GARETH SOUTHGATE has been passing the time at England’s Hertfordshire training base by playing World Cup bingo.
Footballers on the front pages, stadiums not ready for opening games and Wags on the sidebar of shame are regular pre-tournament fodder.
But star player arriving a day late to join up with the England squad for the start of their World Cup preparations?
It is a new one, even by this country’s remarkable standards.
Raheem Sterling has just added this to a list of colourful and sometimes controversial capers during his England career.
The Manchester City forward fluffed his flight connections, blaming the delay on a dozy PA who booked his tickets from Jamaica to London, via Miami.
Whatever Sterling’s excuse, he was clearly cutting things fine.
Southgate accepts the player’s explanation, even if it is clear he is pretty cheesed off about it.
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England’s head coach admitted: “Managers want an easy life, really. We know the world we live in — nothing stays private.
“If these situations happen, they are going to be out there. Then there is a requirement to answer questions and the possibility that they become a bigger issue than they should.”
They went for a walk — some managers would have made him take the gangplank — when Sterling eventually reported for duty on May 23.
Southgate went easy on him.
He accepted Sterling’s explanation, along with a plan to stand up in front of the group to apologise for arriving at St George’s Park a day late.
They accepted it, of course they did, and life moves on. Southgate struggled with this though, losing the power and confidence in his voice when the subject of Sterling’s tardiness was put to him. He was clearly not prepared for it.
Southgate managed to work his way through it, with Jesse Lingard squirming alongside England’s chief as he tried to explain quite what happened.
If nothing else, Southgate needs this particular player at the World Cup finals in Russia.
Sterling’s performances back in March, when he took responsibility for setting England’s tempo in prestige friendlies with Holland and Italy, were excellent.
He is also coming off winning the title with Manchester City, scoring 18 goals in the Premier League during their record-breaking season.
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Sterling is too good to leave out as England go into this evening’s friendly with Nigeria at Wembley.
If Southgate had the options, say, of Germany, then there is a chance Sterling’s international career under him could be over.
The danger here is that a pattern is forming, with players trampling all over Mr Nice Guy in charge of the national team.
Southgate is a good man, fairly mild-mannered and has a pretty relaxed air about him.
The problem is that players have taken advantage of it, pushing the boundaries.
Southgate deserves better than that. He turfed Wayne Rooney and Phil Jagielka out of his squad, never to be seen again, after the pair’s infamous appearance at a wedding at The Grove hotel in Watford in November 2016.
The same weekend Adam Lallana took his Liverpool buddy and England team-mate Jordan Henderson on a 220-mile trip to spend the evening in a lap-dancing bar in Bournemouth. Not a good look.
The timing of Sterling’s indiscretion, plus the hullabaloo surrounding the tattoo of an assault rifle on his right leg, adds to the intensity.
The 23-year-old is a better kid than this.
One of his redeeming features is his generosity, buying homes for his mother and sister over the past couple of years.
On a minor note, he once spontaneously offered to pay for this correspondent’s train ride, politely declined, on a trip from Manchester to London.
During that two-hour journey, he was happy to shoot the breeze about his life, career and the media’s fascination with him.
Unfortunately, Sterling is capable of making mistakes.
Sometimes we forget these are young boys but that must also be balanced by the honour of representing England.
There is an intensity about a World Cup, with the spotlight shining on this group of players. This week, it is Sterling’s turn.
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Southgate added: “I don’t know why there are so many stories about him compared to others but he’s the type of player who can make a difference.
“Look at the impact he had with Manchester City this year and it was the same when he played for us in March.
“There is a bigger expectation but, if you want to be a top player, you have to be able to handle that.”
Keeping Sterling in the squad is the right call by Southgate, giving him room to breathe before they set off for Russia.
When he gets there, it will be eyes down for the big prize.
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