Like me, you may be concerned with the lack of Wayne Rooney related stories. So, I feel we should discuss the latest saga, which seems to have slipped under the radar... When Rooney was shown the red card against Montenegro last week, most England fans watched in dismay as out biggest threat faced the prospect of missing the opening of Euro 2012. It wasn't much of a shock though. And I think most fans almost expected this sort of thing to happen. Too often we have seen Rooney's temper get in the way of his incredible talent, and too often we are using this as an excuse for failure. We are already seeing our chances have been dramatically reduced - according to the press - before the finals have even kicked off. It is obvious Rooney is a key player to any team, but I firmly believe England can perform without him. The latest discussion in the never ending Wayne Rooney Story is whether he should even be included in the squad. My feeling at the moment is no. Danny Welbeck seems to be improving at an alarming rate, putting him in contention for a first team slot by the time the finals kick off. Jack Wilshere also has the potential to take the "star player" role Rooney has previously taken (providing his injury problems don't persist and he gets significant game time for the remainder of the season). Ashley Young seems to be getting hold of that consistency that so often deserted him at Watford and Aston Villa. The same could be said for Theo Walcott (to an extent). I think, what I'm trying to say is Wayne Rooney is not the be all and end all. I think there are bigger problems for the England football team as opposed to the temperamental and unpredictable behaviour of one individual. There are a number of players who can quite easily change a game. Would it be a benefit to no longer have a team built around one person? In Rooney's case, I think so. The biggest problem though is the perception of English football. At this moment in time, whilst I write this message on my phone, I don't want to go into it. It is a whole other matter. So, your opinions please.
Unfortuntely, Rooney and his temper are a liability. I didn't even think the other guy did a great deal to warrant being kicked out at Didn't watch the game so don't know if it all just built up to it)! Capello recently mentioned Barton, and that he can't pick him because we can end up with 10v11 - surely Rooney is in the same boat, no matter his talent? A lot of people are arguing we should still take Rooney as he is our only 'World Class' player. Personally, I'd rather drop him for the forseeable future and work with the ones we have available to us! I don't see why we can't try a front 3 of maybe Sturridge, Wellbeck and Young, with maybe Parker, Wilshire and Gerrard behind them! Losing Rooney is a shame as he is an obvious talent, but would rather this happen now than in an important game which costs us the match (Beckham?). Him not in the squad isn't a 'disaster' or the end of our chances... it is an opportunity for others to step up, and doesn't make the focus of our team on one player!
We seem to be on the same wave length SalisburyKev! I imagine the attacking formation you suggest would work very well. I seriously believe Wilshere is the one who can win us games.
As far as i'm concerned he should be left at home. One of the biggest problems with England is we very rarely have genuinely world class players and when we do we build them up and place them on a pedestal which they can never possibly reach, or if they do, maintain. At the moment I would suggest we have no one who fits the mantle aside from Rooney with Gerrards injuries and Lampard seemingly on the wane. This puts us in a rather unique position of having a somewhat balanced squad, which in turn may even produce a 'team'. I would rather the Rooney problem got left at home and we focused on players who are going to be there and anyone who utters the words; "but if Rooney...", they get roundly hunted down and kicked into a cellar for the duration of the tournament. We may as well start now and put all the football reporting press down there, just to save us the misery of being built up as a level of expectation we can't possibly live up to ending in ultimate and inevitabile failure. I would like to come out of the Euro's next year and be able to think 'yeah, we got the QF's that's not bad.' Alas, we live with the curse of the England supporter, never to see the light of common sense.
I also believe he should be left at home , time for someone else to step up (someone with a better temperament would be a start).
I would not be upset if he never played again. He is given the shirt because of who he is, not on performances or goals scored. I would like to see Crouch and Defoe playing, JD is like lightning and has amazing control were as Crouch is a target man and can knock the ball on, he also has a decent scoring record. Failing that i dont see why Welbeck does not get a shot, there are a few friendlies to try a couple of combos.
He'll probably go but TBH the recent performances in tournaments hardly suggest Rooney will be badly msised. IF anything being banned might actually motivate the guy into playing well if he does get a chance should England make it past the group stages.
