Wayne Rooney | 2012-14 Performances

[The Man Himself]

Completely. In the wankfest over Sterling/hating on Rooney it's kind of got lost that Sterling did his best work when they swapped positions and he attacked Italy from wide areas.

Speaking of England scapegoats, has any English journalists picked up on how awful Gerrard was? Seems as though all the fussing about Rooney has ignored the worst English player on the pitch, by a margin. Gerrard has been getting it in the neck from all the best Irish journalists but seems to be getting a free ride across the pond.

Nope. Not at all. Some site, probably Daily Mail I guess, gave him 7/10 ffs! In turn, most of the fans also seem to buying it and blaming Rooney more. Gerrard was far worse in his usual role then Rooney was in his non-regular role. Also, the point of "but there are more expectations from Rooney" does not hold water. Gerrard was voted 2nd best player in EPL or something for last season, right? Plus he is captain of the team. Also, age can't be an excuse as Pirlo is older and still contributed lot more.

Sport Witness twitter had published rating from Italy and Spain media and there nobody was going overboard with Rooney's performance and had rated him 6/10 on average which is fair assessment. If England media and fans step back for a minute and look at team in whole and then individual performances without pre-conceived bias, they will see that there were 4-5 players in team easily worse than Rooney and only better was probably Sterling. Even Sturridge and Welbeck didn't do anything special in the game. Gerrard was far worse than what is expected of him and should have been questioned lot more than Rooney.

 

[NessunDorma]

The media and fans took a young not too intelligent, not too god-looking teenager

Can you please explain to me what the relevance of him being - in your opinion - 'not too intelligent, not too god-looking' is in assessing his footballing abilities?

Because the suspicion i've long had is that some people dislike Rooney precisely because they perceive him to be 'not too intelligent, not too god-looking' - that is, someone who is their 'social inferior', or a bit of a 'Chav'.

It's basically rank snobbery disguised as doubts about his talent in kicking a ball around.

with immense potential and gave him the awesome responsibility of returning England to its days of glory.
He has been giving everything fame, fortune and a sense of entitlement.
Each step of the way he has failed to bring expected glory

Just like Messi hasn't bought glory to Argentina, or Ronaldo to Portugal. One man doesn't make a team, no matter how good he is.

yet the media and fans persist. They make excuses after excuses when he does not deliver what they want most. He buys into all of this due to the fact that since he was child the media has controlled his life.
He is a rock star. a Beatle. He can do no wrong.

You must live in an alternate Universe to me. Seriously. He has been getting fecking slaughtered from so-called neutrals for years, and there are numerous people in the media asking whether he should be dropped right now, if not outright calling for it.

However, there will come a time , if he does not finally deliver the holy grail, said media and fans will turn against him.
Years after his career is finished he will feel people's resentment.
They will see him with all his wealth and question what he has done to deserve it.
Of course in the meantime another unlucky sod will take his place and the cycle will continue.

Again, on what planet? He's currently one of the most hated players in the country by some distance. Nevermind in the future.

You yourself - and this thread in general over the last 18 months - are fairly typical of the opprobrium he attracts (and if he's getting this on a United form, can you imagine what it's like elsewhere?).

Just reams and reams of people endlessly slating his ability and him as a person, while claiming that everyone overrates him and that you aren't allowed to criticise.

It's nonsense on stilts, as anyone who's ever read a newspaper comment section or rival fan forum will tell you.

 

[NessunDorma]

Here's one for you.

Fat, lazy, self-entitled Wayne Rooney was the only England player who started on Saturday to request, and then take part in, extra training. Such is his desperation to prove he is worthy of a place in the side, and his desire to secure one.

If only he gave a shit!

 

[Cassidy]

Here's one for you.

Fat, lazy, self-entitled Wayne Rooney was the only England player who started on Saturday to request, and then take part in, extra training. Such is his desperation to prove he is worthy of a place in the side, and his desire to secure one.

If only he gave a shit!

I give Rooney credit as he has shown a real desire to do well. Getting in extra training in Portugal etc.
Yes he wants to do well, its clear to see. I hope he does.
I don't think anyone would say he doesn't give a shit.

