Lee Carsley has ‘lost the whole nation’ before his team kick a ball, insists Jamie O’Hara… as fans give mixed reactions to England interim manager’s admission he WILL NOT sing the national anthem

Jamie O’Hara claims England caretaker manager Lee Carsley has ‘lost the whole nation’ over his refusal to sing the national anthem.

The talkSPORT presenter made the bold statement ahead of Carsley’s debut in the dugout for the Three Lions’ Nations League clash with the Republic of Ireland.

Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but played for the Republic of Ireland at senior international level, confirmed on Friday that he will not sing the national anthem.

“This (singing the national anthem) is something I always struggled with when I played for Ireland,” he said.

‘The time between your warm-up, coming out onto the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So that’s something I’ve never done before. I was always very focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really noticed that in that period I was on guard that my mind would wander.’

Interim head coach Lee Carsley (centre) has admitted he will not be singing the England national anthem

Presenter Jamie O’Hara has declared that Carsley has ‘lost the whole nation’ before his team have kicked a ball

Carsley, born in Birmingham, represented the Republic of Ireland at senior international level

Carsley’s decision appears to have divided the country, with many Three Lions fans expressing their disgust at the admission, while others justified his reasoning.

talkSPORT presenter O’Hara gave his opinion via social media platform X.

Survey

Is Lee Carsley wrong when he refuses to sing the English national anthem?

• Yes, he should be fired 136 votes
• No, that doesn’t matter 66 votes

He indicated that he was not too happy with Carsley’s decision: ‘What do people think about Carsley not wanting to sing the national anthem?

“That’s fine with me, see you later then. You just lost the entire nation before you even kicked a ball. Thanks for coming, Lee.”

Another English fan had the same opinion on the matter. In his post he wrote: ‘Sven Goran-Eriksson sang the national anthem and he wasn’t even from our country.’

‘I don’t care if Lee Carsley played for Ireland, but if there is a political reason why he doesn’t want to sing the national anthem then he should stop.’

While another added ‘Lee Carsley .. an English born, England manager – refuses to sing the national anthem. Oh dear, not a good start’.

Others, however, were quick to defend his decision, as football commentator Ian Darke wrote: ‘Lee Carsley has been hired to manage the England football team with clever selection, tactics and a touch of adventure.

“He’s not on ‘The Masked Singer.’ Nobody should care if he sings the national anthem if he can coax a melody out of a couple of talented players.”

A second post shared on X said: ‘I don’t care if Lee Carsley sings the anthem or not as long as he’s addressing the England players.

‘Carsley, checks notes, a former international, didn’t sing GSTK with #ENG U21s and he certainly got a melody out of it. Great to see – and European champion.’

A third X user added: ‘Lee Carsley has never sung the national anthem because he is too focused on the game. He hasn’t changed since he became a coach.

“There are plenty of players who don’t sing it. If we get Klopp, do you expect him to sing it? I don’t even know if Southgate has sung it – honestly, who cares?”

Carsley (second from left) admitted he struggles with singing national anthems before matches

Carsley has enjoyed great success with England’s youth academy, with the 50-year-old leading England Under-21s to European glory last year.

He has been part of He has been a member of the English Football Association’s coaching staff since 2015. If his audition against Ireland and Finland this week goes well, he could well win the coveted prize of being appointed the next permanent England manager.

Carsley continued to explain why he didn’t sing the national anthem

‘“I was really focused on the football and I took that into my coaching,” he said.

‘We also had the national anthem with the Under 21s and I’m in a zone at that moment. I’m thinking about how the opponent is going to position themselves and our first actions in the match.

‘I have great respect for both anthems and realize how much they mean to both countries.’