Some of you are not watching...he's a not very pleasant individual and he's impetuous but he's as good a footballer as we've got. Perhaps there's a bit of a south/north thing going on here. I don't like him as an individual but to suggest the likes of Crouch or Bent are equivalent replacements is absurd. His temper is a problem...but it's true of many committed players, St beckham included. Funny that a lot of fans have time for Marlon King...less talent and an even more obnoxious individual. I'm not a huge Rooney fan but a bit of balance is needed here.
I ask for Crouch to have a chance as he has scored 22 in 42 games for his country, where as Rooney has played 78 and scored 28. Rooney is a liability at times and is a ticking time bomb who is likely to blow up in our faces. We are our own worst enemy at times so we dont need him losing his rag.
Theo I agree he isnt the nicest of individuals , but this isnt the first time he has let his country down by being an idiot! Its a good job we only needed a point against Montenegro ,because England were definitely on the ropes after his departure! I agree with Dan I would like to Crouch given another run out!
I'm not having Beckham compared to Rooney. Beckham made one petulant mistake aged 21, came back from it in the best way possible, and was a decent player in the shower of mediocrity better known as Sven's reign. Ignoring debates over his talent, he's one of the only members of the "Golden Generation" who has represented the country in a way that we can generally be proud of, on and off the pitch. The other contender is Michael Owen (not his fault that he has been living in hospital for the last five years). Rooney let us down in 2006, did little in the Euro 2008 campaign, made the abysmal Fernando Torres look a deserving World Cup winner in 2010, and has let us down at Euro 2012 before the tournament proper has even started. Were it not for the best man manager in world football, it would probably be a similar pattern for his club too. If he wasn't THE most naturally talented player this country has produced since Gazza, he would not have had a prayer of getting to Euro 2012 even with a one match ban.
Football is about more than just putting the 11 most talented individuals on the pitch - maybe we can start to build a team now. I would leave him at home for the duration of the tournament and see what affect that has on him, although personally I think he's had enough chances. Will be interesting to see how the next manager approaches the 'Looney' problem.
i think it's too early to say. If Capello does as he says he will, and builds a team in the pre-Euro matches without Wayne Rooney, we'll have a much better idea nearer the time if he should be taken to play from the quarter finals (if we get that far). I think not taking him would be a mistake, but if others can prove that the team can survive well without him, there's no need to take him. So, let's see how the next few games go without him, and then see if we all feel the same way then.
Others will make the comparison, whether you like it or not. They were both sent off for stupid fouls in critical games. No-one would claim Rooney was bright and he doesn't have Beckham's looks or charm. All I'm saying is he's a talented committed player who the whole world seems keen to despise. There are England internationals of the current generation who are reverred but have no better personal values. He has never struck me as someone who would deliberately let anyone down on the field of play. He's played less well than our high expectations at times but it's never been from want of trying. As for the idea that he only does well for his club because of his manager, this clearly cannot be true. SAF has failed to motivate quite a number of talented players over the years.
Don't think it's a north/south thing - you're all south to me, but I do agree with the others. Having never met him, I'm not in a position to say he's obnoxious/not pleasant etc - but he certainly comes across as such in the media and on the pitch. Yes he is impetuous, and as such, he is a liability. Couple that with his track record in the last two World Cups - woeful in the extreme - and it's easy to see why people don't want him selected. In your own words "..he's as good a footballer as we're got" - implies that we have few, if any, better players, but also implies that there are others who are his equal and I for one would rather see someone who is less obnoxious, less impetuous and less prone to red cards given a chance. Crouch, Defoe and Wellbeck all fit into that category - heck, so does Michael Owen! Anyway, what it boils down to is can England really afford to select a passenger in the squad? Because that's what he would be for the first three matches.
Nope, but until he decided to kick someone and get himself a red card, he was key to the England squad. That may or may not change during the next few months, depending on how Capello plays it.
Think the others are right H ,we cant afford to carry a passenger for the group stages! If we got through that it would be tough on the player that had got us that far to be dropped to make way for looney!