He is under pressure and didn't perform very well against Italy, most of the stick he got was for his under par performance, and for missing a great chance.

Anyway I hope he does well against Uruguay for his and United sake.

 

[Adebesi]

The person who is going to suffer most in the long run is Rooney himself. The media and fans took a young not too intelligent, not too god-looking teenager with immense potential and gave him the awesome responsibility of returning England to its days of glory.
He has been giving everything fame, fortune and a sense of entitlement.
Each step of the way he has failed to bring expected glory yet the media and fans persist. They make excuses after excuses when he does not deliver what they want most. He buys into all of this due to the fact that since he was child the media has controlled his life.
He is a rock star. a Beatle. He can do no wrong.
However, there will come a time , if he does not finally deliver the holy grail, said media and fans will turn against him.
Years after his career is finished he will feel people's resentment.
They will see him with all his wealth and question what he has done to deserve it.
Of course in the meantime another unlucky sod will take his place and the cycle will continue.

Interesting, so for all your negativity about Rooney, you do in fact see him as a victim of sorts. When you see him getting frustrated or berating his team mates or misplacing a pass or fluffing a shot, you acknowledge these issues are partly a result of the pressure he is under, rather than just him being lazy or lacking commitment?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Nope. Not at all. Some site, probably Daily Mail I guess, gave him 7/10 ffs! In turn, most of the fans also seem to buying it and blaming Rooney more. Gerrard was far worse in his usual role then Rooney was in his non-regular role. Also, the point of "but there are more expectations from Rooney" does not hold water. Gerrard was voted 2nd best player in EPL or something for last season, right? Plus he is captain of the team. Also, age can't be an excuse as Pirlo is older and still contributed lot more.

Sport Witness twitter had published rating from Italy and Spain media and there nobody was going overboard with Rooney's performance and had rated him 6/10 on average which is fair assessment. If England media and fans step back for a minute and look at team in whole and then individual performances without pre-conceived bias, they will see that there were 4-5 players in team easily worse than Rooney and only better was probably Sterling. Even Sturridge and Welbeck didn't do anything special in the game. Gerrard was far worse than what is expected of him and should have been questioned lot more than Rooney.

That's incredible. Is there a country in the world with worse football journalists?

All they do is follow whatever narrative is most likely to generate headlines. Barely a hint of tactical analysis or intelligent rating of individual performaces.

I listen to a podcats called "Second Captains" which had a couple of Irish journos deconstructing the game, with a guest appearance from (I think) John Cross from the Mirror. He seemed completely bemused when it was suggested that Gerrarrd had failed in his defensive duties on the left side of central midfield. All he wanted to talk about was Wayne Rooney. Not to mention that it hadn't even occurred to him that the Italian choice of fullbacks might have been a factor in the flank they attacked down most often, as opposed to simply Rooney's apparent inability to defend.

 

[NinjaZombie]

Wow. I'm not Rooney's biggest fan, and I've been advocating selling him for a year now but some of the anti Rooney stuff here seems harsh.

He's still a good player. United have 2 better players in Mata and RVP in both the positions he can play in, but for England, he's still the best they've got. It's probably his last proper World Cup (he's not the most natural athelete and he has played loads of football for his age), they might as well play him in his best position, which is as a centre forward.

 

[RedorDead21]

Its embarrassing watching him run around against Italy to think he's the best paid player on that pitch by some margin. Performance wise he was probably around 8th-10th best and thats only bacause of one pass.

 

[Lane]

Similar stats can be found for Adam's time at Liverpool. These metres covered stats are bobbins.

They are not, if they used to to describe work-rate. As for his other contribution, i've said countless times, that even one assist is much more significant, that all this useless dribbling, looking lively and other stuff. While Rooney also created 3 chances for partners, most in England's team, which shows he was involved in team's attacking play.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

If England media and fans step back for a minute and look at team in whole and then individual performances without pre-conceived bias, they will see that there were 4-5 players in team easily worse than Rooney and only better was probably Sterling. Even Sturridge and Welbeck didn't do anything special in the game. Gerrard was far worse than what is expected of him and should have been questioned lot more than Rooney.

