England national under-21 football team

      England Under-21
      Shirt badge/Association crest
      Nickname(s) The Young Lions
      Association The Football Association
      Head coach TBC
      Most caps James Milner (46)
      Top scorer Alan Shearer &
      Francis Jeffers (13)
      First colours
      Second colours
      First international
      England England U-21 0–0 Wales U-21 Wales
      (Molineux, Wolverhampton; 15 December 1976)
      Biggest win
      England England U-21 8–1 Finland U-21 Finland
      (Boothferry Park, Hull; 12 October 1977)
      &
      England England U-21 7–0 Azerbaijan U-21 Azerbaijan
      (stadium:mk, Milton Keynes; 9 June 2009)
      Biggest defeat
      Romania Romania U-21 4–0 England U-21 England
      (Ploieşti, Romania; 14 October 1980)
      &
      England England U-21 0–4 Spain U-21 Spain
      (St Andrews, Birmingham; 27 February 2001)
      &
      Germany Germany U-21 4–0 England U-21 England
      (Malmö New Stadium, Malmö; 29 June 2009)
      UEFA U-21 Championship
      Appearances 12 (First in 1978)
      Best result Winners 1982, 1984

      England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.

      This team is for English players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Under-21 Football Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for England at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s, as Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck 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).

      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 U21s' first result.

      England U21s 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 U21 match was set on 24 March 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]

      Coaching staff

      Head coach

      Tenure Head Coach/Manager
      1977–1990 England Dave Sexton
      1990–1993 England Lawrie McMenemy
      1994–1996 England Dave Sexton
      1996–1999 England Peter Taylor
      1999 England Peter Reid
      1999–2001 England Howard Wilkinson
      2001–2004 England David Platt
      2004–2007 England Peter Taylor
      2007–2013 England Stuart Pearce

      The original and most successful coach is Dave Sexton, who led the U21s from 1977 to 1990. In this period he combined his duties with managing the top-flight clubs Manchester United (1977–1981) and Coventry City (1981–1983). After Coventry he took a position within the FA as their first Technical Director, at Lilleshall. He handed over U21 responsibilities to England manager Graham Taylor's assistant Lawrie McMenemy for three years before resuming control from 1994 to 1996.

      Peter Taylor took over in 1996 and, although never winning the tournament, his teams had an excellent record. He was controversially removed from the position in early 1999, however, and replaced initially by Peter Reid, who resigned after just one match in charge to dedicate more time to his other job as manager of Sunderland. Howard Wilkinson took over afterwards, yet could only produce four wins in ten competitive matches and quit after a year and a half in charge. David Platt took charge after his departure from Nottingham Forest. Platt was U21 boss from 2001 to 2004, but had little success before Taylor's return. Taylor left in January 2007, as the senior national manager Steve McClaren wanted the U21s to have a full-time manager. Taylor, at the time, was combining his duties with his role as Crystal Palace boss.

      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 14 May 2007, before the 2007 European Championships, but on 19 July 2007 he was named full-time U21s coach.[4] He remained in the post until June 2013, when it was announced that his contract would not be renewed.[5]

      Other staff

      Assistant Coach England Steve Wigley
      Coach England Brian Eastick
      Goalkeeping Coach Wales Martin Thomas
      Physiotherapists England Dave Galley
      England Derek Wright
      Doctor England Dr. Richard Higgins
      Masseur England Stewart Welsh
      Exercise Scientist England Craig Boyd
      Performance Analyst England Keith Mincher
      Video Analyst England Mike Baker
      Kit Manager England Neil Jones
      ↑Jump back a section

      Competition History

      Main article: England's European Under-21 Football Championship Record

      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.

      In 2009, England finished as runners-up, losing 4–0 to Germany in the final.

      England finished second in their qualifying group for the 2011 championships in Denmark. They subsequently defeated Romania in the play-offs to qualify for the finals tournament, where they were knocked out in the group stage after a 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic.

      Year Progress
      1978 Semi Final
      1980 Semi Final
      1982 Champions
      1984 Champions
      1986 Semi Final
      1988 Semi Final
      1990 Failed to qualify
      1992
      1994
      1996
      1998
      2000 Group Stage
      2002 Group Stage
      2004 Failed to qualify
      2006
      2007 Semi Final
      2009 Final
      2011 Group Stage
      2013 Group Stage

      Note: The year of the tournament represents the year in which it ends.

