Ray WILKINS

He was arguably the most maligned player of his generation by all who watched him, but never once by those who selected him or starred alongside him. Ray Wilkins' England career took in a gargantuan 84 caps and at the very best he went unnoticed by many an observer, while others of a more idealistic nature blamed his reliability on the long frustration regarding Glenn Hoddle's abortive England career. But his international coaches - Don Revie, Ron Greenwood, Bobby Robson - wouldn't have a word said against him. A steady, sharp-brained central midfielder with assured, considered leadership qualities, Wilkins was already captain of Chelsea at the age of 19 by the time Revie included him in his list of new recruits for the showy but largely meaningless bi-centennial tournament in the USA during the golden summer of 1976 when the European Championships went on without English involvement elsewhere. Wilkins started as he would predominantly go on for the next decade; unfussed and composed in his play, making possession and straightforward visionary passing the fulcrum of the way an England midfield which included him would always play. Some said he was negative, with his nicknames of 'Square Ball' and 'The Crab' highlighting the particular brand of supposed pessimism in his style, but those around him knew and saw differently. Wilkins, subsequently, very rarely played badly for his country, even though there was plenty of consensus that he could play better.

Revie picked Wilkins for his first competivie international at the end of 1976 as England got their campaign to reach the 1978 World Cup underway in straightforward manner; a 2-1 win over Finland at Wembley. Ray was neat and tidy as a surveyor of the play while the burgeoning partnership ahead of him of Trevor Brooking and Kevin Keegan began to flourish. However, his safety-first approach was sacrificed by a pressured Revie as he packed his defence and isolated his midfield for the crucial trip to Rome a month later, and England lost 2-0. Wilkins was not recalled in 1977 for the third qualifier as England swatted away Luxembourg 5-0 at Wembley, but Revie took a further look at him during the summer Home Internationals, as Ray featured in a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland in Belfast. The infamous summer tour of South America gave Wilkins an elongated spell in the midfield, playing in all three games which ended in draws each time and were overshadowed by Revie's notorious resignation for pastures lucrative in the Middle East. Ron Greenwood's arrival did not affect Wilkins youthful standing, and he slowly began to establish his credentials as a first-choice midfielder once the World Cup campaign ended with 2-0 wins in Luxembourg and over Italy at Wembley. The dream of reaching Argentina had gone, but Wilkins had time and patience on his side, and Greenwood's admiration for him was instant. (Matthew Rudd)

In 1978, Ray Wilkins became England's first choice holding midfielder. He wasn't quite the holder of more modern definition, as although he could tackle he was by no means a ball winner. He was perhaps a more advanced and more understated version of the so-called libero; a player whose job was to probe, observe and make sure that no ball and no run was wasted. His passing was pristine when he was optimistically minded, and England couldn't do without him. He was a masterful presence behind more naturally energising players as England settled into life under Greenwood. Wilkins featured in all three Home International wins and controlled the midfield as England then destroyed Hungary 4-1 in a Wembley friendly. He played in the opening qualifiers for the 1980 European Championships - a freakish 4-3 win in Denmark and a 1-1 draw away to the Republic of Ireland - and maintained his considered Chelsea form in the process. By the end of 1979, Wilkins had secured a big-money switch to Manchester United and passed the 25-cap mark as the European Championship qualification pool ended in triumph with wins over Denmark, Northern Ireland and Bulgaria. Ahead of all that, he scored his first England goal - his goalscoring was the one aspect of his game through all of his career which was an underachievement - in a 4-3 friendly defeat in Austria. As Greenwood shaped and switched bits of his squad to find one capable of taking England to their first major finals in ten years, Wilkins' place was never in doubt, featuring in friendly wins over Spain and Argentina and a mixed Home International campaign which saw a poor defeat in Wales, a disappointing draw with Northern Ireland and a reassuring 2-0 crescendo win over Scotland at Hampden. He was 32 caps into his England career by the time the trimmed and chosen squad flew to Italy, buoyant, excited and in-form, with an infamously defensive Belgium, known for their ruthless offisde trap, awaiting them in the opening game in Turin. (Matthew Rudd)

Ray Wilkins began the 1980/81 season injured, so didn't feature in the initial trio of qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup in Spain (home wins over Norway and Switzerland and a ghastly defeat in Romania) so when he returned to fitness in 1981, he was welcomed back with open arms, coming on as a sub in a friendly against Spain. The next game was a return qualifier against Romania at Wembley and here was a yardstick moment for the England midfield, as Greenwood started a game with Wilkins and Bryan Robson for the first time. Robson was earning his seventh cap and was six months away from joining Wilkins at Manchester United for a record-breaking fee. They blended together at international level superbly; Robson's tenacity and stamina was complemented immaculately by Wilkins' more measured and inconspicuous approach and although there was a settling in period (two games without an England goal in the Home Internationals; an in-out World Cup qualification climax which saw England through in the last game, by which time Wilkins was injured) it was clear that Brooking's ageing legs were eventually going to give way and this would be the central England partnership of the World Cup and beyond. Hoddle had claims, as did Liverpool's Terry McDermott, but Greenwood was clear in his thinking as he paired Wilkins with Robson time and again in the warm-ups and Home Internationals of early 1982. Their club partnership had flourished quickly after Robson's arrival at Old Trafford, and when England took to the field against France in Bilbao for their first game in a World Cup finals for a dozen years, Robson and Wilkins took the central positions. Greenwood decided to play natural wingers either side of them (Steve Coppell and Graham Rix), thus negating the chances of Hoddle or McDermott to complete a trio behind three strikers.