You would presume to make such an accusation of other people, only to follow it with a claim that Rooney was surpassed by just one player? Oh that really is too much.

Four of the starting XI were noticeably better than him, maybe five.

Here's one for you.

Fat, lazy, self-entitled Wayne Rooney was the only England player who started on Saturday to request, and then take part in, extra training. Such is his desperation to prove he is worthy of a place in the side, and his desire to secure one.

If only he gave a shit!

A sign of the seriousness of his predicament, after all at no other time as his place in the team been genuinely at risk. For Roy to have removed even degree of assurance or complacency is a good thing IMO.

 

[Lane]

Interestingly, with Rooney at #10 that move wouldn't happen either, which is why it should be a case of playing either he or Sturridge at #9. Rooney picks that ball up where Sterling was before the clip begins, turns out to the right and plays it to Johnson.

No, it could. Cause Rooney is quite good with defense splitting passes, he showed it countless times for United. The idea that he only passes to the right is simply laughable.

With that said, I don't mind the formation you have outlined. A true three in midfield with Henderson in his Liverpool role, possibly Barkley or unfortunately Wilshere on the other side of Gerrard and Sterling, Sturridge and Welbeck up top. I think there's a lot of balance there.

There will be more balance, but will that team have an edge? I don't think so. It's not a coincidence that Rooney was directly involved in two England's best chances that day. And he was the only player who could actually register an assists and also created more chances than Sterling and Welbeck. For all their running and dribbling, their delivery and final ball are lacking any real threat. While Rooney is one of England's better players when it comes to making a pin point crosses as he showed in the goal episode. He also by far the best player in attack in that respect(please don't confuse it with "best player in attack (period)").

And as for Barkley and Wilshere, for all their good qualities, and i like them both as players quite much, they do tend to loose the ball a lot. Esp Wilshere now, in England's shirt.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Excellent news that he is putting in extra practice time, shows the right attitude. I've said it before and I'll say it again, pick him in a central attacking position or don't pick him. You wouldn't pick ronaldo at left back so why play Rooney I'm a position that isn't going to get the best out of him?

And the reason saint Stevie of scum town is getting such a free ride from the English press is they are desperately trying to avoid the fact that England as a whole just aren't good enough and have no chance of going further than the second round, if that far, plus, what would a World Cup be without a utd scapegoat?

 

[markhrad]

Interesting, so for all your negativity about Rooney, you do in fact see him as a victim of sorts. When you see him getting frustrated or berating his team mates or misplacing a pass or fluffing a shot, you acknowledge these issues are partly a result of the pressure he is under, rather than just him being lazy or lacking commitment?

Never once called him lazy or lacking commitment. In fact I argued that his high work rate is what his fans use as a measure of how dedicated and passionate he is.

 

[Nights]

No, it could. Cause Rooney is quite good with defense splitting passes, he showed it countless times for United. The idea that he only passes to the right is simply laughable.

Actually, his favored pass for United is always the long forward diagonal to the wing, after which he runs into the box. We basically didn't attack through the middle at all this past season. At one stage, we were verging on being the team in the EPL with the least amount of play through the middle third.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

You wouldn't pick ronaldo at left back so why play Rooney I'm a position that isn't going to get the best out of him?

If Rooney hadn't played there he would in all likelihood have been dropped.

Let's not pretend that being deployed on the left flank with defensive duties was an alien concept for Wayne, it is a role which has performed with a degree of competence for United on numerous occasions.

And the reason saint Stevie of scum town is getting such a free ride from the English press is they are desperately trying to avoid the fact that England as a whole just aren't good enough and have no chance of going further than the second round, if that far, plus, what would a World Cup be without a utd scapegoat?

I think the small matter of the captaincy and available alternatives is more to the point here, maybe an additional element of wishing to maintain Liverpool's model where possible. Should it prove necessary to replace Rooney there are some ready solutions, whereas doing so with Gerrard carries a deal more uncertainty.

