There's plenty to criticise at the media for and I'm more than willing to post in this thread to have a go where I feel it warranted. However, I think this is pushing it, to be honest.
If a lad who grew up in a particular town announces himself on the CL stage, then other players from that town playing in the same position and who've gone on to represent England in the last 20 or 30 years are relevant for comparison purposes. IMO, that's not the case for bloke from county Durham playing in a different position sixty years ago who happened to start his career with the local team there.