David Flatman gives ‘chill out’ warning to fans as he adds ‘more beef’ verdict on England selection
David Flatman gives 'more beef' verdict on England selection as he adds 'chill out' warning to fans
Former England prop David Flatman has stressed the importance of beating Italy in Rome in round four of the Six Nations, as the international side looks to repair its damaged reputation.
Following back-to-back defeats against Scotland and Ireland, England now find themselves under huge scrutiny from the English press and fans alike.
“They’ve looked physically knackered to me the last couple of weeks, and that I find strange. But I also wonder if it’s psychological”, Flatman told The Sports Agents podcast.
The performances England produced were nowhere near the standard expected of a side riding a 12-match winning streak before the Murrayfield game. It’s not just the team’s reputation that’s been hammered; individual players are also getting a hiding from fans.
“George Ford was the king of the world three weeks ago, right? So, he’s not suddenly no good. He hasn’t had a great couple of weeks. I’m not sure what fly half could have played for England that looked great in the last two weeks, frankly,
“My neighbour was speaking to me, Big Ron: ‘George Ford’s got to go!’ I said, ‘Mate, you had a poster of him on your wall two weeks ago. Chill out!’”
“More beef”
Despite the clear lack of form, Flatman doesn’t believe now is the time to panic.
“Lots of constituent parts haven’t worked for England, but I don’t buy into the drop everyone and pick fifteen different lads. I’d like a bit more beef, without being too old school.
“I think Maro [Itoje] is working his way back to fitness, and it’s all very well saying, ‘Don’t pick him, match fitness.’ But I think they are going to pick him, because he’s the captain and he’s got a reasonable history of producing great performances.”
Despite this, the former Bath prop believes that certain players will find their positions “under threat”.
“Pretty much everyone has been dropped at some point,” continued Flatman.
“That’s all right. That’s not the only change I would make, but I wouldn’t be picking ten different players,
“They haven’t been good enough. But there are certain players in there you think, ‘Your reputation is under threat. Let’s see what you offer in Rome.’”