 

[The Man Himself]

I think the small matter of the captaincy and available alternatives is more to the point here, maybe an additional element of wishing to maintain Liverpool's model where possible. Should it prove necessary to replace Rooney there are some ready solutions, whereas doing so with Gerrard carries a deal more uncertainty.

Loads of nonsense that. If Rooney can be replaced in this team then so can Gerrard based on his shite performance and for being worst player of England against Italy. Don't think Lampard would have done any worse. Also, nobody gives or should give a feck about Liverpool model if it is not resulting in win.

 

[kidbob]

Messi (the undisputed best player of our time) and Ronaldo (the only one anywhere near Messi) have never managed to carry their sides to success despite playing in sides at least as good as England yet the English press seem to buy into this shit of one player being able to win these competitions on their own. Ronaldo was as bad as Rooney was last night (by his own high standards) and Messi struggled to come to life until Argentina sorted their midfield balance. This was with both of them playing in their natural positions and with Argentina playing inferior level opposition to Italy.

What do England want from Rooney? He plays out left and creates the goal with a wonderful cross. He isn't a left winger so there should be no expectations that his defensive positioning would have been better. Yet we have an England midfield who are dominated, giving the front players no platform to play from (see what happened in the first half of the Argentina game). No mention of how awful the midfield and full backs were, no mention of the fact Roy Hodgson has failed to give this team an identity. The only consistent criticism is that of one player on the team.

As has been said he created the most chances, yes he missed a chance and deserves slating for that, and was unsurprisingly ineffective on the left side of a team who couldn't maintain any period of possession. Yet we hear praise for Welbeck and Sterling (who had some good moments to be fair) despite the fact that for the vast majority of the game they flattered to deceive with some pretty play and touches but ultimately they were every bit as ineffective as Rooney (more so if you consider actual end product). If Rooney has the game Sterling has people criticise him for not creating more but it seems like it's acceptable for one player to have no end product but it is unacceptable for a player, who many say isn't good enough to start anymore, to play out of position and be ineffective too.

Why put a winger, with the pace to run at Italy, at number 10 and put your number 10 on the wing? Sterling is clearly not the type of player who can exert control over games in that position (not yet anyway) and the plain fact is that Rooney is England's best number 10 (regardless of if he is for United) and Sterling is their best available winger. England again suffered because their manager isn't good enough to create an effective style of play for them and the fact that their midfield is worse than the likes of Bosnias when it comes to keeping the ball. Have a look at what LVG done with a average standard of Dutch players but Hodgson can't do with England. If RVP gets a free pass last season because of Moyes then Rooney can surely be given some leeway under Hodgson considering he was England's top goalscorer in qualifying and he was our most effective player last season (regardless of League finish which was Moyes' doing more than our players).

 

[markhrad]

Can you please explain to me what the relevance of him being - in your opinion - 'not too intelligent, not too god-looking' is in assessing his footballing abilities?

Because the suspicion i've long had is that some people dislike Rooney precisely because they perceive him to be 'not too intelligent, not too god-looking' - that is, someone who is their 'social inferior', or a bit of a 'Chav'.

It's basically rank snobbery disguised as doubts about his talent in kicking a ball around.

No its not. Not being too intelligent refers to him being more susceptible to media manipulation. His fame gives him access to women that normally would not look twice at him. This again serves to feed his ego.

Just like Messi hasn't bought glory to Argentina, or Ronaldo to Portugal. One man doesn't make a team, no matter how good he is.
I did not want to dwell on this but.

They may not have brought WC glory but just being multiple winners of the Ballon D'or brings much glory to their respective countries.


You must live in an alternate Universe to me. Seriously. He has been getting fecking slaughtered from so-called neutrals for years, and there are numerous people in the media asking whether he should be dropped right now, if not outright calling for it.



Again, on what planet? He's currently one of the most hated players in the country by some distance. Nevermind in the future.

You yourself - and this thread in general over the last 18 months - are fairly typical of the opprobrium he attracts (and if he's getting this on a United form, can you imagine what it's like elsewhere?).

Just reams and reams of people endlessly slating his ability and him as a person, while claiming that everyone overrates him and that you aren't allowed to criticise.

