New England boss Lee Carsley got his reign off to the perfect start as his team came to Dublin on Saturday evening and left with all three points and a convincing 2-0 victory.
Backed by a raucous Aviva stadium crowd, Ireland fans were hopeful of pulling off a shock against the Euro 2024 runners-up. The opening passages of play were encouraging for the boys in green but it wasn't long until England began to take control and got on the scoresheet in the 11th minute through former Irish international Declan Rice.
The chorus of boos that rang around following the Arsenal midfielders goal did little to throw the 25 year-old off as he began to pull the strings and was involved in setting up fellow Irish underage midfielder Jack Grealish to double the three Lions lead.
Apart from a few half-chances, Ireland did little to trouble the English defence and much more will be expected when Greece come to Dublin for their crucial clash on Tuesday night.
But matters off the field dominated the pre-match headlines as Lee Carsley's decision not to sing the English national Anthem angered many in England.
READ HERE: Eamon Dunphy Points The Blame Squarely At Martin O'Neill For Declan Rice Debacle
Former MP Latest to Criticise Lee Carsley Anthem Debate
Speaking before Saturday's match at the Aviva, Carsley explained how he never sung the anthem during his playing career or when he was coaching the Under-21 national side.
The gap between your warm-up, your coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it’s something that I have never done,
I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off. I was really focused on the football and I have taken that into coaching.”
The former Everton man's decision has divided opinion among many and a number of high profile names including Roy Keane, Gary Lineker and Harry Redknapp all weighed in on the debate.
But former MP Jacob Rees-Mogg is less than impressed with his decision. As he notably accused Carsley of being an Irish Republican during his rant, Speaking on GB News he said:
Sinn Fein MPs cannot take their seats in Parliament because they will not take an oath to the Crown,
They do not accept the legitimacy of the constitutional settlement. Wanting to change it by democratic means is perfectly reasonable, and free speech must, of course, be upheld.
The same principle applies to England football managers. They must support the nation whose team they seek to lead, even if they themselves are foreign.
He (Carsley) needs to zone out of his Irish Republicanism and learn to sing God save the King.
Otherwise, no one will believe he cares about the England team he wishes to lead.
Former Irish international Carsley was heavily linked with the vacant Ireland managers job following the dismissal of Stephen Kenny in November 2023.
