Sweden v England
Under-21 international
Kristianstad
30 March 2004

Most managers are in the results business, pure and simple.

It’s a little more complicated for Under-21 manager David Platt. His success is also measured in terms of how he prepares players for the step up to full international football.

Platt, whose new-look squad face Sweden in a warm-up to their own European Championship qualification campaign, has taken great pride in helping the likes of John Terry, Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole and Jermaine Jenas win promotion from his side to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s seniors.

The latest Under-21 graduate to get his call-up is Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, who is in the full squad to face Sweden after a couple of years banging in the goals for Platt.

"Jermain has had to wait and wait and I am pleased for him," says Platt.

"There was a period when he expected to be called up by Sven but stayed in my squad. He started hanging around the box more to try and score more goals rather than doing the work that got him the goals in the first place. But Jermain is a goalscorer because he plays football, not because he’s a goal-hanger, and I think he has realised that.

"I have always pushed for Jermain. If he’s a substitute at a major tournament, he can get you a goal in 20 minutes. And he’s versatile so you don’t have to take off any of your strikers to bring him on."

In some ways, Platt was a victim of his own success in England’s last Under-21 qualifying campaign. So many of his players were called up by Sven, he didn’t have a full quota to choose from and England failed to reach this summer’s European Championship Finals.

Second time around, Platt will be looking to the likes of Carlton Cole, Darren Bent, James Milner, David Bentley and Michael Tonge. And clearly he is more used to the job as well.

"The last two years have taught me things," says Platt. "I want to produce players for the seniors but can take a longer-term view rather than worry about who I can get into Sven’s squad within three months.

"The senior squad is already crammed with youngsters so I’ve stressed to this group their job is to try and win the European Championship and it’s a two-year campaign.

"We have to establish principles that will help us over the whole campaign rather than just looking at the next match. I am building relationships with the new set of players so I can be honest with them and demand things of them. I feel better in myself how to build those relationships.

"I was talking to David Bentley of Arsenal for example and he knows his football. I would start to explain things and he would finish my sentences off for me because he knows where I am coming from."

Platt’s Under-21s have difficult fixtures in Poland and Austria to begin their qualifying campaign. His experiences as a player in Italy with Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria do give him an international perspective and he says sometimes we build up players too early in England.

"We probably give players a world-class tag too early," he says. "We are always looking for the new kid on the block. My job is to pass on what knowledge I have to ensure they can genuinely handle being a star or a world-class player."

Platt’s own mentor was Dario Gradi at Crewe, after he had been rejected by Manchester United. He still remembers clearly the 1990 World Cup where he was catapulted towards fame and fortune almost overnight.

"When I went to the World Cup, my first question was ‘am I good enough to be here?’", he recalls. "I expected to be sitting in the stands, suddenly I was on the bench. Then I went on and marked Ruud Gullit against Holland for 25 minutes.

"Then I scored against Belgium and went through the rest of the tournament on an adrenalin high. Suddenly, I was up against Matthaeus in a World Cup semi-final and not embarrassed about it – I was there on merit.

"Challenges had frightened me earlier in my career but after that World Cup I thrived on it, started looking for challenges."

That positive attitude has followed Platt in his short managerial career.  Having cut his teeth at Nottingham Forest, he had no hesitation jumping at the Under-21 job when it was offered.

"Do you catch the train when it’s leaving the station?," he says. "You never know if you will get the same opportunity again. It’s exactly the same as when I had the chance to play in Italy.

"As a player, I won the Double with Arsenal, the UEFA Cup, the Italian Cup, won 62 England caps and played in the World Cup. But the highlight for me was being England captain for two years.

"If I’m going to be a manager I want the ultimate job – and that is England manager. The FA took me on saying they would like to promote from within.  There’s no guarantee but they would like to, along the lines of the French and Italians. If you are somebody who has never made any secret of the fact I would like to manage my country, what do you do?"

Starting Line-up, v Sweden U21, 30 March 2004

1. Scott Carson (Leeds United)
2. Justin Hoyte (Arsenal)
3. Liam Ridgewell (Aston Villa)
4. Nigel Reo-Coker (West Ham United)
5. Michael Dawson (Nottingham Forest) (capt)
6. Steven Taylor (Newcastle United)
7. David Bentley (Arsenal)
8. Michael Tonge (Sheffield United)
9. Carlton Cole (Charlton Athletic, onloan from Chelsea)
10. Dean Ashton (Crewe Alexandra)
11. Stuart Downing (Middlesbrough)

Substitutes

12. Matt Kilgallon (Leeds United)
13. Lee Grant (Derby County)
14. David Jones (Manchester United)
15. James Milner (Leeds United)
16. Darren Ambrose (Newcastle United)
17. Jonathan Stead (Blackburn Rovers)
18. Darren Bent (Ipswich Town)
19. Michael Chopra (Newcastle United)
20. Andrew Lonergan (Preston North End)