England players ‘do not travel well and are brittle in unfamiliar circumstances’, admits Martin Glenn


ENGLAND players “do not travel well and are brittle in unfamiliar circumstances”, according to FA boss Martin Glenn.

Chief executive of the Football Association Glenn made incredible claim about the national side, suggesting they need to toughen up.

Martin Glenn has referred to England as "brittle" at a recent conference
Martin Glenn has referred to England as “brittle” at a recent conference
Getty

England have infamously only won one major tournament in the 1966 World Cup… on home soil.

Glenn revealed his thoughts at the Leaders Week conference, suggesting they will “deal with” the fragility… on the day the Three Lions have the chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia

The FA CEO said: “England players do not travel well.

“We know there is a brittleness in unfamiliar circumstances we have to deal with.”

For decades England have crumbled at major tournaments abroad
For decades England have crumbled at major tournaments abroad
Reuters
Martin Glenn was under fire for the way he dealt with the Mark Sampson saga
Martin Glenn was under fire for the way he dealt with the Mark Sampson saga
PA:Press Association

Glenn added the reason England’s Under-20s won the World Cup earlier this summer was because they were tougher than the senior squad.

He claimed: “They were tournament hardened.”

It’s not the first time Glenn has made a claim such as this, as he also used the word “brittle” when comparing England’s men to the women earlier this year.

He said: “What we have is a bit of a void right now. You hear of stuff in the men’s set-up where some of them don’t even like each other or talk to each other.

England's "tournament hardened" Under-20s won the World Cup this year
England's "tournament hardened" Under-20s won the World Cup this year
EPA
England flopped at the European Championships in France last summer
England flopped at the European Championships in France last summer
PA:Press Association

"There’s so much money involved. Some players don’t regard England as being the be-all and end-all."

Glenn also had his say on another major issue in football, surrounding the women's game, where he claimed more women would be playing football than netball in the coming years.

He added: "We think there’ll be MORE women playing football than netball by the end of 2019."

Glenn was recently placed under the microscope following the Mark Sampson controversy.

England need to show more steel, according to FA CEO Martin Glenn
England need to show more steel, according to FA CEO Martin Glenn
The Sun
Martin Glenn has had a bit of a dig at England's senior squad's fragility
Martin Glenn has had a bit of a dig at England's senior squad's fragility
Rex Features

The FA chief exec avoided the sack, but was warned to avoid any repeat of the fiasco of Sampson's hiring and firing as boss of the women's senior team.

Glenn was under pressure after admitting he failed to ask enough questions two years ago when he was made aware that Sampson had been on a training course following a safeguarding case related to his previous job at Bristol Academy.

When Glenn finally read the report last month, he and Clarke decided Sampson's "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour" at Bristol meant he had to be fired as the Lionesses' head coach.


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