Beckham, Scholes, Ferdinand... Vassell?! Just how golden were England's Golden Generation?

By Ian Cruise in Mirror Football Blog

Published 16:25 13/10/09

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Frank Lampard said earlier this week that England should never have been labelled the 'Golden Generation' - the tag given to the squad when Sven Goran Eriksson took control of the national team in 2001.

But just how golden were they really? MirrorFootball casts its eye back over the squad that went to the 2002 World Cup finals to deliver the verdict...

Goalkeepers:
David Seaman: 'Safe Hands' was without doubt one of the best keepers of generation. But his habit of making high profile errors - like the one that saw Ronaldinho's speculative free-kick sail over his head in England's quarter-final defeat to Brazil - meant he was more gold-plated than golden nugget.
Gold bars (out of ten): 7

Nigel Martyn: An able deputy to Seaman without ever truly convincing that he was a better bet to be the first choice. A top-class club keeper, but perhaps just a little lacking when it came to the very highest level.
Gold bars: 6

David James: Has improved with age but, at the time of the 2002 finals, he was still trying to live down his 'Calamity James' tag. There were doubts then and, let's be honest, they remain now.
Gold bars: 6

Defenders:
Danny Mills: England's first choice right-back in Japan and South Korea, but his volatile temperament meant he was always an accident waiting to happen. Played only one competitive game after 2002, and dropped out of the squad altogether in 2004.
Gold bars: 4

Ashley Cole: Has been his country's preferred option at left-back for the best part of a decade after making his debut in March 2001. Widely regarded as one of the best in his position in the world, and rightly so as his performances for Arsenal, Chelsea and England have proved.
Gold bars: 8

Rio Ferdinand: One of the classiest defenders in Europe, but those horrible casual looking mistakes that have blighted his career have returned to haunt him this season. He's been looking less 24-carat and more meat and two veg this term and his place in the team is under threat.
Gold bars: 7

Sol Campbell: A rock at the back for England during his international career and  a proven big tournament performer. He starred in 1998 in France and did the same in 2002. He obviously found the likes of Argentina and Brazil less of a threat than Morecambe!
Gold bars: 8

Wayne Bridge: He played a total of 17 minutes in two substitute appearances at the 2002 finals, and that's summed up his England career. He's racked up the air miles, but never looked like replacing Ashley Cole as a regular starter.
Gold bars: 5

Martin Keown: Rough, tough, uncompromising defender - and undoubtedly a good man marker - but never looked to have either the pace or the guile to be genuine world-class. One of five men in 2002 not to play a single minute at the finals.
Gold bars: 5

Gareth Southgate: Like Keown, he also didn't get any game time in the Far East - the other members of that disappointed quintet were back-up keepers Martyn and James, and fellow defender Wes Brown. Still a valuable squad member, but younger men had passed him in the pecking order by then.
Gold bars: 5

Wes Brown: The Manchester United youngster was reckoned to be the future of England's defence, but injuries have restricted his progress. He's never been truly able to nail down a regular place at Manchester United, and consequently neither has he for England and, at the age of 30, you suspect he now never will.
Gold bars: 4

Midfielders:
David Beckham: A true world star, the 2002 finals was not his finest hour. After his red card against Argentina in 1998, he was desperate to make amends four years later but, not fully fit, he was well short of his best. Was too often favoured and feted by Sven Goran Eriksson but, such is his class and longevity, that he seems certain to go to next summer's finals as a valued squad member even under the no-nonsense Fabio Capello.
Gold bars: 9

Paul Scholes: On his day the Manchester United star was one of the best in the world. Former Three Lions boss Kevin Keegan used to refer to him 'dropping hand grenades' in the opposition penalty area but, in truth, he was always far more effective for his club than his country.
Gold bars: 6

Owen Hargreaves: His World Cup lasted just 109 minutes as he limped off injured in the second group game against Argentina. When fit, he looked as though he would develop into one of the best holding midfielders in the world. The key words in that sentence, however, are when fit.
Gold bars: 6

Trevor Sinclair: A late replacement for the injured Danny Murphy, who himself had been a late call-up for the injured Steven Gerrard, Sinclair forced his way into the team with an excellent performance as an early sub for the crocked Hargreaves against Argentina. But the remainder of his international career amounted to just three friendlies after the finals, confirmation that he wasn't exactly the devastating wide man to strike fear into the rest of the world.
Gold bars: 5

Joe Cole: The wild card in the pack, he was just 20 at the time of the finals. But just as he did with Theo Walcott four years later, Eriksson clearly wanted a young tyro in his party but then didn't trust him once he got there. Cole has gone on to prove he's at the top of the tree, but he didn't get the chance to show it in the Far East, playing just 16 minutes as a sub in the first game against Sweden.
Gold bars: 7

Nicky Butt: One of England's better performers in 2002, but there was always the nagging suspicion that he was made to look better than he was by the players around him. His career after leaving Manchester United, at Newcastle and Birmingham (loan), suggests that may have been the case. Indeed, he played his last international in 2004 - the year he left Old Trafford.
Gold bars: 6

Kieron Dyer: If only he could stay fit for more than about 20 minutes at a time, Dyer could have been a real danger man for England. But he's now 30 and the blistering pace that made him such a threat is sure to have been diluted by all his injury woes. A potentially great talent that looks likely to go unfulfilled.
Gold bars: 4

Strikers:
Michael Owen: Still at his peak in 2002 and a player who would have got into the squad of most of the countries at the finals. Injuries have restricted his impact in recent years, however, and although he was one of the most feared strikers on the planet in his day, those days appear to be behind him. Certainly as far as Mr F Capello is concerned.
Gold bars: 9

Emile Heskey: He's been in and out of favour during a stop-start international career and, although he's highly regarded by his team-mates and most of his managers, you can't hide from the fact that he just doesn't score any goals. At the 2002 finals, he got one in five matches. Not enough.
Gold bars: 5

Robbie Fowler: The man who was known as 'God' during his days at Liverpool, he was less widely worshipped by this stage of his career at Leeds. He had never really delivered on the international stage, scoring seven goals in 26 appearances but never establishing himself as a first choice.
Gold bars: 5

Teddy Sheringham: Undoubtedly a class act in his prime, but he was 36 by the time of the 2002 finals and the heat and humidity was always going to present a real challenge. Used as a sub in four of England's five matches, he played a total of 92 minutes without troubling the scorers.
Gold bars: 8

Darius Vassell: An Eriksson favourite, but no other England manager picked him. He played in both the World Cup in 2002 and the European Championship in 2004, but his record of six goals in 22 games suggests that Eriksson was wrong and all the others have been right. Yes, even Steve McLaren...
Gold bars: 3

Verdict: So, in actual fact, man for man they weren't that golden after all, were they? Those marks give them a total of 138 out of a possible 230, suggesting they were some way short of being the world-beaters they were hailed as.

* Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville missed the 2002 finals through injury. Frank Lampard was not selected for the squad.

What do you think? Was this really a Golden Generation? Did they under-achieve? And is the current squad a better bet to deliver next summer? Sign in below and have your say...

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