Three Newcastle Players Make MOTD’s Uncapped XI

The Match of the Day 3 panel last night chose an England Uncapped XI team. And three Newcastle United players featured. 

The panel, consisting of Colin Murray, Dion Dublin and Mark Lawrenson, discussed which 11 uncapped English players would make the strongest team. 

And the Newcastle players that feature on the team-sheet are: Steve Harper, Danny Simpson and Mike Williamson. Former Newcastle United players Kevin Nolan and Wayne Routledge also featured on the list. 

For a long time now, people have been saying that Steve Harper has deserved a shot at International football. The homegrown keeper has loyally served United for 19 years now, despite having not always been the first-choice keeper at the club.

Despite putting in fine performances for the club when he does play, he’s been unfortunate in that he’s always been up against a world-class keeper, with the likes of Shay Given and Tim Krul always ahead of the player. One thing that we pride ourselves on at Newcastle is the quality of our goalkeepers and Steve is no exception.

It’s a shame he’s never been given a chance on the international stage, but he certainly will go down as a fan favourite at the club for the loyalty that he’s shown us over his long career on Tyneside. 

Now we turn to Danny Simpson. Having joined the club initially in 2009 on loan, Simpson has been ever-present for Newcastle. He was apart of the 2010 Championship winning side, being one of five Newcastle players in the Football League’s top 20 players for the 2010 season.

Although he has recently been linked away from the club, Danny has been at the heart of a consistent Newcastle XI over the past number of years. Unfortunately, like Steve, he’s been unfortunate in the competition he’s had to face for England selection. With Glen Johnson, Micah Richards and Kyle Walker all competing for the same England jersey, it’s hard to imagine Danny getting the England call-up in the next few years.

Finally we come to Mike Williamson. Having signed him for just £1million in 2009, he can be seen as one of Newcastle’s best bargain buys. For a player who was plying his trade in League Two just three years ago, he’s certainly moved up the footballing ladder in that time.

He has captained the Newcastle side in Europe this season, exemplifying the astronomical advance he’s made in the footballing world: He is just one of  Newcastle’s many success stories over the past couple of seasons.

To have these three players named in this team-sheet is rather bitter-sweet experience. It’s good to see them getting recognition from fellow football fans, but it’s just a shame that they hadn’t received it from the England management in turn.

You can see the video here

Why do you think these NUFC players have never been given a chance by the England management? Comments Welcome