It's nonsense on stilts, as anyone who's ever read a newspaper comment section or rival fan forum will tell you.

Marketing is about how many people like you not dislike you. The fact is he has been over the years seen as England's poster boy. Before every WC he is the face of England. People buy his jerseys more than any other English player.
Nike's present WC ads feature several international players. The ones we get on US cable feature Rooney and no other English player.
The criticism he is getting now is becoming more intense because the media and fans are trending towards giving up on him.
Just let him have a decent WC and you will see how they will return to fawning all over him.
I have never ever said he was not a good player, but, I feel his status among some Utd fans is overblown.
The responsibility and expectations people have placed on him I think hindered his development as a player and will probably affect him later.

 

[markhrad]

Sorry ND. Part of my response got mixed up in your quote. No time to sort it out now.

 

[JaffyJoe]

He's not fit and we know how bad he is when he isn't fit. He was poor against Italy, I don't think we will see the best of him this tournament unfortunately. I'm not a fan of picking a player for the England team based on what he does as a 9 and playing him on the right wing. Hodgson has to make a choice Sturrdige or Rooney as the 9, Rooney cannot play as a 10 for me. I'd much rather see Sturridge upfront and the young guys (Sterling/Barkley/Ox and Danny) used behind him. Gerrard can only play in a midfield three and playing him in a two is just asking for trouble. Glen Johnson is still awful. Gibbs and Cole should have been on that plane to Brazil over Shaw and Baines. As good as Baines can be going forward, a fullback's bread and butter for me is being solid defensively, Baines does not do that.

Also filling the team with Liverpool players who are not the best ability wise only works if we play how Liverpool plays. That being said Sterling is a special talent, Henderson is an important team player despite his limitations. Danny can always be relied on in an England shirt. Ox and Barkley have the fantastic mix of pace, power, technique and courage. This tournament may be about blooding the youngsters. This team can do well at the Euro's especially with the other young talents coming through. Gerrard will be gone, Johnson, Jagielka, Baines, Cahill ( I hope)

How I would lineup

Hart

Johnson Cahill Jagielka Baines

Wilshere Henderson

Sterling Barkley Ox/Welebeck

Strurridge

Rooney and Gerrard off the bench or their experience.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

What do England want from Rooney? He plays out left and creates the goal with a wonderful cross. He isn't a left winger so there should be no expectations that his defensive positioning would have been better.

Are you saying that Rooney is incapable of doing a better job defensively on account of him being a forward [funny how others manage it]? That what we saw was the very best he could muster, rather than a sad repeat of the indiscipline from last time England played Italy?

I think you do the one you wish to defend a disservice if that is the case.

The only consistent criticism is that of one player on the team.

Johnson and Welebck give you a wave, although to his credit i think Danny won over a few people against Italy.

of a team who couldn't maintain any period of possession.

Because, you know, England were just lumping it up to Andy Carroll all night long.

Yet we hear praise for Welbeck and Sterling (who had some good moments to be fair) despite the fact that for the vast majority of the game they flattered to deceive with some pretty play and touches but ultimately they were every bit as ineffective as Rooney (more so if you consider actual end product).

Okay that's it, stop.

Loads of nonsense that. If Rooney can be replaced in this team then so can Gerrard based on his shite performance and for being worst player of England against Italy. Don't think Lampard would have done any worse. Also, nobody gives or should give a feck about Liverpool model if it is not resulting in win.

Says the poster who believes that Rooney was perhaps our second best player.

The case for dropping Rooney is not only stronger but also an easier decision to take, you can't but be aware of that. And Lampard isn't the designated back-up as DM, or at least i bloody hope not. We'd have to use one of Jones or Milner there i suspect.

 

[Lane]

Actually, his favored pass for United is always the long forward diagonal to the wing, after which he runs into the box. We basically didn't attack through the middle at all this past season. At one stage, we were verging on being the team in the EPL with the least amount of play through the middle third.

That was due to weak midfield, Rooney had no option and was forced to go route one. When our play was generally good Rooney always delivered great split passes, like to Clev against Aston Villa or against West Ham to young or against West Brom to Welbeck. Rooney need runners from midfield and from CF to make these passes. If it's not happening he can make them.

