Eurosport - Fri, 04 Sep 15:36:00 2009
After Fabio Capello called uncapped Gary Cahill into the England squad to face Slovenia this weekend, Eurosport-Yahoo! looks at some of the one-cap wonders to have graced the shirt.
Steve Guppy
What did England need for all those years before Joe Cole proved otherwise? That's right: a left-footed midfielder. Without one we could never win the World Cup. So what did Kevin Keegan go and do in 1999? He called up Steve Guppy.
It seems a strange choice: Keegan had signed Guppy for Newcastle in August 1994 then promptly sold him on to Port Vale in the November with one Toon appearance to his name - a League Cup win over Manchester United.
He must have seen something he liked - and the then Leicester winger promptly helped the Three Lions beat Belgium 2-1.
"It's a funny thing, playing just once for your country. I am actually in a book, 'One-cap Wonders' - I've got my own chapter," he said later. "Unfortunately I injured my left knee and had to have an operation. Then at the end of that season I had to go back in and have it done again.
"After that Martin O'Neill left Leicester and that was the end of it, really. It is not something that keeps me awake at night, though. Realistically, to play for England on a regular basis, you have to be something special."
And what of receiving his solitary cap, surely his pride and joy, in the post?
"I was hoping I was going to get it from the Queen," he joked. "I am not too fussed about things like caps - it's round at my mum and dad's house.
"Maybe when I've finished I'll look back at it, but I don't have any regrets. I've been very fortunate. I've probably done as well as I could have expected with the talent I have."
Ah, Franny Jeffers. He never really was any good, was he?
But wait! The large-lugged striker boasts, like fellow one-capper David Nugent, a 100 per cent scoring record for England.
However, as with Nugent, it came in a terrible match, the 3-1 defeat to Australia at Upton Park under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2003.
Terrible, but notable. The Swede substituted his entire team at half-time - perhaps single-handedly forcing FIFA to change their rules on subs in friendlies - and brought on Jeffers alongside another young international debutant, Wayne Rooney.
As for what happened next, Jeffers was recently transfer-listed by Sheffield Wednesday for headbutting and punching Port Vale skipper Tommy Fraser off the ball, while Rooney is, well, Rooney.
On the subject of violence, another alumnus of the one-cap school is former Leeds star and one-time U21 regular Lee Bowyer.
The midfielder's debut was delayed by the infamous court case where he was accused, with Jonathan Woodgate, of assaulting an Asian student. The FA would not allow Sven to pick either until the matter was over.
Bowyer was cleared, then selected against Portugal in a friendly.
Despite playing well enough and setting up England's goal for Leeds team-mate Alan Smith in a 1-1 draw, Bowyer disappeared from the national set-up - reportedly due to his off-field attitude, which also put paid to a later move to Liverpool.
Chris Kirkland was 11 years old when his dad and some mates each placed bets of 100 quid with William Hill on him appearing for England before he reached the age of 30.
The odds were 100/1 and so when Kirkland came on as a second-half substitute against Greece at Old Trafford in 2007 each member of the syndicate collected £10,000.
You'd think he would have earned at least that every week at Liverpool and so just given it to his dad, but there's no money like a bookie's money.
Injury has curtailed his chances of featuring more regularly for England, although he has made many squads since 2003.
Everyone's heard the urban legend about Seth Johnson's Leeds negotiations.
You know the one: on the way to meet Peter Ridsdale, midfielder Johnson agrees with his agent to ask for 17 grand a week in the hope they'll get 15 - a massive rise on his pay at Derby. However, 'tropical fish' Ridsdale immediately gives him an envelope containing terms which amount to £35,000 - and the agent promptly negotiates him up a couple of grand more.
Whether true or accurate, the story highlights the fact that Johnson isn't all that good. Leeds may have paid £7 million for him, but the West Yorkshire club's plight in the intervening period says a lot about their judgement at that time.
His one showing in an England shirt came as a sub in Peter Taylor's game in charge against Italy in Turin in 2000, a respectable 1-0 defeat where David Beckham was first handed the armband.
Johnson was among a group of U21 players nurtured by Taylor who played in that match. Gareth Barry, Jamie Carragher, Rio Ferdinand and Emile Heskey went on to better things with the national side.
Johnson later returned to Derby, where he was a favourite among the fans, and helped them earn promotion to the Premier League. But he injured his knee in the play-off final against West Brom and his professional career ended there.
Comment 1 - 6 of 6
HAY hang on a moment!!! THESE PLAYERS DID GET AN INTERNATIONAL CAP FOR THEIR COUNTRY. It easy for people on the side lines, who never won anything, to sit in judgement on other people. WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE TO GET AN INTERNATIONAL CAP??? There are a lot of world clss sportsmaen who sit infront of the Television and give their unqualified opinions!!! Just remember that you're only really there to pay other peoples wages.
Who cares!!! My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He is 8 years older than me, lol. We met online at ** Agelessmatch @ com ** a nice place for Younger Women and Older Men, or Older Women and Younger Men, to interact with each other. You may wanna check it out.
wHAT ABOUT rICKETTS??? Surely woth a mention.....
Rickets, plays like he's got Rickets, He can't kick it, he'd be be better off playing cricket......
Ah Steve Guppy - he was that type who didn't score much - but when he did they were scorchers!
Seth was a great player for Derby, shame he had to retire.
All these players have more than one thing in common, they were all 5 H 1 T!!
Always were, and always will be!!
Francis Jeffers? Another player who 5hat of Everton for more wages, the greedy little wingnut!
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