said Neville.

“I believe it is a squad without ego. I think they are all working for one another and you can see that on the pitch. You can talk about spirit all you like off the pitch and up to a microphone but the fact of the matter is they are showing spirit on the pitch. Everyone recognises that spirit is shown by actions on the pitch not what people say in a press conference or what a coach or manager says.

“I think looking at the group they are all as one and they all seem to be accepting of each other and know each other’s strengths. We have got big characters in the dressing room but they are all fighting for the cause and each other in the way in which they are playing. Even the ones who aren’t playing.

“The way in which they perform for each other ... you’ll pick up on the word I have used but I have no problem with that. I think it is a positive thing that it is demonstrated on the pitch that they will play for one another and fight for one another. And they’ll have to continue to do that because it is going to be damn tough on Sunday.”

If a more humble England is indeed a reality, the biggest ego on show in Kiev tonight is surely Mario Balotelli. The Italy and Manchester City striker is a magnet for controversy and is expected to start against England, although Neville insists there are no plans to test his volatile temperament for risk of such a plan backfiring.

England have exited tournaments with ten men twice in the last 14 years – Wayne Rooney was sent off during their 2006 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Portugal while David Beckham saw red eight years earlier against Argentina – and Neville said: “In tournaments past we have got a player sent off and it has been a big problem. But we are concentrating ourselves and the way we keep our own composure and discipline, rather than what the other team will do.

“Those are days gone by, you cannot do it any more, you are just going to get banned for two, three, four matches. If you go into the game thinking ‘I’ll go and try to wind up Balotelli’, you could get sent off yourself. And he has been very composed in this tournament. You have to look at his performances. He is a talent and he is a goalscoring threat.

“That’s the biggest concern about Mario Balotelli for England, not whether we can wind him up during the game. I can assure you of that.”