Rooney for England

[dobingsdobber]

It was bad enough that England had so many rag cunts in the team when they were good players, it's unbearable now they are all so painfully average. Just get shot of the lot of them, the team will be better and more of the country will fully support them without loathesome twats like rooney in the team.

Think you've just condensed the whole debate into one post mate. I'm as patriotic as the next man and used to look forward to England games but can't be arsed with this shower of shite. Getting selected on the colour of your shirt is not the best way to keep us interested,and after his displays this season Lallana should be a starter every time.If Rooney played for Hull or Palace (no disrespect) he wouldn't be anywhere near the squad

 

[supercity88]

I said even before last nights game that he doesn't warrant a place in the team. He just slows the game down and has no positional sense. It's almost like Hodgson just tells him to 'get involved'.

I'm not a massive fan of watching England tbh, but a team along the lines of this might make me change my mind.

Hart

Clyne/Flanagan (how neither of these two have been given a chance I don't know)
Cahill
Terry
Shaw/Baines

Gerrard
Wilshere

Sterling
Lallana
Barkley

Sturridge

I think that front 4 would be good now and even better in a couple of years if they get playing together.

Based on the fact that the above is never going to happen I'll probably just stick to watching Brazil or Spain.

Barkley does not even start for Everton so for him to suddenly start for his international team is fairly optimistic. Agree about Flanagan though who Liverpool prefer ahead of Johnson at right back.

I don't think Barkley not starting for Everton is down to his ability tho, more so that he was out injured for a few weeks and has struggled to get back into his stride. I'm not neccassarily saying he should start at the world cup, but i do think that front 4 could work.

I think Flanagan playing is more down to Enrique being out injured which has seen Johnson go over to left back, having said that I actually think he looks better than Johnson. He looks similar to Seamus Coleman, quick, tenacious, good on the ball and gets up and down well.

-- Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:39 pm --

Barkley does not even start for Everton so for him to suddenly start for his international team is fairly optimistic. Agree about Flanagan though who Liverpool prefer ahead of Johnson at right back.

They don't, Johnson is just always injured. I think you have to strike a balance between youth and experience. Whereas Townsend seems unphased by playing for England, Sterling looked nervous and his touch was abysmal - didn't deserve man of the match - Lallana should have had that despite only playing 30mins. The trouble with England is they have no settled formation and too many players of a similar position. Chile do not have a better team than England but they know the way they want to play and execute it well - each player knows their role. Instead England put our best striker wide because a bigger name is on the pitch. We either play wingers that look to cross the ball or we play more crafty wide players like Lallana and be more intricate. Wilshere doesn't do enough for England, and you cannot play him and Rooney because they occupy the same space. England need to play a 4-2-3-1 with Hart, Baines, Jagielka, Cahill, Johnson, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Oxlaide, Townsend, Sturridge with the three of Lallana, Oxlaide and Townsend swapping around.

I don't rate Townsend at all. I said a few months ago that he will be one of those players that has his day (or days) but he won't be consistent enough, reminds me a bit of ashley young always looking to come inside and becomes a bit predictable.

I didn't watch much of the game so can't comment on Sterling, but he's been quality the last few months playing with the likes of Suarez and Coutinho alongside him.

Totally agree with you on club level - but some players perform on the International stage and others don't. Whether it is the managers instruction or not I am not sure but Townsend attacks with pace and is more direct which benefits England. I agree he is predictable but on the International stage I think he will be less so and is a good outlet from pressure which England will likely have as we will not dominate possession. Sterling is the better player but last night only offered a few glimpses of that club form - on potential he would be better - but Townsend has had a better impact at International level so far - difficult. Sturridge has to play centrally and he has done well with Sterling wide and Suarez doing the chasing - Rooney needs to do that work if he is to play for England. As for Barkley he is a talent worth taking because he can make an impact - he has been injured but I think he could be a good asset for the World Cup. Roy has difficult decisions but he is being so hypocritical - he rightly picks form players from all clubs but then still favours big names. For me Rooney gets one chance - if he fails to prove himself in the Italy game I would drop him in favour of a more rigid shape. We looked too open with 4-3-3 that we started with and too compact on the ball. Sturridge was deep, Rooney was deep and Wilshere and Henderson were nowhere.

 

[Tarlos Kevez]

Rooney could do with losing 3 stone of ugly fat...

...but apparently doctors have advised him against chopping his head off.

 

[kunaguero10]

Rooney could do with losing 3 stone of ugly fat...

...but apparently doctors have advised him against chopping his head off.

bollocks

why would they advise against it?

 

[chris85mcfc]

I said even before last nights game that he doesn't warrant a place in the team. He just slows the game down and has no positional sense. It's almost like Hodgson just tells him to 'get involved'.

I'm not a massive fan of watching England tbh, but a team along the lines of this might make me change my mind.

