Peter Beagrie Q&A: Hard-working Jamie Vardy deserves England opportunity

Peter Beagrie is here to answer YOUR Football League questions.

The former winger, who played over 770 games, representing clubs in all four tiers of the English footballing pyramid, including Manchester City, Everton, Bradford, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe and Grimsby, forms part of the Sky Sports punditry team for all the big matches in the Championship, League One and League Two.

So if you have a poser for Peter, whether it's about a team, player, match or incident that has caught your eye, a wider point on the Football League or something a little left field, then send it in via the feedback form at the bottom of the article.

Read on for this week's column where Beags has his say on Jamie Vardy's rise, where Fulham are falling down, the evergreen Roy Carroll, Barnsley's toils, and Dougie Freedman's future...

VARD WORK COULD PAY OFF
Jamie Vardy is supposedly on England’s radar. How good would a call-up be for someone playing in non-League not so long ago? Josh Hargreaves

BEAGS SAYS: If Jamie earned an England call-up, Josh, it would be a huge boost to people and show that with a great attitude and work ethic you can achieve great things in sport and life. Vardy would become a beacon of light for all non-League players looking for a break to get into – or back into – the Football League. There have been some meteoric rises for non-League players in recent years, particularly strikers who have been able to transfer their goal-poaching in the lower reaches to the bigger divisions. Charlie Austin, like Jamie, has gone from non-League to Premier League in a remarkably short space of time and both have continued their thirst for work and retained their hunger and desire, facets which can be diluted when success and money comes a player’s way. Jamie and Charlie are different in stature but both work tirelessly for their teams and never give centre-halves a moment’s rest, chasing every pass and seeing no such thing as a lost cause.

Vardy is quick, intelligent and brave and although he initially struggled to deal with his £1million price tag having arrived at Leicester from Fleetwood, he has dug in, believed in his ability and come out of the shadows of the brilliant David Nugent. I judge players on their effectiveness, not how easy they are on the eye, and I suppose tireless runner Danny Welbeck would be the player in the England squad whose game is most like Vardy’s. Jamie is a far better finisher than Welbeck – though it would take a brave man to put him ahead of Welbeck – and he would not let anyone down. Vardy, like Swansea winger Nathan Dyer, has the pace and intelligence to ask different questions of international defences and should he – and QPR striker Austin – hit the goal trail prior to one of the international friendlies he could be thrust into the limelight. I hope it happens as I love to see players rewarded for succeeding against the odds.

CENTRE-HALVES NEEDED
If you were Fulham manager – have you applied? – what one player would you sign on loan to help us up the table? Danny Cruttenden

BEAGS SAYS: Danny, I can honestly say that applying for the Fulham job has never crossed my mind and to be brutally honest it will take more than one player to change your season. An emphasis on yo