It only takes a few in the squad to be unhappy for the 'rotten-apple' effect to take hold and the team to break down
What is the mood in the England camp? It is a question I am repeatedly asked these days. After I predicted that Andy Carroll would be playing against Sweden, some people assumed I had an inside line. Actually, it was just an educated guess.
Up until that point I had been in communication with a few of the lads in the camp, but since then I've not heard a word out of them, which makes me wonder whether there has been a crackdown on all outside communications. Not that I was getting any information out of them anyway.
When I was involved with England, playing or not, I was incredibly conscious of giving away information to outsiders, even friends and family. I remember Rio texting me during the last World Cup and, even though I count him as a friend, I had to cliché him off with "everything's fine, great, super". That might sound paranoid, but you've only got to tell your best mate that Wayne Rooney was feeling a bit dodgy after training and, before you know it, the news has spread like wildfire. I can certainly understand Fabio Capello's reasons for banning Twitter and Facebook in South Africa.
The last time I remember a major leak happening was ahead of Euro 2004. Rio had been handed a ban because of his missed drugs test and the players met privately to discuss going on strike. Little did we know that, the very same night, James Beattie went back to his bedroom and sat in front of a TV camera revealing all for some dodgy TV programme. Needless to say the lads were not impressed. It's one thing to forget yourself in the moment, telling your best mate Rooney's ankle is sore, but disclosing private information on national TV – and getting paid to do so – is altogether different. I don't think Beattie ever got in the England squad again after that, and I'm pretty sure that didn't help his cause.
So I don't know what the mood is in the England camp, but I can take a guess. With England winning their group, most people would logically assume all 23 players are happy and pulling in the same direction. Certainly Roy Hodgson's approach – on and off the field – seems to be working. The results are going the right way and the players have a wealth of healthy distractions on their doorstep in Krakow to prevent the kind of cabin fever that occurred in South Africa. Hodgson seems to take his players' feelings into account – bringing in Dave Watson from Birmingham City to work alongside Ray Clemence as goalie coach, as per Joe Hart's request, and positively cultivating the social hub that is the physio room.
Under Capello, this long-standing arrangement was dismantled, with physio becoming a technical detail rather than a social get-together. This upset a tradition that went back years; a group of us sitting around – whether we needed physio or not – playing Call of Duty and getting massages from Big Carlo. His massages are on another level by the way – aromatic stuff, suction cups. He's a personality with hands, the type of character you need around an England camp. The importance of such details to the overall mood of the team cannot be underestimated. It prevents cliques, fosters a feeling of togetherness and stops people from sloping back to their rooms to brood in a cloud of negativity. Brooding players is one problem Hodgson will have to fight against now.
With only 16 players having made it on to the pitch so far, a good percentage of the squad could be very frustrated. Any one of those players might be thinking, "I need to vent my anger and frustration" – which could manifest itself in a tweet or some underhand revelation. I know it sounds horrible and cynical, but it's real life. Winning matches is meaningless unless you're involved. No one is content just to watch their team-mates succeed.
I know that scenario because I've experienced it myself. In Kiev last week, Martin Keown and I had a chuckle remembering a row we had on the training ground at the 2002 World Cup. All the emotion and adrenaline from the match the night before is coursing through your veins – and the following day comes the crash. It is easy, then, to get into an altercation, and that's what happened with Martin and I. We vented our anger with a few choice swearwords.
Only unused players – or substitutes who played less than 20 minutes – have to train the day after a match in a major tournament. It is widely considered the worst training session you can possibly do. While everyone else gets to relax in the pool, or go for a gentle jog, enjoying that sense of euphoria, the left-behinds have to do an annoying training session. It is the start of cliques – the team and the non-team.
It takes only a few people to be unhappy in a group and you get the rotten-apple effect. The team quickly breaks down into little groups. It wasn't all-out war in South Africa, but it certainly wasn't a nice atmosphere. The larger the group of demoralised players, the worse it can be.
It is a scenario Hodgson will want to manage – and it is manageable. In 2002, I was third-choice goalkeeper, but Steve McClaren made me feel a valued member of the team. I was invited to important meetings – I felt so included that, all the way up until that final game against Brazil, when David Seaman came off injured, I really believed I was going to be brought on to the field of play. Of course, Nigel Martyn went on ahead of me and I was devastated, but in terms of the overall team dynamics it didn't matter. McClaren's approach had served its purpose. Keeping all 23 players happy now might just be key to England's progression.
David James has donated his fee for this column to charity Read More
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