Rougier: It should have been me

Instead, former Albion striker Tony Rougier will be watching from afar, wondering how it would have felt to lead the Trinidad and Tobago attack against England in the World Cup.

Rather than facing John Terry and Rio Ferdinand in Nuremberg, Rougier will be sat in front of the television at home in Reading, reflecting on the unkindest World Cup cut of all.

Leo Beenhakker, Trinidad and Tobago's Dutch coach, invited the 34-year-old former captain of the 'Soca Warriors', back into the national team in January for a training camp in Fort Lauderdale.

He was named in a 24-man squad for the final warm-up match at home to Peru but then axed just before the party left for Germany following a dispute with Beenhakker and skipper Dwight Yorke.

"There was a rift, a falling out between myself, Dwight and the coach and it didn't work in my favour," Rougier revealed.

"I was the only one who hand't played under Beenhakker at the time. I said what I wanted to say and they weren't happy.

"It was the day before we travelled. They were going to take 24 anyway and just replaced me with Evans Wise."

It was a crushing blow for the Born Again Christian, whose goals once helped Albion almost avoid relegation against all odds, but his faith has helped him cope.

"I hadn't played for the national team for a year. When I was called back up it was exciting for me," Rougier said.

"Playing for Trinidad from the age of 16, qualifying for the World Cup and then not playing is difficult but God has given me peace."

Rougier has returned to England for a break in the domestic season in Trinidad, which runs from March to December and where he now plays for United Petrotrin.

He is due to fly back out to the Caribbean next week and in the meantime will have a distant view of his colleagues' World Cup campaign.

He could have been in the stands, cheering his team-mates on, but that would have been a bit too close to the action for comfort, an all too painful reminder of the row which robbed Rougier of his dream.

"They have got the advantage of being there, I have the advantage of watching three games a day," he said. "I had the opportunity to go just to watch the games.

"I had tickets and everything but I didn't think it would be wise. It would have been harder to sit in the stand and watch.

"That's the difficult thing I have got to live with every time you see the game. That's one of the reasons I didn't go because you would be sitting with the fans and they would be saying 'why aren't you out there'.

"Football is like that sometimes. I don't like it but I am used to facing difficult situations.

"I remember, for instance, when I was at Brighton (on loan from Reading). I wanted to stay for the rest of the season, I was begging to stay.

"Alan (Pardew) wanted me back and I went back and played one game, then left at the end of the season.

"From there I went to Brentford and Bristol City. I finished with them in the play-off final against Brighton. That was my last game in England. I went to China for a season and the US for six months and now I'm back in Trinidad."

Rougier scored twice in six appearances for Albion, a debut winner at home to Millwall and in a draw at Ipswich, as Steve Coppell's side fought in vain to beat the drop three seasons ago.

He is not the only Albion link to England's next World Cup opponents. Manager Mark McGhee was responsible for bringing goalkeeper Shaka Hislop - the hero of T and T's shock opening 0-0 draw against Sweden with ten men - to English football from Howard University in America when he was in charge at Reading.

Gillingham's Brent Sancho, a defensive rock against the Swedes, had a trial with the Seagulls last summer and played in a couple of friendly matches along with keeper Kelvin Jack, who was due to play ahead of Hislop until hurting himself in the warm-up.

"I heard about Brent Sancho's trial with Brighton," said Rougier. "That's water under the bridge now. It's difficult for players when they go on trial, because it is a totally different atmosphere.

"The Trinidad defenders have played together for two years and I think Sancho can do a good job. He is not a regular starter but Marvin Andrews was injured and that is why he got in.

"Shaka Hislop wasn't supposed to be playing either, so it's funny the way things happen. I don't believe in luck but I do believe in destiny.

"Offensively we didn't do anything. We defended the whole game, which against a side like Sweden demanded that.

"We surprised the world. Most of the players leaving Trinidad and going abroad are thought not to be good defensively but we showed we are, especially with Dwight playing a defensive central midfield role.

"The point of us going to the World Cup is to show we are capable of competing, so the result was excellent."

Now for England, where Rougier spent a third of his career after a spell in Scotland with Raith Rovers and Hibernian.

"It's massive," he said. "We have showed England we'll be up for the fight and it's not going to be easy. Let's hope we can surprise them offensively.

"Before the Sweden game we were not expecting to get anything out of the World Cup and just give a good account of ourselves.

"Now optimism is high. The country is buzzing, there are parties everywhere and everyone is expecting the players to pull off a result.

"But they know England are a quality outfit and I believe it is possible for England to win the World Cup if they get it right."

The harsh reality for Rougier is that he cannot help his fellow countrymen try to stop them.