Euro 2016: Wembley should share the wealth

ENGLAND head into this week's Euro 2016 qualifiers against the might of San Marino and Estonia well aware that last month's win in Switzerland has already gone a long way to secure a place at the finals. 

The ludicrous expansion of the Championships to 24 teams means the Three Lions can finish third in their group and still make it through. 

And, with six points surely coming in these two games against opponents ranked 208th and 81st respectively, there would seem to be very little to get excited about.  

Just as much was admitted by head coach Roy Hodgson at the start of the season when he said: "We'll find it hard to bring attendances back because the opponents we're playing won't excite the public."

Hodgson was speaking after a 1-0 friendly win over Norway only attracted 40,181 fans to the National Stadium. The crowd for San Marino is not expected to be much higher.

Of course, not all of this is the fault of England or the Football Association. 

Part of the reason for the low crowd will be down to the intolerably tedious nature of these qualifiers, as organised by UEFA.

Meanwhile, another UEFA initiative for Euro 2016 has been to spread the qualifiers out in a 'Week of Football' - naturally, all geared towards the television audience.

But kick-offs on midweek evenings are not much good for England fans living far outside of the radius of the M25.

Here, then, is where the FA should step in by taking some of the national team's matches back up north. 

After all, the atmosphere of around 40-50,000 in Anfield or St James Park would be immeasurably better than the lost cries of a few rattling voices in a half-empty Wembley. 

There is also the desperate need for the England team to reconnect to all of its supporters, including those in the north, following the drab World Cup exit - and matches outside the capital would, at least, be a start.

Sadly, this is not going to happen any time soon. The £757m debt incurred from building Wembley means the Three Lions are committed to play all of their home games at the stadium for the next eight or nine years.

But, surely a restructuring of the repayments could be considered if such an arrangement allowed England to go on tour every now and then.

For every now and then is all it would be - as I am not actually against the National Stadium.

Indeed, I personally admire the redesign of Wembley and its impressive arch - coincidentally, one of the first London landmarks that can be seen from the north on the M1.

It is just as clear, though, that the growing divide between the capital and the rest of the country has already also seeped into perceptions of the national team.

"London FC", a derisive Twitter nickname for the national team, is beginning to stick, no matter how many players from Liverpool or other northern teams are in the squad.

Meanwhile, the regular and unseemly sight of the empty Club Wembley seats near the tunnel can only cause a further disconnect.

And so, while England are already in no peril of missing out on a place at Euro 2016, the Football Association seems to be playing its own dangerous game with its failure to engage the whole of the nation.

Yes, London proudly stands one of the world's most important cities - but England always has been, and always should be about more than its capital.

MATCHDAY TWO FIXTURES
09-Oct Group C, Group E, Group G
10-Oct Group A, Group B, Group H
11-Oct Group D, Group F, Group I

MATCHDAY THREE FIXTURES
12-Oct Group C, Group E, Group G
13-Oct Group A, Group B, Group H
14-Oct Group D, Group F, Group I

GROUP A Netherlands, Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland, Kazakhstan

10-Oct	19:45	Latvia	0-3	Iceland	Riga
10-Oct	19:45	Netherlands	3-1	Kazakhstan	Amsterdam
10-Oct	19:45	Turkey	1-2	Czech Republic	Istanbul

13-Oct	17:00	Kazakhstan	2-4	Czech Republic	Astana
13-Oct	19:45	Iceland	2-0	Netherlands	Reykjavik
13-Oct	19:45	Latvia	1-1	Turkey	Riga

GROUP B Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

10-Oct	19:45	Belgium	6-0	Andorra	Brussels
10-Oct	19:45	Cyprus	1-2	Israel	Nicosia
10-Oct	19:45	Wales	0-0	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Cardiff

13-Oct	19:45	Andorra	1-4	Israel	Andorra la Vella
13-Oct	19:45	Bosnia-Herzegovina	1-1	Belgium	Zenica
13-Oct	19:45	Wales	2-1	Cyprus	Cardiff

GROUP C Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, FYR Macedonia, Luxembourg

09-Oct	19:45	Belarus	0-2	Ukraine	Barysaw
09-Oct	19:45	FYR Macedonia	3-2	Luxembourg	Skopje
09-Oct	19:45	Slovakia	2-1	Spain	Zilina

12-Oct	17:00	Ukraine	1-0	FYR Macedonia	Lviv
12-Oct	19:45	Belarus	1-3	Slovakia	Barysaw
12-Oct	19:45	Luxembourg	0-4	Spain	Luxembourg City

GROUP D Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

11-Oct	17:00	Republic of Ireland	7-0	Gibraltar	Dublin
11-Oct	17:00	Scotland	1-0	Georgia	Glasgow
11-Oct	19:45	Poland	2-0	Germany	Warsaw

14-Oct	19:45	Germany	1-1	Republic of Ireland	Gelsenkirchen
14-Oct	19:45	Gibraltar	0-3	Georgia	Faro, Portugal
14-Oct	19:45	Poland	2-2	Scotland	Warsaw

GROUP E England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

09-Oct	19:45	England	5-0	San Marino	London
09-Oct	19:45	Lithuania	1-0	Estonia	Vilnius
09-Oct	19:45	Slovenia	1-0	Switzerland	Maribor

12-Oct	17:00	Estonia	0-1	England	Tallinn
12-Oct	19:45	Lithuania	0-2	Slovenia	Vilnius
12-Oct	19:45	San Marino	0-4	Switzerland	Serravalle

GROUP F Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

11-Oct	17:00	Romania	1-1	Hungary	Bucharest
11-Oct	19:45	Finland	1-1	Greece	Helsinki
11-Oct	19:45	Northern Ireland	2-0	Faroe Islands	Belfast

14-Oct	19:45	Faroe Islands	0-1	Hungary	Torshavn
14-Oct	19:45	Finland	0-2	Romania	Helsinki
14-Oct	19:45	Greece	0-2	Northern Ireland	Piraeus

GROUP G Russia, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, Moldova, Liechtenstein

09-Oct	19:45	Liechtenstein	0-0	Montenegro	Vaduz
09-Oct	19:45	Moldova	1-2	Austria	Chisinau
09-Oct	19:45	Sweden	1-1	Russia	Solna

12-Oct	17:00	Austria	1-0	Montenegro	Vienna
12-Oct	17:00	Russia	1-1	Moldova	Moscow
12-Oct	19:45	Sweden	2-0	Liechtenstein	Solna

GROUP H Italy, Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malta

10-Oct	19:45	Bulgaria	0-1	Croatia	Sofia
10-Oct	19:45	Italy	2-1	Azerbaijan	Palermo
10-Oct	19:45	Malta	0-3	Norway	Ta' Qali

13-Oct	19:45	Croatia	6-0	Azerbaijan	Osijek
13-Oct	19:45	Malta	0-1	Italy	Ta' Qali
13-Oct	19:45	Norway	2-1	Bulgaria	Oslo

GROUP I Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, Albania, [France]

11-Oct	17:00	Armenia	1-1	Serbia	Yerevan
11-Oct	19:45	Albania	1-1	Denmark	Elbasan
11-Oct	19:45	France	2-1	Portugal	Saint-Denis

14-Oct	17:00	Armenia	0-3	France	Yerevan
14-Oct	19:45	Denmark	0-1	Portugal	Copenhagen
14-Oct	19:45	Serbia	A-A	Albania	Belgrade

Match abandoned on 40 minutes after a flag promoting Greater Albania flew over the pitch. The flag was seized by a Serbia player, which led to a brief scuffle between players from both sides and major violence involving Serbian fans. The score was 0–0.