Adams sees better future for Keegan's England

The England team met earlier this week at Burnham in readiness for this Saturdays friendly match against France. Tony Adams was one of the England players chosen to face the England press pack.

Tony Adams has been made captain of the England team, but this is not the first time. Under coach Glenn Hoddle Adams skippered the team but lost the captaincy after Euro 96.

Tony Adams "I am a very proud man, very grateful to Kevin for making me skipper. Glenn had his reasons and I obviously didn't agree with them, but I respected him as a manager and got on with the job.

I've pretty much been captain of my club side now for the last 12 years and won a few things along the road and hopefully that experience will put me in good stead, the knowledge I've received over the last few years, hopefully I can pass that on to the other guys."

The England football team came in for some heavy criticism during and after Euro2000.

Tony Adams "I think the result is -- the thing that will pick us up more than the results, it will be the performance, the way the boys actually go about their performances, with hopefully qualification for the World Cup. That's our goal.

Tony Adams "I can't talk about the fans, can I? All I can talk about is my truth and Tony Adams' truth, what I'm trying to do here today. Obviously when you don't get success, the semi-final in 1996 was failure for me as well, the first round exit. It's all failure. When you don't get success then people maybe perceive you as not very good, and that is their opinion. But I've got no effect on that at all. I'm completely powerless over that. What I can affect is today and what I'm doing -- we trained this morning, team spirit was good and hopefully we can move forward.

" What happens, I think it's down to the players, it always is. We need to get out there and maybe get a little bit more respect back. That's what I'm certainly going to go for. It's more the manner in which you play sometimes than the result. You know, you've got to be moving and showing everyone your performance."

England?s first game after their disappointing Euro 2000 tournament is against World and European champions France. Tony obviously admires the team.

"I think it's their moment, it's their time. You know, at the moment they have got -- they have cracked it. If you take the average career of a footballer, about six or seven years and coming down, I think you get, what, two or three goes at winning a major tournament and to actually win two, as they have done, is quite incredible. It just clicked.

"I think they are defensively a great unit, and they spring from there and obviously you've got talented people in amongst that team. Thierry Henry has been fabulous for us (Arsenal). He really struggled to settle in the early part of last season, and I think he got a great goal, Southampton, I think it kind of turned his season round for him, confidence grew, and went and had a great Euro 2000. He has come home -- he's a nice kid, got his feet on the floor. It looks like he is still going to be good for us this season as well."