SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Defender Michael Dawson joins England squad for World Cup

Record ID: 453108

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Defender Michael Dawson joins England squad for World Cup
  • Date: 6th June 2010
  • Summary: PHOKENG, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 5, 2010) (REUTERS) NEW ENGLAND DEFENDER MICHAEL DAWSON WALKS ONTO TRAINING FIELD TO SHAKE HANDS WITH ENGLAND MANAGER FABIO CAPELLO, ENGLAND AND CHELSEA DEFENDER JOHN TERRY WALKS FORWARD AND SHAKES HANDS WITH DAWSON TOO WAYNE ROONEY AND ASHLEY COLE READY FOR TRAINING WIDE VIEW OF TRAINING ENGLAND AND CHELSEA MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD SAYING: "I think he's (Rio Ferdinand) coping, it's very disappointing for him to say the least. I think we all feel that for him as a group as well. "I spoke to him last night briefly, he wasn't around much after we sort of heard the news in the afternoon, I went in his room and spoke to him and he was sort of laid up and very down. It's a huge competition, the biggest competition, and all the players I've played with in my career, in terms of a friend of mine and as a professional, to get where he's got and to be made captain in the build up and to perform as he has it actually made me feel a bit sick in the stomach that we've got this close and that has happened, so for him I can't imagine how he feels." DAWSON JOGGING AROUND FIELD, PAST REST OF TEAM TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD SAYING: "When we trained today we trained at full pelt, we looked forward, Dawson's turned up now and he's a lad who fully deserves to get that kind of call up for the season he's had and for the lad he is. So we just have to focus and go forward and try and use it yes as a little bit of extra bonding, we've lost a big player, a big leader in our team, but we all have to get together." PETER CROUCH AND GLEN JOHNSON STRETCHING/PLAYERS DOING EXERCISES ENGLAND AND LIVERPOOL CAPTAIN STEVEN GERRARD TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD "I think he'll do the job he has done at Liverpool which has been fantastic for years, it'll mean everything to him. The captaincy is a huge thing for anyone who holds it especially in a big tournament like this. I think Steven's got that very kind of quiet way about him off the pitch, everybody respects him for that and when he plays he plays with a lot of inspiration and he's a player to look up to and for me that's what a captain is all about, it's not too much always about everything off the pitch it's when you get on the pitch, the way they lead and the way they show themselves and Steven always does that very well."
  • Embargoed: 21st June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6NN7SJ5IR90YSWABKVWF0EEAX
  • Story Text: Fresh off the airplane from England, new England defender Michael Dawson joined the rest of the squad on Saturday (June 5), walking across the training ground to shake hands with England manager Fabio Cappello.
    Dawson has been called up for England duty after the sudden loss of England captain Rio Ferdinand with a knee injury during Friday's (June 4) training at the Bafokeng Sports Campus, near Rustenburg.
    England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard described how he consoled his team mate and friend Ferdinand after the extent of the injury was realised.
    "I think he's coping," Lampard said, "it's very disappointing for him to say the least.
    "I went in his room and spoke to him and he was sort of laid up and very down. It's a huge competition, the biggest competition, and all the players I've played with in my career, in terms of a friend of mine and as a professional, to get where he's got and to be made captain in the build up and to perform as he has it actually made me feel a bit sick in the stomach that we've got this close and that has happened, so for him I can't imagine how he feels."
    Dawson began light training immediately, jogging around the field and shaking hands with other players during the session.
    Lampard said that the team were training as hard as before, despite what had happened to Ferdinand, and welcomed Dawson saying he was "a lad who fully deserves to be here after the season he has had".
    New England captain Steven Gerrard was training with the others. Lampard said he expected Gerrard to captain the national team as well as he captains Liverpool in the Premier League.
    "I think he'll do the job he has done at Liverpool which has been fantastic for years, it'll mean everything to him," said Lampard.
    Lampard added that Gerrard was a player to look up to.
    "He plays with a lot of inspiration and he's a player to look up to and for me that's what a captain is all about, it's not too much always about everything off the pitch it's when you get on the pitch, the way they lead and the way they show themselves and Steven always does that very well."
    England's game against the United States is on the second day of the June 11-July 11 tournament and will be played at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace stadium a short distance from the England training centre.
    Squad: Goalkeepers: Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth) Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa) Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register