Darren Anderton says underdog role suits England just fine at Euros

Ex-England, ex-Spurs, and soon to be TSN studio pundit for this Euro 2012, Darren Anderton has done his share of living inside the same five-star fishbowl that Roy Hodgson & Co. have sublet over in Poland.

The English are followed by one of the globe's most ravenous media crowds, and there's always one story they're collectively gnawing on in the lead-up to major tournaments. Some of them, like this one that has Hodgson passing up the delights of a packed press room, seem more substantive than just an amusing distraction (shouldn't the WAGS be making an appearance?). All of them are overheated beyond belief, fuelled by nearly half a century of misses - on that level, anyway, England is the biennial footballing equivalent to the Maple Leafs.

Anderton recalls his Euro debut, at age 24, at Wembley in 1996, when it hit him full force.

"I felt it that very first game, we were playing Switzerland and not very well. As soon as things started to go wrong with a few passes going astray, the crowd got edgy and we all got edgy from that - you could really feel the pressure. It wasn't until we beat Scotland the second game, an arch-rival, that the whole nation got behind us and we could relax."

[Ray Wilkins: Netherlands' fire power could win them the Euros]

Before the '98 World Cup, there was shock in the dressing room when Paul Gascoigne was a late cut from the 23-man squad at the end of England's training camp in Spain.

"They called us in one by one to tell us if we made the team, and we were all surprised he wasn't called. He was going through some personal problems, and we were all pretty worried about him. But he was also a player who I looked up to and loved playing with. It's kind of boring at a big tournament, you're living in a hotel when you're not playing, you're cooped up with each other, and you need guys like Gazza to keep things light.

"Once the games start you put your head down and get on with the job, but afterwards you always ask yourself what might have happened if he'd have made that team."

[Martin Rogers: Germany is the team to beat at Euro 2012]

Anderton concurs that the same thing may well occur here. But I can't recall an England team coming in with as light a load in terms of expectations. Anderton thinks they could thrive because of that - I have my doubts. We do agree that, just a few weeks into the job, Hodgson's insistence to keep Rio Ferdinand off the squad "for footballing reasons" makes little sense on an England defence that minus Gary Cahill could use an elder central defender (even one as creaky as Ferdinand, given their depth issues).

"That is a very difficult thing for him to handle straight away, but it's the kind of decision you have to make as an England manager. For me, I'm surprised that he's not in the squad. Sure, it'd be difficult to have both John Terry and Rio in the squad - but I'm still surprised," Anderton said.

For the record, he thinks England will surprise and get out of their group, along with his darkhorse pick France. To win it all, Anderton's predicting Germany and his player of the tournament, silky Mesut Ozil - I can't argue with that, though I've dutched them with Holland in my plays (and don't sleep on darkhorse Sweden).

Friday's opening day also has Canada starting round 3 of its World Cup 2014 qualifying - from Havana, at the head-scratching hour of 1:30 ET on Sportsnet, with their house expert Craig Forrest. Rogers vs. TSN. Anderton vs. Forrest. It's a familiar scenario to anyone who remembers Anderton bearing down the wing starting two decades ago, the two having faced one another more than a few times when Canada's finest 'keeper was tending Premiership goal for Ipswich, then West Ham.

"I'm pretty sure I did okay - Ipswich beat us once or twice, but we did okay overall," said Anderton, sounding ready to renew the rivalry, right down to the studio-smooth chuckle.