The England squad experienced a different kind of boot camp over the weekend after manager Gareth Southgate arranged a top secret trip to the Royal Marines’ Commando Training Centre.
Twenty members of the England squad, along with key members of the Football Association’s backroom staff, were whisked away on a surprise trip to the base in Devon on Friday and spent the next 48 hours in army fatigues completing a series of exercises designed for marine recruits.
They included a night camping under the stars on Woodbury Common, while pictures carried on The FA’s official website show Southgate was not afraid to get involved.
In one of the images the Three Lions boss is seen being helped out of what looks to be a water hazard on an obstacle course.
Gareth Southgate
England boss Gareth Southgate took part in the training camp (Royal Navy/PA)
Elsewhere, Raheem Sterling is pictured preparing sleeping bags in darkness and Jake Livermore is applying camouflage paint.
The players will reconvene on Tuesday at St George’s Park, joined by Gary Cahill, Eric Dier, Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford – who missed the excursion – to prepare for the forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Scotland in more familiar surroundings.
“These guys represent Queen and country, and we do the same – but the consequences of failure for the Royal Marines are far higher. That gives us a good context and comparison,” Southgate told
www.thefa.com.
“We wanted to come and put the guys into a different environment, something they weren’t expecting. The Marines talk about a dislocated expectation, and that was part of the theme of the camp – how will we be adaptable in moments of difficulty for us as a team?
An unforgettable experience for the #ThreeLions.
“There were some team objectives around pushing themselves beyond where they thought they could go and knowing you don’t want to let any of your team-mates down.
“We wanted to expose the guys to an elite environment with one of the elite forces in the world. We wanted them to see that there’s another world out there.”
Colonel Mike Tanner, commandant of the commando training centre, was pleased with what he saw from England and hopes to work with them again in the future.
“It has been a real pleasure,” he said. “They threw themselves into every challenge with enthusiasm and good humour.”
