England Watch – Ledley King
Deadly Ledley
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Wednesday, 06, Dec 2006 05:23
If there is one area of the field where the current England squad is clearly a leading nation in world football, it is arguably at centre-half. The current first-choice pairing of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand has been in place for a couple of years now and the duo are clearly settled in their roles.
Terry has been impressive enough as both a player and a character in the dressing room to warrant being installed as captain. Nevertheless, by the time the World Cup in 2010 comes around, Ferdinand will be pushing 32 and even if he is capable of continuing to produce at international level, as his club captain Gary Neville has done at 34, back-up players and competition for places is clearly helpful for England.
So how close is Ledley King to being able to oust one of England's starters in the next four years?
Name: Ledley Brenton King
Position: Centre-back
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Age by South Africa 2010: 29
As Tottenham's captain and crowd favourite, Ledley King is one of the most respected and admired centre-backs in the Premiership. The relatively young defender has also been impressive when given an opportunity at international level as well and is considered rather unlucky to be approaching his prime when England's defensive ranks are so well stocked.
King has been a first-team regular at White Hart Lane since the 2000/01 season and is an imposing presence in both penalty boxes. Since commanding a starting role in the Spurs line-up, King has gone just one season without finding the back of the net and even then, in 2002/03, it was a year that was shortened by injury.
At 6ft 2in, the Tottenham club captain is widely regarded as more of a "gentle giant" than a blood-and-thunder leader, akin to Chelsea skipper John Terry. In fact, one of the few times supporters have seen King lose his temper somewhat was a result of an altercation with Terry in a league game between Spurs and Chelsea when the two tangled as they competed for a lofted free-kick. Terry was sent-off for his part in the incident and a fracas immediately afterwards.
Nevertheless, King's competitive nature is by no means stifled by his calm aura. Many of his England appearances to date have been in the holding midfield role and the Spurs man has revelled in the position, frequently drawing praise from many quarters for the way he anchors the entire team and allows a more attacking-minded midfield partner (usually Liverpool's Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard of Chelsea) to make forward runs at will. King showed his class while wearing the Three Lions before the last World Cup as he took the field against tournament favourites Argentina and despite playing against some of the best midfield maestros in world football, he more than held his own.
Ledley King is vastly underrated by many fans around the country, other than those who see him play week-in-week-out in north London. Although he often finds himself behind Terry, Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher in the pecking order for a central defensive role, King's class has been too much for England managers to resist before, which is why he has found himself in midfield on more than one occasion during his 17 international caps.
In the view of many in the media, King is more than a potential member of England's 2010 World Cup squad – he is a first-team player. It seems only injury, as it has unfortunately conspired to do before, can prevent him from breaking into the starting XI in the coming years.
England's 2010 World Cup squad
*Players in bold – tickets to South Africa booked already
Goalkeepers
Paul Robinson
Possibles: Chris Kirkland, Ben Foster, Rob Green, Scott Carson
Defenders
John Terry, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher
Possibles: Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Anton Ferdinand, Leighton Baines, Justin Hoyte, Curtis Davies, Wes Brown, Phil Bardsley, Michael Mancienne
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick
Possibles: Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Nigel Reo-Coker, Lee Cattermole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stewart Downing, Giles Barnes, James Morrison, Kieran Richardson
Forwards
Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen
Possibles: David Nugent, Theo Walcott, James Vaughan, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Darren Bent, Dean Ashton, Cameron Jerome