England U17s: Jordan Spence = Badass

The England U-17s have embarked on a huge journey as they are traveling to Korea for the U17 World Cup. Only one Hammer has been named in the squad which normally would be upsetting, but not today. This one Iron is the captain of the U-17s and has issued a warning to all who come before the Young Lions:

"There will be no fear"
By Russell Staves. Tuesday, 07 August 2007.

FIFA U17 World Cup
18 August - 9 September
Korea

England Under-17 captain Jordan Spence was in confident mood on Tuesday evening ahead of the flight out to Korea for the World Cup.

The young stars will spend a week in Jeju acclimatising before focusing on their first group game with North Korea and the skipper can't wait to get started.

"I’m really excited," the West Ham defender told TheFA.com. "There are lots of things to look forward to. But just playing in the World Cup, for us it’s the biggest tournament we can play in at this age."

England automatically qualified for the showpiece event following a fine display in May's European Championships, where they finished second to Spain after being edged out 1-0 in the Final.

"At the end of the Euros we knew we had secured our spot, but after having two weeks off, I had to get pre-season out of the way first before I could start thinking about the World Cup," added Spence. "I had to concentrate on getting myself fit."

Spence is one of the few members of the squad who has been to the Far East before, having travelled to Japan with West Ham for a pre-season tour a year ago.

"It was an excellent experience," he said. "It was a very different experience to playing in Europe. You certainly felt a long way from home."

The squad are a harmonious bunch, particularly after a lengthy spell together when they reached the European Final in Belgium, and their tight bond will help both on and off the field.

"This group has been together for quite a while – Wes [Foderingham] is the only new boy," added the skipper. "We all get on really well, everyone just slots in. We were together quite a long time at the Euros and that brought us closer together. Winning breeds happiness."

England face North Korea, New Zealand and Brazil in the group stages and despite the game with the Samba Boys being the plum tie, Spence echoed his Head Coach John Peacock's thoughts when he insisted that the team will take each game as it comes.

"Every teams deserves respect for having reached the World Cup, so we will respect them," he said. "But we are confident we can beat anyone if we play well.

"Brazil is the game that sticks out – playing them is a once in a lifetime experience - but we don’t want to look that far ahead. The first two games are the important ones. We want to win the first two games so that we face Brazil with six points.

"But it will be the same as the Euros, we don’t want to look too far ahead of ourselves. We want to win it though."

For Spence, personal achievements are shelved in favour of the team - no wonder he's captain - but he knows he will have to lead from the front if England are to progress.

"I just want to do well as a team," he said. "When we are winning, everyone is happy. But I want to play well. Being on the world stage, I want to show what I am about.

"I will get butterflies before the games, but there will be no fear. Ultimately, we are here on merit, both as a team and individually, so we should be confident."

COME ON YOU IRONS!!!!!!