 

[kidbob]

Are you saying that Rooney is incapable of doing a better job defensively on account of him being a forward [funny how others manage it]? That what we saw was the very best he could muster, rather than a sad repeat of the indiscipline from last time England played Italy?

I think you do the one you wish to defend a disservice if that is the case.




Johnson and Welebck give you a wave, although to his credit i think Danny won over a few people against Italy.




Because, you know, England were just lumping it up to Andy Carroll all night long.




Okay that's it, stop.






Says the poster who believes that Rooney was perhaps our second best player.

The case for dropping Rooney is not only stronger but also an easier decision to take, you can't but be aware of that. And Lampard isn't the designated back-up as DM, or at least i bloody hope not. We'd have to use one of Jones or Milner there i suspect.

He no doubt can do a better job defensively but to needlessly ask him to do it, in that heat, when his pace isn't what it once was when he done that role for us is stupid from the management. Don't get me wrong Rooney had a bad game but the sheer level of criticism aimed at him is disproportionate, especially when he was nowhere near the only poor England player. Was Hodgson justified in playing both him and Sterling out of position just because Sterling had some nice moments? Would Sterling's pace not have been more effective in getting up and down the wing more? Can we say with certainty that Rooney wouldn't have been equally as effective at number 10 while also playing Sterling in a more natural position with the space to run at Italy? The last good performance from Rooney on the wing have been years ago, he clearly doesn't have the pace to do that anymore.

Johnson and Welbeck have had nothing near the criticism aimed at Rooney because the English press still buy into the idea that Rooney should be able to carry the team regardless of the performances of others and the tactics of the manager.

Andy Carroll wasn't playing. There is a huge difference between effective possession and having a fair bit of the ball but being clueless how to take a team apart, which is something England have struggled with for years even back when Rooney was the unbelievable teenager most seem to remember (despite the fact he was much more ineffective for England back then apart from his first Euros).

Despite the nice touches from Welbeck and Sterling the score line suggests they were ineffective as their play didn't get England a result. In terms of end product the facts say Rooney created more than either of them, although Sterling played a big part in the goal too. I have already acknowledged Rooney deserves slating for the miss but top players miss chances all the time. Let's be honest Sterling was the best of a bad bunch overall but if Rooney put that level of performance in at number 10 then he'd still be getting shit left right centre from fans and the press. What was impressive from Sterling is that he done ok in a position he isn't natural to but why play him there when an actual central player is playing is his favoured position? To hear some of the praise for the performance of England's other attacking players I would be expecting a bit more in terms of actually creating or scoring goals.

To clear it up I actually agree that if Rooney isn't going to be played either as a 9 or a 10 he should be dropped. However I disagree with the common assertion that this would be for the good of the team. Playing him in one of those two positions and putting Sterling on the wing where his dribbling can do more damage is what I feel would be for the good of the English side. You can laugh at my point about effectiveness but I imagine I find the level of criticism aimed at Rooney to be equally as laughable as you found my statement.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

@kidbob

To introduce United into the discussion for just a moment. I think it is doubly disappointing that Rooney's contribution on the left was so fleeting, as that area of the pitch could be his position at United at least nominally. And from his past performances out wide we know that he can be more productive if he applies himself to the role.

Hodgson was reluctant to drop Wayne without further reason to do so i feel, there being a genuine desire to find a role for him despite the rise of younger players. Whilst we still see glimpses of quality from Rooney he still appears more inhibited than team mates such as Sterling and Barkley. Yes we might find more success against Uruguay with Sterling employed on the wing, yet unlike in the past there is competition for the No 10 role.

I actually thought that England were much improved in possession when compared to previous tournaments, for 60-70 minutes there was a composure about their play as they probed at the Italian defensive line.

I confess that i was taken aback by your suggestion that Welbeck and Sterling were ineffective, on the one hand you have England's best player at pressing the opposition [something Rooney used to be renowned for] and on the other a youngster who was key in the move that led to the goal. I never doubted their commitment to the basics either which was something i could not say for Wayne.

