Sinclair’s International Dream Won’t Happen at Celtic

SCOTT SINCLAIR spoke yesterday about how he hopes a positive Champions League run with Celtic will help his chances of getting a call up to the England squad down the line. In one respect, he’s right, showing his skills against the likes of Barcelona, Madrid and Bayern cant hurt. However, the prejudice shown towards anyone playing in the SPFL by the English FA, going back years, means it’s just not going to happen.

And before you tell me Fraser Forster got called up while at Celtic. Yes, he did but the goalkeeper got very little opportunity when he got there. The fear from any England manager to put his faith in a player plying his trade in Scottish football is very real. Had Forster come in as number one and he messed up the manager would be laughed at for putting his trust in a player from the ‘tinpot league’. A pathetic state of affairs but that’s just the way it is.

Fraser Forster wasn’t only turning it on the SPFL, he was one of the pivotal players in Celtic downing the mighty Barcelona and putting in a string of top European performances, yet this still wasn’t good enough for Engurland.

The snobbery from down south is so ingrained in most uneducated English fans and decision makers Scott doesn’t stand a chance while wearing the hoops.

The boasts from fans down about how much money they have and how they can sign a better calibre of player – I’ve maintained for some time that any country that pushes a player like Steven Fletchers overall transfer fees past the £20million mark, there’s nothing to brag about.

The riches of the Premier League spills over into their international side and I’ve never really understood why, seeing as the vomit inducing amounts of money going through all the top flights club sees them go and find foreign players rather than English born stars. The gluttony and narrow minded nature of the beast down south sets them up to fail, it’s as simple as that.

The argument by people that Scott Sinclair is an Aston Villa reject and he’s found his level at Celtic are again, people who just don’t understand football. Did any of them watch Scott at Villa? The Englishman played in a team that were ridiculously defensive minded back, had very little possession and spent most of his time doubling up as a defender than a fluent attacking midfielder – that’s just not Scott’s strength. Brendan Rodgers knew coming up here, Celtic dominate games and he’d be able to push Scotty to his potential playing him in the role that once won him a move to Manchester City.

Ultimately, I couldn’t care less what the England national team do, but when it creates a scenario where we might find it hard to hang onto our best players because they harbour International aspirations then it gets a little bit irritable. Scott can try and try at Celtic but until he’s battling relegation in the EPL instead of winning titles and playing in the Champions League he wont get a look in. How daft does that sound?