Despite what we think about Rooney he has been the captain in a successful qualifying competition, it would be a poor manager who rubbished his captain after that. Picking him to play in crucial games could be quite a different matter.
He doesn't have to rubbish him. He can still pick him, if that's what he thinks is best. Saying that he's the captain, so he has to pick him doesn't make any sense, though. Rooney's club form doesn't warrant a place in the first XI, in my opinion. He did captain the team through qualification though, so that should be taken into account. Nobody should be undroppable, though. Hodgson shouldn't be saying that about anyone. It's not healthy.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what he'll do. Despite the fact that picking unfit players (especially Rooney) doesn't work and that young players who come into the national team just before a major championship have a fantastic record (Ball, Hurst, Peters, Beardsley, Lineker, Gazza, Platt, Owen, Rooney in 2004) and are often our best players.
No I agree but didn't Hodgson imply that he was droppable by saying they would put pressure on each other for a place.
Again I agree with you but I prefer to condemn him after he commits the crime. Overall I think Rooney has been a great disappointment after his blinding start as a teenager. No doubt he has played lots of good games that I have not seen but I can't remember the last good performance by him in an England shirt. I'd be interested to hear what littleLuke thinks, who has probably seen more of him.
He also implied that he had to play because he was the captain. I'd be very surprised if he left him out, unless injury forces his hand again.
You're probably right, it might be a bit like Bobby Robson in the 1990 world cup when the players forced the managers hand and the team were all the better for it. Most England managers have been very conservative. It highlights what a breath of fresh air Pochettino has been with his willingness to pick players on ability regardless of age or reputation.
Increasingly Pochettino's philosophy has a familiar ring to it: “Any player coming to Spurs whether he’s a big signing or just a ground staff boy must be dedicated to the game and to the club. He must be prepared to work at his game. He must never be satisfied with his last performance, and he must hate losing.” If England's star players had adopted this philosophy or their manager's insisted upon it, we would have had a national team to be proud of.
Sturridge confirmed as starting tomorrow night, so hopefully that means Kane will be on the bench or, even better, absent entirely. Boring Milner wears the captain's armband so I assume that'll be in place of Henderson. Surely Drinkwater needs to start instead of Alli?
The entire starting XI should be changed. That can't happen though, as Hodgson only picked one left-back. I say can't, but I guess Heaton could play in place of Rose or something. Probably not, eh?
Vardy should be starting tonight. Woy should be looking whether he can also step up like Kane. These friendlies are the last time to look at prospects before his love children recover from their injuries to become the standard shoo-ins.
I assume Lailana is starting because Woy wants to see if him in combo with Sturridge has the same degree of telepathy as Deli Alli + Kane, Otherwise, a bit harsh on Vardy not being picked as lead striker.
Rooney in the studio. After 5 minutes, he has already said "Erm" 324 times. Before the end of the programme, I estimate he will say "Erm" about 43 million times.
After Saturday's game I thought Kane sounded like a leader. He'd also been working on his cliches: Crash Davis: It's time to work on your interviews. Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do? Crash Davis: You're gonna have to learn your clichés. You're gonna have to study them, you're gonna have to know them. They're your friends. Write this down: "We gotta play it one day at a time." Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Got to play... it's pretty boring. Crash Davis: 'Course it's boring, that's the point. Write it down.
"Rooney in the studio. After 5 minutes, he has already said "Erm" 324 times. You know, at the end of the day, I estimate he will say "Erm" about 43 million times. <fixed>
He can actually string a sentence together, though. When you consider the amount of coaching that he must have had, it's pretty shocking that Rooney can't. He's hardly alone in that though, to be fair.