Hart

Clyne/Flanagan (how neither of these two have been given a chance I don't know)
Cahill
Terry
Shaw/Baines

Gerrard
Wilshere

Sterling
Lallana
Barkley

Sturridge

I think that front 4 would be good now and even better in a couple of years if they get playing together.

Based on the fact that the above is never going to happen I'll probably just stick to watching Brazil or Spain.

Sterling is not a CL or International class player. I'm far more impressed with Lallana and Oxlade-Chamberlain. And i wouldn't have Barkley in there neither. If we had someone better i wouldn't have Sturridge in there neither but the sad thing is we don't; he's the greediest player i've ever seen.

I agree he isn't CL class, but as far as international class is concerned we haven't got much to choose from!

I mean how many CL quality players have we got in the whole squad? How many would get into the City team or any of the other top European teams?

Sturridge is never going to change, the fact is he has scored 20+ goals this season in a team that is playing well, no other English forward is anywhere near him.<br /><br />-- Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:58 pm --<br /><br />

Barkley does not even start for Everton so for him to suddenly start for his international team is fairly optimistic. Agree about Flanagan though who Liverpool prefer ahead of Johnson at right back.

I don't think Barkley not starting for Everton is down to his ability tho, more so that he was out injured for a few weeks and has struggled to get back into his stride. I'm not neccassarily saying he should start at the world cup, but i do think that front 4 could work.

I think Flanagan playing is more down to Enrique being out injured which has seen Johnson go over to left back, having said that I actually think he looks better than Johnson. He looks similar to Seamus Coleman, quick, tenacious, good on the ball and gets up and down well.

-- Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:39 pm --

They don't, Johnson is just always injured. I think you have to strike a balance between youth and experience. Whereas Townsend seems unphased by playing for England, Sterling looked nervous and his touch was abysmal - didn't deserve man of the match - Lallana should have had that despite only playing 30mins. The trouble with England is they have no settled formation and too many players of a similar position. Chile do not have a better team than England but they know the way they want to play and execute it well - each player knows their role. Instead England put our best striker wide because a bigger name is on the pitch. We either play wingers that look to cross the ball or we play more crafty wide players like Lallana and be more intricate. Wilshere doesn't do enough for England, and you cannot play him and Rooney because they occupy the same space. England need to play a 4-2-3-1 with Hart, Baines, Jagielka, Cahill, Johnson, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Oxlaide, Townsend, Sturridge with the three of Lallana, Oxlaide and Townsend swapping around.

I don't rate Townsend at all. I said a few months ago that he will be one of those players that has his day (or days) but he won't be consistent enough, reminds me a bit of ashley young always looking to come inside and becomes a bit predictable.

I didn't watch much of the game so can't comment on Sterling, but he's been quality the last few months playing with the likes of Suarez and Coutinho alongside him.

Totally agree with you on club level - but some players perform on the International stage and others don't. Whether it is the managers instruction or not I am not sure but Townsend attacks with pace and is more direct which benefits England. I agree he is predictable but on the International stage I think he will be less so and is a good outlet from pressure which England will likely have as we will not dominate possession. Sterling is the better player but last night only offered a few glimpses of that club form - on potential he would be better - but Townsend has had a better impact at International level so far - difficult. Sturridge has to play centrally and he has done well with Sterling wide and Suarez doing the chasing - Rooney needs to do that work if he is to play for England. As for Barkley he is a talent worth taking because he can make an impact - he has been injured but I think he could be a good asset for the World Cup. Roy has difficult decisions but he is being so hypocritical - he rightly picks form players from all clubs but then still favours big names. For me Rooney gets one chance - if he fails to prove himself in the Italy game I would drop him in favour of a more rigid shape. We looked too open with 4-3-3 that we started with and too compact on the ball. Sturridge was deep, Rooney was deep and Wilshere and Henderson were nowhere.

Hodgson reminds me a bit of Moyes, hasn't got the bottle to drop the big names and hasn't really got the tactical knowledge to play the football required.
He is a bit of dinosaur in terms of tactics and football has moved on dramatically since his last role. We've got a squad that is capable of being a cross between Southampton and Liverpool, in terms of expectation and players ability, but the difference is those two clubs have got Rodgers and Pochettino who are very tactically aware, and we've got Hodgson, who isn't.

 

[Skip Donoghue]

I said even before last nights game that he doesn't warrant a place in the team. He just slows the game down and has no positional sense. It's almost like Hodgson just tells him to 'get involved'.

I'm not a massive fan of watching England tbh, but a team along the lines of this might make me change my mind.

Hart

Clyne/Flanagan (how neither of these two have been given a chance I don't know)
Cahill
Terry
Shaw/Baines

Gerrard
Wilshere

Sterling
Lallana
Barkley

Sturridge

I think that front 4 would be good now and even better in a couple of years if they get playing together.

Based on the fact that the above is never going to happen I'll probably just stick to watching Brazil or Spain.

Barkley does not even start for Everton so for him to suddenly start for his international team is fairly optimistic. Agree about Flanagan though who Liverpool prefer ahead of Johnson at right back.