Wilkins played his first incisive pass of the World Cup after just two seconds, fizzing a ball from the centre circle to the right flank where Coppell chased, was tackled and promptly hurled in the long throw from which Robson scored the fastest goal in tournament history. England won 3-1 and Greenwood naturally saw no reason to change the team as the Czechoslovakians were dispatched 2-0 four days later. Although changes were made to rest players for the final group game (qualification was assured), Wilkins stayed in and picked up his 50th cap, aged just 25, as England won 1-0. He duly started and ended the two games in the bizarre second group, both of which ended infamously goalless and prompted England's undefeated exit from the competition. Ray played every second of the campaign, and would later claim that England's departure at that stage was his biggest career regret. However, Wilkins maintained his England place as his star grew internationally, and the retirement of Keegan and Mick Mills - not to mention Ron Greenwood - meant that he became captain of his country for the first time in September 1982 when Bobby Robson picked his first England team for a 1984 European Championship qualifier against Denmark. The 2-2 was a sign of frustrating things to come as England failed to qualify following a Wembley defeat against the same opposition almost exactly a year later, although injury meant that Wilkins missed much of it; indeed, the defeat was his comeback game and again he wore the armband. In 1984, Bryan Robson's captaincy of his country, when fit, was confirmed, with Ray an eager and willing deputy when his injury-prone team-mate was unavailable, as well as his settled and reliable midfield partner at club and international level. He won his 60th cap in the famous 2-0 tour win over Brazil at the Maracana, having secured a lucrative move to AC Milan, and remained in situ and in form as England began a cakewalk of a qualification campaign for the 1986 World Cup. (Matthew Rudd)

Glenn Hoddle was still on the scene and getting occasional starts and sub appearances as the World Cup qualifying campaign got underway, but the Robson and Wilkins double act was set in stone. England scored 14 goals without reply in their opening three games against Finland (5-0), Turkey (8-0) and Northern Ireland (1-0) before being held to a goalless draw by Romania at Wembley (the photo above is during the game). They ended the campaign as runaway winners without losing a game and Ray was a whopping 80 caps (with a few captaincies therein) into his illustrious international career by the time England flew out to Mexico in good heart and with real confidence. England dispensed with natural width on one of the flanks for the opening World Cup group game against Portugal in Monterrey to allow Wilkins and skipper Bryan Robson to be joined by Glenn Hoddle in an effort to play their way to victory. It failed spectacularly as England got in each other's way and found no route through to the strikers, and Portugal grabbed a goal and a win. Robson then suffered a dislocated shoulder in the next game against Morocco and so Wilkins, winning his 82nd cap, took on the armband and leadership responsibilities. He quickly let himself down in a remarkably out-of-character moment when, frustrated by a decision given against him, he threw the ball away and struck the referee, who promptly showed a red card. Nobody argued with the decision (although it's fair to say the referee could easily have stepped out of the way, such was the lack of force or intent in the throw) and Wilkins was suspended for the final group game. He never played in the World Cup again as England recovered with Hoddle and Peter Reid replacing the main midfield pairing, eventually suffering in the quarter finals to Diego Maradona's mixture of lawlessness and flawlessness. Wilkins watched, now available for selection again but certain he'd never feature unless injury took away those on the park, as England fought back to 2-1 but ultimately missed out. He was not yet 30 - though his lack of hair and pace made him look somewhat more mature - and although his long list of detractors saw this as ample opportunity to regroup the midfield, he was in the squad when Bobby Robson, prior to putting together his plans for the 1988 European Championship qualifying campaign, assembled the players for a friendly against Sweden in Stockholm.

England lost 1-0 and Wilkins was dropped for the opening qualifier for the tournament - a 3-0 win over Northern Ireland at Wembley. He stayed in the squad a month later for another home qualifier, this time against Yugoslavia, but Hoddle was recruited again to play alongside Bryan Robson and Wilkins was thrown on as a late substitute for Steve Hodge. This was his 84th cap, and there would be no more as Hoddle stamped his authority and the likes of Neil Webb and Steve McMahon quickly emerged to provide a younger, fresher alternative. Occasional calls for Wilkins to be reinstated surfaced when Hoddle lost his way, but Webb especially settled in quickly, and Wilkins' move to Rangers in 1987 was not greeted with enthusiasm for any further international prospects. Paul Gascoigne then turned up, and the faint hope was gone. Wilkins' career spanned numerous eras - the 70s decline, the Revie betrayal, the return to tournament form and the re-emergence as a global force in the game. He did everything well and nothing badly, and with international football always anxious to produce good winners rather than good losers, he was as impeccable a choice for his position than anyone else. For all his supposed lack of adventure, he had endeavour, spirit and respect, and the facility to keep house in the centre of the park while more flamboyant midfielders disappeared off to make their names. He was a necessary presence, never a necessary evil. (Matthew Rudd)