After our 'animated' conversation last night, I read that article, and at the bottom it said... Have you added the new Top Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? I read it as... Have you added the new Toy Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? For a good half-dozen seconds there I was quite confused.
Just confirms that adults all scan words ahead and our brain fills in gaps. People with one eye read slowly because they can't scan and, amazingly, a blind person reading braille one handed is also slow because they lack the scanning hand. There endeth the lesson.
Most important Saints' player that we want back unscathed, since England seem to be a bit careless with GKs at the moment.
You do understand that there is a massive amount of politics involved? You know that you would say the same if you were England manager? I don't believe you're that naive. His post is basically politician first, manager second. Like Roy or not, he's not saying it for fun. He'd probably avoid the whole thing if he could. He also has to ensure any potential candidates - not least the captain - be motivated before a tournament. There is a press ****storm poised at all times that would derail the entire efforts of the squad and render England's participation in the tournament a waste of time if Roy were to say anything outside that Rooney party line - let alone drop him from the squad. Whether we all like it or not, he's undroppable, for non-football reasons alone, and if no one sees that, they are blind. Why waste time complaining about it? Most anyone who wants him dropped can hope is for is for it to happen in-between tournaments, and even then he'll be asked behind the scenes to announce his international retirement, rather than have an England manager drop him.
I couldn't really care less either, though I do of late come down on the side of having him included in the squad, for reasons stated in previous posts. I'm just aware of the realities involved with a symbolic figure like that. All national teams have them, and maybe they stifle progress. I'm anti it too. It certainly wouldn't be the end of the world if he was injured and couldn't make it - we certainly wouldn't progress more than one game further imo - but if you think Roy's an idiot for saying what he has, you are essentially asking him to sacrifice his own position as England manager, and the delicate balance involved in preparing this squad for the tournament. Which would arguably be more idiotic behaviour. Even Ferguson couldn't get rid of Rooney at United. I dare say even Rooney can't get rid of himself! It is Hotel California, and whether we like it or not, until he retires, he is an England mainstay.
Obviously, I wasn't privvy to what was asked of Hodgson, but he could have been less equivocal. Something along the lines of... Wayne obviously realises that no player's place in the team is certain... would have created that little bit of distance which would have pleased an awful lot of supporters who want to look to the future and not the past. But sadly, like previous England managers, he has a misguided sense of loyalty. There is no contract to play for the country. The moment a player has dipped in form or lost it entirely, when there are better players, or players who are more effective because they are in better form, or that they improve the team's balance rather than lop-side it, then that player who has dipped should be out. No player should have special status. The result is healthy competition for places and it's something England managers, past and present, are not ruthless enough about. Instead they carry on with old favourites while better players lose their desire knowing they'll never get a chance. Rooney has more than had his 15 minutes of fame. There are more effective players around. Leaving him out might do him some good.
Are you saying that you would take him if he was fit or simply that Roy will? If the latter then I'm afraid I agree with you.
As someone else said earlier, if we take four strikers, it would be naive anyway not to take Rooney as one. I agree - one of the things I hate about England the institution is their capacity to draw out certain players' international career. Basically, those that play for big clubs. Once you're in, it seems you're in for life. Meanwhile those that are in amazing form but not capped seemingly wait forever to get that first pick, kept out by those other players. But the figurehead that is England manager is basically the conduit through which those untouchable players maintain that longevity - in the process helping promote the league in which those players ply their trade through the world. Roy's job is actually a bit different to that of some predecessors, as it requires some phasing out of the old and a rebuild - alongside the part of his job which (like Sven, McClaren etc.) involves basically mandatorily selecting those players. If he does anything controversial in the selection field, trust me: it's sanctioned. Sounds like a conspiracy theory when it's broken down like that. It's not, but basically, like most politics, its rotten. I'm not banging the drum for any players - I'm saying you can't expect Roy to say anything else than what he did. Yes, maybe some more equivocal language would be nice.
I'm going to be incredibly selfish and ask Ronald not to make himself available for his country. As a manager, I mean.
