England fans divided as Lee Carsley stays silent for anthem in first game as interim manager against old side Ireland
LEE CARSLEY remained silent as England players belted out “God Save the King” before Saturday’s Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland.
The new interim Three Lions boss doubled down on his promise not to sing along after causing a stir at yesterday’s press conference.
But Jack Grealish, who played for Ireland’s U21s, and Declan Rice, capped three times by Ireland’s seniors before switching allegiance in 2019, sang loud and proud as Dublin supporters attempted to drown out England’s anthem with boos.
Carsley was born in Birmingham but played 40 times for the Republic at international level.
And speaking ahead of the match, he revealed he would not be joining in with players and fans singing “God Save the King.”
It sparked a row as critics pointed out that predecessor Gareth Southgate always belted out the anthem before matches.
But Carsley countered by revealing he never sang the Irish anthem before games as a player.
And he also didn’t sing “God Save the King” during his time as England U21s boss.
Carsley’s refusal to sign sparked a divide amongst fans.
One said: “Under no circumstances must Carsley be named permanent England manager.”
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Another declared: “Lee Carsley shame on you not singing the anthem.”
One noted: “Why doesn’t he just sing, he’s from Birmingham.”
Another yelled: “Carsley a gangster man, no anthem, beat him if you’re bad.”
One said: “I think Carsley will cook.”
Another added: “Lee Carsley what a man.”
Before kick-off, SunSport held a poll asking fans whether they felt Carsley was right not to sing.
And the results were extremely close, with 50.52 per cent of fans feeling Carsley SHOULD have joined in.
Speaking before kick-off, Carsley was questioned about the reaction to his anthem rejection.
He said: “Like I said in the press conference, it’s an immensely proud position for myself and my family.
“I’m really looking forward to the game, I’ve got respect for both teams. It’s a proud moment I’m really looking forward to.
“I can’t wait for the game now. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
“As a player making my debut I was totally focused on the game. I found it (the anthem) difficult to get used to and spent that time concentrating and keeping focus.
“It hasn’t changed since I’ve been coaching and hopefully that will be the case today.”
Former Republic of Ireland team-mate Roy Keane warned Carsley that the criticism came with the territory of being England boss.
He said on ITV: “Welcome to reality of being manager of England.
“It is unfair, of course it is. The priority it is to try and win football matches and that will take care of everything else.
“He’s come through the youth teams, this is senior and there’s huge pressure. Huge demands.
“He played for Ireland, he never sung it with the U21s, it wasn’t an issue then.”
Fellow pundit Ian Wright added: “For me it’s a storm in a teacup. I really do feel for him in that respect.
“There’s already pressure on him. The fact is you are going to be judges on the results.
“When you look at the chance he’s got to get it, he’s focused on the football side.
“As a football person he’s probably trying to think about what he’s doing, not realising it’s a massive thing for other people.”