      ↑Jump back a section

      Results and fixtures 2011–2013

      2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

      Main article: 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

      Qualification

      Main article: 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification
      Group stage
      Main article: 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification Group 8
      Team
      		Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
       England 8 7 0 1 24 3 +21 21
       Norway 8 5 1 2 13 7 +6 16
       Belgium 8 3 2 3 17 15 +2 11
       Azerbaijan 8 2 1 5 6 18 −12 7
       Iceland 8 1 0 7 4 21 −17 3
        Azerbaijan Belgium England Iceland Norway
      Azerbaijan  — 2–2 0–2 1–0 0–2
      Belgium  4–1 — 2–1 5–0 1–3
      England  6–0 4–0 — 5–0 1–0
      Iceland  1–2 2–1 0–3 — 0–2
      Norway  1–0 2–2 1–2 2–1 —
      Play-off

      Final tournament

      Group stage
      Team Pld
      		 W
      		 D
      		 L
      		 GF
      		 GA
      		 GD
      		 Pts
       Italy 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7
       Norway 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
       Israel 3 1 1 1 3 6 −3 4
       England 3 0 0 3 1 5 −4 0

      Friendly matches

      ↑Jump back a section

      Players

      Leading appearances

      Rank Player Club(s) U-21 Caps
      1 James Milner Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa 46
      2 Tom Huddlestone Derby County, Tottenham Hotspur 33
      Fabrice Muamba Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers 33
      4 Michael Mancienne Chelsea, Hamburg 30
      5 Scott Carson Leeds United, Liverpool 29
      Steven Taylor Newcastle United 29
      Danny Rose Tottenham Hotspur, Peterborough United, Bristol City, Sunderland 29
      8 Jamie Carragher Liverpool 27
      Gareth Barry Aston Villa 27
      Jordan Henderson Sunderland, Liverpool 27

      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.

      Leading goalscorers

      Rank Player Club(s) U-21 Goals
      1 Alan Shearer Southampton 13
      Francis Jeffers Everton, Arsenal 13
      3 Frank Lampard West Ham United 9
      Darren Bent Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic 9
      James Milner Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa 9
      6 Mark Hateley Coventry City, Portsmouth 8
      Carl Cort Wimbledon 8
      8 Mark Robins Manchester United 7
      Shola Ameobi Newcastle United 7
      Jermain Defoe West Ham United 7

      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.

      Current squad

      Players born on or after 1 January 1990 are eligible until the end of the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. The following players were named in the squad for the tournament finals in Israel in June 2013.[6]

      Name DOB Club Caps (goals)
      Goalkeepers
      Jack Butland (1993-03-10) 10 March 1993 (age 20) England Stoke City 11 (0)
      Jason Steele (1990-08-18) 18 August 1990 (age 22) England Middlesbrough 7 (0)
      Declan Rudd (1991-01-16) 16 January 1991 (age 22) England Norwich City 1 (0)
      Defenders
      Danny Rose (1990-07-02) 2 July 1990 (age 22) England Tottenham Hotspur 29 (3)
      Craig Dawson (1990-05-06) 6 May 1990 (age 23) England West Bromwich Albion 15 (6)
      Adam Smith (1991-04-29) 29 April 1991 (age 22) England Tottenham Hotspur 11 (0)
      Steven Caulker (1991-12-29) 29 December 1991 (age 21) England Tottenham Hotspur 10 (2)
      Nathaniel Clyne (1991-04-05) 5 April 1991 (age 22) England Southampton 8 (0)
      Andre Wisdom (1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 20) England Liverpool 7 (0)
      Tom Lees (1990-11-18) 18 November 1990 (age 22) England Leeds United 6 (0)
      Jack Robinson (1993-09-01) 1 September 1993 (age 19) England Liverpool 5 (1)
      Midfielders
      Jordan Henderson (1990-06-17) 17 June 1990 (age 23) England Liverpool 27 (4)
      Henri Lansbury (1990-10-12) 12 October 1990 (age 22) England Nottingham Forest 16 (5)
      Josh McEachran (1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 (age 20) England Chelsea 13 (1)
      Jonjo Shelvey (1992-02-27) 27 February 1992 (age 21) England Liverpool 12 (3)
      Jason Lowe (1991-09-02) 2 September 1991 (age 21) England Blackburn Rovers 11 (0)
      Tom Ince (1992-01-30) 30 January 1992 (age 21) England Blackpool 8 (2)
      Nathaniel Chalobah (1994-12-12) 12 December 1994 (age 18) England Watford (on loan from Chelsea) 7 (0)
      Nathan Redmond (1994-03-06) 6 March 1994 (age 19) England Birmingham City 3 (0)
      Forwards
      Nathan Delfouneso (1991-02-02) 2 February 1991 (age 22) England Aston Villa 17 (4)
      Connor Wickham (1993-03-31) 31 March 1993 (age 20) England Sunderland 16 (5)
      Marvin Sordell (1991-02-17) 17 February 1991 (age 22) England Bolton Wanderers 14 (3)
      Wilfried Zaha (1992-10-11) 11 October 1992 (age 20) England Crystal Palace (on loan from Manchester United) 9 (1)

