UEFA Euro 2012: 5 Players Undeserving of a Place in Roy Hodgson's Squad

Roy Hodgson has Europe to beat and a country to win over this summer.

The highly criticised appointment by the English Football Association has already gotten of to a bad start—no thanks to a certain UK tabloid.

However distasteful the remarks are, there's no denying the swirling doubts regarding this appointment.

One way Hodgson can win the country over is with his squad selection for the UEFA Euro 2012 Championships this summer.

By taking a firm stance and only rewarding the deserving players a seat on the plane, he can establish himself as a strong leader from the start.

In that essence, here are five players who should not be going to Poland and Ukraine this summer.

Enjoy the slideshow!

Glen Johnson

Kicking us off is a player who, in my eyes at least, has played poorly for England over the last several years.

Glen Johnson has quite often been wasteful in possession and ignorant of his defensive duties. He survived under the Fabio Capello regime purely because of the Italian tactician's ongoing spat with Micah Richards.

With a fresh manager comes fresh ideas and the vast majority of Englishmen want powerful right-back Richards to start come Euro 2012.

With regards to squad depth, Kyle Walker is someone I would look at ahead of Johnson. The PFA Young Player of the Year deserves big tournament experience and carries out his duties more efficiently than the Liverpool defender.

Daniel Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge is a phenomenally talented player—his goal against Queens Park Rangers pays homage to that notion.

However, I can't help but think I'd become infuriated if I supported the team he plays for.

His selfishness knows no bounds and he rarely passes when he should. His Chelsea colleagues become visibly frustrated with him and I believe the entire nation would too if he failed to play in his teammates when necessary.

If he learns to pass, he's a shoe-in for the team.

Stewart Downing

I'm a big believer in rewarding fine form with a national team call-up.

Stewart Downing has been atrocious this season and the Liverpool man has shown no sign of stepping up his form for the Euro 2012 Championships.

There are other options on the wing—Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ashley Young and Adam Johnson to name a few—and Downing hasn't shown the form necessary to go to Poland and Ukraine.

Hopefully his form will pick up during his second season at Anfield—just like it did at Villa Park for that matter—and he can put himself into contention for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Rio Ferdinand

In his first press conference, Roy Hodgson suggested he would sit down with both Rio Ferdinand and John Terry—the objective being to see if he could resolve their differences and have them willingly play side by side.

For me, this conversation isn't necessary.

Ferdinand is a shadow of the player who once held an automatic starting berth in the England starting 11 and shouldn't be considered for this tournament.

John Terry, with allegations looming over him, is another question mark for the tournament.

With Gary Cahill in a UEFA Champions League final and Joleon Lescott within a shout of a Premier League title, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling developing nicely and Phil Jagielka displaying the consistent brilliance we've come to expect, why would you even consider Ferdinand for the team?

Scott Carson

Scott Carson has never come close to staking a claim for England's No. 1 goalkeeping spot.

Joe Hart is head and shoulders above him despite the fact he is several years younger—something that suggests he will never reach the level required to represent his country on a regular basis.

Roy Hodgson would be better off taking a young, inexperienced 'keeper to the tournament as third choice behind Hart and Robert Green.

That way, a goalkeeper who might actually have a chance of usurping the Manchester City stopper in the future could bag some valuable major tournament experience.