Back in Bury, Chris Trippier has already pledged to dust down the giant flag, braced as he is for the flurry of written warnings sure to be dispatched by the local council. It has become something of a tradition in the Trippier household to hoist the Cross of St George from a 20ft pole in the cramped back garden during a major tournament. They have tended to lug the family television outside, too, and invite the neighbours round to watch England play, yet the flag will flutter in their absence this time.
The Trippiers will have reason to be in Russia. “Dad’s already said he’ll put it up next summer,” said Kieran, the Tottenham Hotspur wing-back who will challenge for a third cap in Friday’s friendly against Germany and, if fit, seems certain to play a part next summer. “He started doing it back in 2010 for the World Cup, and the council tried to make him take it down. But he didn’t. A massive pole with a big England flag … I’ll never forget that. They wrote letters to him and everything but he said: ‘No way am I taking it down.’ The neighbours loved it, so I have no idea who complained. But he’s mad for England, and Manchester United.
“He’s over the moon for me. I’ll never forget when we were in France in June [when he made his senior debut] and my parents were both crying their eyes out. Even playing in the youth set-up, when my dad would travel a lot with me, they were always so proud, as I was to play for England youth. But to make it to the senior squad … that was one of the proudest moments. It’s always been a dream for me, putting on the jersey, even when I was playing in the Championship. Even now, thinking back to my debut, it still gives me the shivers. I was just so excited to come and be a part of it.”
This is a player who has earned his opportunity and is making the most of life at this level. Trippier’s career path has been tortuous at times, in keeping with many members of the squad, taking him from Manchester City’s academy through loan spells at Barnsley and Burnley before a permanent switch to Turf Moor and, eventually, a first taste of life in the top flight.
He is 27 and a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s forward-thinking side, but a player whose education is far from complete. Last week he excelled in the Champions League as Spurs eased beyond Real Madrid, tormenting the highly decorated Marcelo en route, to demonstrate his development. That was the kind of occasion to make the club’s healthy contingent of England players feel they belong on such a stage.
Unfortunately for Gareth Southgate, only Danny Rose, Eric Dier and Trippier of the six Spurs players originally selected remain fit for the Germany and Brazil friendlies, though they are still the core group around whom the national team will surely be built for the World Cup in Russia.
“Obviously you want English players playing in the Champions League against the very best players in Europe,” Trippier said. “The English clubs are doing well this season and, hopefully, all the lads can come away with the national team and play like they are for their clubs. And you can learn a lot playing against Real Madrid, playing against the best players. The players we have here are doing it in the Premier League and the Champions League, so there’s no reason we can’t now do it at international level.
“Personally, I’m maturing as a player. You can learn a lot in the Europa League, or from playing different teams from across Europe, and European football has improved me as a player. I’ve had to work so hard in my career to get to this point, from leaving City and going to the Championship to work my way back up. I believed I could do it, and I’m grateful to Burnley and Tottenham for letting me do it in the Premier League.”
He cites as key the influence of Sean Dyche, the manager at Burnley – “Respect and honesty, that’s what you get from him” – and Pochettino, whose regime at Spurs has seen Trippier change his diet and drive up his fitness levels. “I wasn’t in the best shape when I came to Tottenham and the manager let me know that,” he said. “We’d get our body fat tested at Burnley and I’d had a really good percentage, and Sean Dyche was happy. But I was well high when I went to Spurs – they must pinch you tougher at Tottenham, unless it was that all-inclusive holiday in Mexico I had that summer … must’ve been the mojitos. But I lost it all.”
He is reaping the benefits now, his patience while competing with Kyle Walker at Spurs last season rewarded by selection on merit for club and country, and his reputation now established. “You want to play teams like Real Madrid every week, and now we are up against Germany and Brazil, which should be a great test for us ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We’re up against world-class teams and individual players … but it’s a chance for us to show what we can do.” Bury council beware. The Trippiers will be in Russia but that flag will be hoisted whether the local authority likes it or not.