      Recent call-ups

      The following players have also been called up to the England under-21 squad and remain eligible:

      Name DOB Club Caps (goals) Most recent call-up
      Goalkeepers
      Sam Johnstone (1993-03-25) 25 March 1993 (age 20) England Manchester United 0 (0) v  Northern Ireland, 13 November 2012
      Defenders
      Luke Shaw (1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 (age 17) England Southampton 0 (0) 2013 European Championship, 5–18 June 2013
      Michael Keane (1993-01-11) 11 January 1993 (age 20) England Manchester United 1 (0) v  Austria, 25 March 2013
      Phil Jones (1992-02-21) 21 February 1992 (age 21) England Manchester United 9 (0) v  Sweden, 5 February 2013
      Liam Moore (1993-01-31) 31 January 1993 (age 20) England Leicester City 1 (0) v  Northern Ireland, 13 November 2012
      Harry Maguire (1993-03-05) 5 March 1993 (age 20) England Sheffield United 1 (0) v  Northern Ireland, 13 November 2012
      Jon Flanagan (1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 20) England Liverpool 3 (0) v  Iceland, 10 November 2011
      Midfielders
      Raheem Sterling (1994-12-08) 8 December 1994 (age 18) England Liverpool 4 (0) v  Austria, 25 March 2013
      Tom Carroll (1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 (age 21) England Tottenham Hotspur 1 (0) v  Austria, 25 March 2013
      Will Hughes (1995-04-07) 7 April 1995 (age 18) England Derby County 2 (0) v  Sweden, 5 February 2013
      Nick Powell (1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 19) England Manchester United 1 (0) v  Northern Ireland, 13 November 2012
      Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (1993-08-15) 15 August 1993 (age 19) England Arsenal 8 (4) v  Belgium, 29 February 2012
      Gary Gardner (1992-06-29) 29 June 1992 (age 20) England Aston Villa 5 (2) v  Belgium, 29 February 2012
      Ross Barkley (1993-12-05) 5 December 1993 (age 19) England Everton 4 (0) v  Iceland, 10 November 2011
      Jack Wilshere (1992-01-01) 1 January 1992 (age 21) England Arsenal 7 (0) 2011 European Championship provisional squad, 11–25 June 2011
      Forwards
      Benik Afobe (1993-02-12) 12 February 1993 (age 20) England Arsenal 2 (1) v  Sweden, 5 February 2013
      Sammy Ameobi (1992-05-01) 1 May 1992 (age 21) England Newcastle United 2 (0) v  Northern Ireland, 13 November 2012
      Harry Kane (1993-07-28) 28 July 1993 (age 19) England Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0) v  Norway, 10 September 2012
      Will Keane (1993-01-11) 11 January 1993 (age 20) England Manchester United 3 (0) v  Belgium, 29 February 2012

      Note: Names in italics denote players who have been capped for the Senior team.

      Past squads

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      References

      1. ^ BBC News – Wembley opener attracts thousands
      2. ^ BBC News – Wembley game 'sold out' in hours
      3. ^ The Guardian – Early set-back on Wembley's big day
      4. ^ "Pearce named England U21 manager". BBC Sport. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007. 
      5. ^ "Stuart Pearce: England Under-21 boss to leave role". BBC Sport. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013. 
      6. ^ "Here's a full rundown of Stuart Pearce's Under-21s squad for Euro 2013" (online). thefa.com. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013. 
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      Last modified on 18 June 2013, at 16:13