The best camp is one that’s winning. You can have the best facilities in the world but results will dictate the mood.
It does feel like being in a bubble. You’re away from home and your family and part of the biggest sporting event in the world but at the same time kept away from the action.
I loved it, though, because you knew that the next few weeks could be some of the best times of your life.
Different England managers have tried different approaches. Graham Taylor banned the newspapers at Euro ’92 but we didn’t need to be told we were playing badly. Finishing bottom of the group told us that. Results!
Things were more relaxed under Terry Venables at Euro ’96. He was a brilliant man-manager and we had a great team spirit but again the results and performances played a big part in that.
There was no social media of course back then so the players these days have to find a different way to cope and block out the noise. Gareth Southgate was open with the media and it worked to a degree but we still saw criticism about the performances even when they were getting the results.
It remains to be seen how Thomas Tuchel will run the camp but it’s such a complicated World Cup in terms of travel and climate.
I know the FA will have been planning for every different scenario so as a player you trust they’ve got it right and then it’s up to you to deliver those results.
