The Best Uncapped England XI
Wearing the crest of the Three Lions is among the highest honours that can be bestowed upon an English footballer. Over the years, however, certain players who appeared to deserve an international call-up were either snubbed or denied by fate.
This XI comprises the best players who never won a full international cap. Take a look and give your opinion in the comments.
GK: Tony Coton
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Former Watford and Manchester City keeper Tony Coton beats out the likes of Steve Ogrizovic and Phil Parkes to guard the net in this XI.
Coton was a superb goalkeeper who had the misfortune of playing in an era when Peter Shilton and David Seaman were undroppable alternatives.
As a result, he managed only a single outing for the England B team.
LB: Alan Wright
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Known as one of the shortest players in Premier League history, Alan Wright (5'4") played over 300 Premier League games, including an eight-year stint at Aston Villa.
Wright won the Premier League with Blackburn (albeit as an understudy to Graeme Le Saux) and was called up to the England squad in the build-up to Euro 96, but sadly was never handed a cap.
CB: Steve Bruce
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It's hard to believe that a defender of Steve Bruce's calibre was never able to represent the full England side.
Bruce captained Sir Alex Ferguson's dominant team of the early 1990s and won three league titles and three FA Cups. Despite the likes of Neil Ruddock and David Unsworth earning caps, the current Hull manager never received the call.
Via the Express, Bruce recently revealed that he turned down a "sympathy cap" from Terry Venables towards the end of his career.
CB: Billy Bonds
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Although former Wimbledon and Tottenham defender Chris Perry probably deserves a place in this team, the other centre-back spot must surely go to Billy Bonds.
West Ham have had a few notable England legends, but the man who made over 660 appearances for the Hammers in the 1970s and 1980s never earned an opportunity on the international stage.
RB: Tony Hibbert
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Tony Hibbert is something of a cult hero at Everton, who has been with the club since he was 10 years old.
The 33-year-old right back has never scored a professional goal (prompting the popular banner "If Hibbo scores, we riot") and has never represented his country at any level.
The Merseyside man once received a call-up to the U21s, bit missed out through injury.
LM: Jimmy Case
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Moving to the left of midfield in this XI is Liverpool legend Jimmy Case, who won four league titles and three European Cups as part of the Reds' all-conquering side of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Despite holding his own with some of the club's all-time greats in their unstoppable prime, Case's call-up never came.
CM: Kevin Nolan
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In a successful career spanning 15 years, Kevin Nolan has been unable to make his mark in England's "Golden Generation."
In fact, the West Ham star holds the record for Premier League games played without an England cap: 375 (as per The Daily Mail).
CM: Howard Kendall
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Often remembered for his highly successful managerial spate with Everton, Howard Kendall was a very popular midfielder with Everton in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kendall formed part of the midfield "Holy Trinity" with Alan Ball and Colin Harvey who won the league in 1970. Amazingly, he was the only one of the trio never offered a place in the England team.
The Toffees hero, however, did represent England schoolboys and even captained the Youth side to victory in the 1964 Little World Cup.
RM: Jermaine Pennant
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Jermaine Pennant may have had his issues off the field, but few could doubt his ability on it.
The right winger—who is currently playing in the Indian Super League with Pune City—gave a standout performance in the 2007 Champions League Final with Liverpool and even gave a solid contribution to Stoke in recent seasons.
Despite earning 24 caps for the U21s, the 31-year-old never earned a full international call-up.
S: Kevin Campbell
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Kevin Campbell is yet another victim of bad timing on this XI.
At Arsenal, the striker scored 46 goals, proving particularly useful during the Gunners' 1990-91 winning campaign.
He also enjoyed prolific spells at Nottingham Forest and Everton, but was always kept out of the England team by his contemporaries: The likes of Gary Lineker and Alan Smith in the early years and Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham in the seasons that followed.
S: Matt Jansen
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Matt Jansen enjoyed a prolific spell at Blackburn Rovers at the start of the millennium, which put him in line for an England call-up.
In 2002, Sven-Goran Eriksson put Jansen in his squad to face Paraguay in a friendly, but he had to pull out at the last minute with a stomach injury.
Eriksson also intended to use Jansen in his 2002 World Cup squad, but switched him out for defender Martin Keown at the eleventh hour.
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