Clyne not first choice at Southampton either at the moment, the young lad Chambers is getting in at right back and is the same age as Shaw, and he looks a good prospect also, Southampton certainly know how to develop players

 

[supercity88]

Got to agree re; Hodgson. England now have probably the worst manager in a long long while (aside from McLaren). Hodgson is English and experienced at International level and therefore ticked the box. Tactically I don't want to criticise him too much because in competitive games we have done the job required to give him credit. I do think he is too concerned with restricting the opposition rather than playing to our strengths and in the biggest tactical test against Italy in the Euro's he failed to stop Pirlo who was clearly the key man. Someone should have marked him out of the game. Friendlies are for experiment and so I hope that he was testing players rather than systems. Last nights 4-3-3 was awful. Rooney and Wilshere occupied the same space and Sturridge was pushed wide and forced to defend. 4-2-3-1 would be the way to go - Rooney can play in the hole but should be benched in favour of Lallana, Oxlaide and some pace in Sterling/Townsend (whoever is more consistent to the end of the season). Gerrard and Henderson can hold in the midfield as they do the job well for Liverpool. On those lines it makes sense to play Sterling and Sturridge as those 4 have worked together and scored a lot of goals this season. Lallana is such a classy player and his mentality is brilliant - he has to start. The 4-2-3-1 helps us stay compact in defence and have movement going forward especially with Johnson (another Liverpool link) and Baines ability. There are plenty of players and it is about form nothing else. Rooney is off form so shouldn't play - he can go to the World Cup because he is still one of the best options but he shouldnt start unless he improves.

 

[Clevers]

Rooney could do with losing 3 stone of ugly fat...

...but apparently doctors have advised him against chopping his head off.

bollocks

why would they advise against it?

He goes private and pays them so it's in their interest to keep him alive.

 

[chris85mcfc]

Got to agree re; Hodgson. England now have probably the worst manager in a long long while (aside from McLaren). Hodgson is English and experienced at International level and therefore ticked the box. Tactically I don't want to criticise him too much because in competitive games we have done the job required to give him credit. I do think he is too concerned with restricting the opposition rather than playing to our strengths and in the biggest tactical test against Italy in the Euro's he failed to stop Pirlo who was clearly the key man. Someone should have marked him out of the game. Friendlies are for experiment and so I hope that he was testing players rather than systems. Last nights 4-3-3 was awful. Rooney and Wilshere occupied the same space and Sturridge was pushed wide and forced to defend. 4-2-3-1 would be the way to go - Rooney can play in the hole but should be benched in favour of Lallana, Oxlaide and some pace in Sterling/Townsend (whoever is more consistent to the end of the season). Gerrard and Henderson can hold in the midfield as they do the job well for Liverpool. On those lines it makes sense to play Sterling and Sturridge as those 4 have worked together and scored a lot of goals this season. Lallana is such a classy player and his mentality is brilliant - he has to start. The 4-2-3-1 helps us stay compact in defence and have movement going forward especially with Johnson (another Liverpool link) and Baines ability. There are plenty of players and it is about form nothing else. Rooney is off form so shouldn't play - he can go to the World Cup because he is still one of the best options but he shouldnt start unless he improves.

Yea spot on really. Am i right in thinking Lallana is 25? So hardly a spring chicken compared to Shaw/Barkley etc so considering he is playing the football of his career and is captain of his club I can't see any reason why he isn't a regular for England. Perhaps Hodgson doesn't really know how to use him based on the fact he likes his wide players to work backwards as well? Your right about the friendlies being used to test formations but I honestly don't think ive seen anything different than when McClaren was in charge.
Virtually the whole of England were crying out for an English manager to be in charge, so the FA like you said just went for who ticked the most boxes.
I actually think we've got a half decent squad, but a pretty poor defence. Can you imagine where we would be if we had a Pellegrini, Mourinho or even a Wenger in charge, I'm sure they would all get the best out of the players we have got.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I said even before last nights game that he doesn't warrant a place in the team. He just slows the game down and has no positional sense. It's almost like Hodgson just tells him to 'get involved'.

I'm not a massive fan of watching England tbh, but a team along the lines of this might make me change my mind.

Hart

Clyne/Flanagan (how neither of these two have been given a chance I don't know)
Cahill
Terry
Shaw/Baines

Gerrard
Wilshere

Sterling
Lallana
Barkley

Sturridge

I think that front 4 would be good now and even better in a couple of years if they get playing together.

Based on the fact that the above is never going to happen I'll probably just stick to watching Brazil or Spain.

Barkley does not even start for Everton so for him to suddenly start for his international team is fairly optimistic. Agree about Flanagan though who Liverpool prefer ahead of Johnson at right back.

Brkleys been injured. I would go with that team. Agree on flanagan he's replaced Johnson and been very good when playing for Liverpool.
We actually have some exciting young players with Barkley, shaw and Flanagan and many more ie will Hughes, chambers, stones. I'd also get jay Rodrigues in there as well