NEWCASTLE United’s Sol Campbell has refused to close the door on his international career despite England boss Fabio Capello ignoring the highly decorated defender’s impressive form for Arsenal prior to the World Cup last summer.
The 35-year-old had been tipped to return to the England fold prior to the World Cup on the back of his good form for the Gunners, as they pushed for the Premier League title last term.
There were concerns surrounding the fitness of Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King before they boarded the plane for South Africa, while many believed Matthew Upson and Jamie Carragher were too inexperienced, or not good enough, to partner a pedestrian John Terry at the heart of the defence on the world’s biggest stage. They were proved to be correct.
The last of Campbell’s 73 caps came in Steve Mc- Claren’s ill-fated final fixture as England boss when the Three Lions crashed 3-2 to Croatia in a 2008 European Championship qualifier.
The defeat at a rain-soaked Wembley meant England failed to qualify for the finals in Austria and Switzerland.
The irony of Campbell’s omission is that age is seen to be no barrier in Italy, the home nation of the England boss. Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Fabio Cannavaro, who went on to lift the 2006 World Cup, all played for their country in their late 30s.
“It all comes down to who is at the helm of the association,”
reflected Campbell.
“You go to Italy and defenders and goalkeepers just go on and on and on. You can roll off a long list of players who have gone on well in to their late 30s at international level.
“I think a lot of it is down to mentality. If you are fit and strong, you still want it and have experience it doesn’t matter what age you are.
“Last season I worked really hard and I think I showed a lot of people, if you work hard, you can get there.”
Unlike several other former England internationals recently the former Spurs, Arsenal and Portsmouth defender has never declared an intention to quit the big stage.
“I’ve never mentioned retiring, but maybe I should have retired and he (Capello) might have brought me out of it,”
quipped Campbell. “I think last season, for sure (I was good enough).
“I’ve got the passion and still have the fire in my belly but I can’t do anything about it (if I’m not picked). I’m just going to fight for Newcastle and if it comes I’ll fight for England but I’m not going to go on about it.”
Campbell took his first bow in Newcastle colours in the reserves’ 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.
Chris Hughton’s new recruit played the first 45 minutes and is expected to play for Peter Beardsley’s second string at home to Liverpool on Tuesday.
But while Campbell was happy to talk about his England chances he made it known his first priority was delivering success at his new club. And the Plaistow-born central defender insisted the Magpies should be setting their sights a lot higher than just escaping relegation – he wants to win silverware.
He said: “We have 50,000 people watching and they want to see some success and that’s what I’m about. I want to be successful.
“When I went to Portsmouth people were wondering why, but I came away from there winning the FA Cup and I had a successful European campaign. And last season at Arsenal we ran the other two teams (Chelsea and Manchester United) to the wire.
“The North-East is a passionate part of the country and they love their football. I am always focused on my football and I always want to win.
“There are a few lads in there who have experience of the Premier League and they don’t want to be struggling this season, and I certainly don’t want to do that.
“There are some great lads here. They have experience and there is a few youngsters coming through as well who are putting in some great shifts. Chris (Hughton) has got a great team together, the team spirit is fantastic. We have something to build on (from the good start to the season) but no one is getting carried away.
“We want a top half finish but we’ll keep on pushing. I always like to win a bit of silverware.
The League Cup or FA Cup is always nice and also qualifying for Europe. You have to set your standards high and keep on pushing.
“I think we’ll surprise a few teams this season. But we have to keep our feet on the ground and make sure we do all the right things.”
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