Even should he be dropped for the Uruguay match it isn't exile, sometimes people are too complacent of their status and require a reminder that they must continue to earn it.

 

[Juan't Mata]

Thought he looked in great shape on Saturday and he wasn't half as bad as the press are making out either.

 

[The Man Himself]

Says the poster who believes that Rooney was perhaps our second best player.

The case for dropping Rooney is not only stronger but also an easier decision to take, you can't but be aware of that. And Lampard isn't the designated back-up as DM, or at least i bloody hope not. We'd have to use one of Jones or Milner there i suspect.

There is different between others not being better than him on night or being called "second best player." I said not many from England team were better than him. For instance I will give Sterling 7.5/10, and Rooney-Johnson-Henderson-Jagielka etc 6/10. Won't make Rooney 2nd best player. Now there is matter of Welbeck and Sturridge. Did they do anything special? They had decent games, no more. Sturridge scored a tap-in and Welbeck was lively. OK, give them 7/10. Doesn't change much. It still means that there are likes of Gerrard and Baines who contributed more to the bad part of performance. Also, I haven't heard or read a fecking word on Cahill losing Balotelli and stupidly diving in the air after losing him which was hilarious.
Also, Gerrard as a DM is shite so this designated backup DM is bullshit. If I have to play Lampard I will have someone else as partner or whatever. That is not a point. Point is, Gerrard isn't irreplaceable.

 

[Amir]

@kidbob

To introduce United into the discussion for just a moment, i think it is doubly disappointing that Rooney's contribution on the left was so fleeting, for that area fo the pitch could be his position at United at least nominally. From his past performances out wide we know that he can be more productive out there if he applies himself to the role.

I don't know about that. I think the last time he looked good and effective on the left was around 2009 (remember the 5-2 win over Spurs?). Since then, I don't think he had much to offer in the few cases we used him wide.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Loads of nonsense that. If Rooney can be replaced in this team then so can Gerrard based on his shite performance and for being worst player of England against Italy. Don't think Lampard would have done any worse. Also, nobody gives or should give a feck about Liverpool model if it is not resulting in win.

Spot on mate

 

[Red Dreams]

Hart

Johnson Cahill Jagielka Baines

Jones Wilshere

Sterling Sturridge Welbeck

Rooney

 

[Earthquake]

Tbh, he doesn't have the pace or perhaps discipline to play out on the wing any more.

 

[AttackingFlair]

I'm sure he can still play on the left wing but playing as a second full back as Baines and co wanted him to do is a different story.

 

[Lane]

Rooney will never play, nor ever had he, like a midfielder. When at United he played as a LF and still can play that well enough. But he needs midfield player to cover for his side full back, while Rooney will press high, press RB when he is in his own half our when CB has the ball. That's how normal teams play. A lot of forward play on the side, they are not exactly covering full backs when they attack deep into opponents half.

 

[thegregster]

Rooney will never play, nor ever had he, like a midfielder. When at United he played as a LF and still can play that well enough. But he needs midfield player to cover for his side full back, while Rooney will press high, press RB when he is in his own half our when CB has the ball. That's how normal teams play. A lot of forward play on the side, they are not exactly covering full backs when they attack deep into opponents half.

Isnt that more of a 433 as opposed to the 4231 England played?

 

[The Mitcher]

Best England player on the pitch. No one can say he did not try his best.

 

[LMControl]

This loss was all on England's defense... or lack thereof. Rooney will be made the scapegoat, but those in the locker room know the defense was simply horrible these last two matches.

 

[Ling]

Best English player. Let's hope this was good enough fro PSG or Monaco to send 30 million offer.

 

[charlenefan]

I actually think he was the best player on the pitch, Suarez ultimately made the difference but he was a lot quieter goals aside than Rooney

 

[Bestie07]

They'll have to try very hard to make him a scapegoat this time. Wasn't anything special but still the best English player on the pitch.

 

[Truedevil]

Good answer to the haters from Wayne, glad he has finally got his World Cup goal.

 

[Sandikan]

thank goodness he at least finished that from 10cm out. Otherwise it'd no doubt be his fault, rather than Stevie H.