In fairness, they'd probably think the England Manager had lost his marbles completely. England fans needn't panic however, Saturday's squad at the Stade Vélodrome in France will be comprised entirely of human players — jokes about Wayne Rooney aside — but that hasn't stopped Heritage Classic Car Insurance company from imagining this surreal scenario.
🎥 #ENG train for the final time ahead of Saturday's #Euro2016 opener against #RUS in Marseille https://t.co/YV9a4tu9n5
— England (@England) June 10, 2016
The traditional 4-4-2 formation would see the goalkeeper replaced with a 1966 Ford Transit; hey, it's big, it's strong, it's reliable — and by all accounts good at catching!
England fans chant victory songs to Russia as they drink in a #Marseille bar ahead of England losing vs Russia pic.twitter.com/Qb7Ix91017
— Russian Market (@russian_market) June 10, 2016
Stepping up to the center backs, you've guessed it, a pair of 1989 Land Rover 110s, and in case that's not quite making sense to you, 1989 was the year they became known as "Defenders."
Two 1967 Triumph Spitfire MK3s — known for their speed and agility, would come in handy for the left and right back positions. A 1982 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo and a Lotus Esprit V8, take on the midlfield, so the Bentley can protect the back four, whilst the Lotus leaves only dust in its wake.
A pair of MK1 Austin Mini Cooper S' — of "Italian Job" fame — on the wings, and up front, a 1963 Jaguar XK-E Roadster and a 1973 MGB GT V8, oozing the performance, speed, power, style and grace to carry the dreams of a nation.
Mark Wilkinson — of Heritage Classic Car Insurance — said:
"As football fever strikes the nation, we had a lot of fun kicking suggestions back and forth for a classic car starting eleven. We are confident that the cars we have chosen will be standing strong at the full-time whistle, although we know we'll be open to a certain amount of criticism, just like Roy Hodgson and the England team itself."
England are set to take on Russia Saturday, June 11, at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, in the UEFA EURO Group stage.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the car picked to replace the team's coach, was a 1948 Daimler CVD6! Old, quirky, likely to fall apart at any time.