"not for me to say where to play Wayne Rooney"

[aussieowl]

Other than Graham Turner has there ever been a more stupid comment from an England manager.

What's the point of Allardyce being there then...does that go for all the players?, do they manage themselves now?...I could understand if maybe he said he'd given Rooney a free role, at least that way he's issued instruction.

The other thing, saying he'd be happy with a draw BEFORE the game even kicks off...kinell I can see where this England set up is going...nowhere, just like every other set up since God was a lad.

[hirstyboywonder]

Other than Graham Turner has there ever been a more stupid comment from an England manager.

What's the point of Allardyce being there then...does that go for all the players?, do they manage themselves now?...I could understand if maybe he said he'd given Rooney a free role, at least that way he's issued instruction.

The other thing, saying he'd be happy with a draw BEFORE the game even kicks off...kinell I can see where this England set up is going...nowhere, just like every other set up since God was a lad.

I think it was meant in the manner of letting Rooney have a free role but he created a rod for his own back by stating that Rooney would not be playing in a midfield role and then he played more in midfield than up front.

No need to say he would be happy with a draw at all, bit of a defeatist comment.

Far from inspiring performance but let's give it a chance, it'll be 2 years before we really find anything out as the qualifying group doesn't offer that much of a test and as we saw in the summer friendly results can often be taken with a pinch of salt.

[aussieowl]

I think it was meant in the manner of letting Rooney have a free role but he created a rod for his own back by stating that Rooney would not be playing in a midfield role and then he played more in midfield than up front.

No need to say he would be happy with a draw at all, bit of a defeatist comment.

Far from inspiring performance but let's give it a chance, it'll be 2 years before we really find anything out as the qualifying group doesn't offer that much of a test and as we saw in the summer friendly results can often be taken with a pinch of salt.

I hope you're right hirsty lad, it's so depressing being an England fan, qualifiers & friendlies are pretty much all we have to look forward to...England at a tournament?, I believe we can forget it, quarters at best, if that. We just don't have any world class players & unless you can ride your luck for six or seven games then we need world class players, just two or three would do it.

[Bluestripe]

When you look at...
Lewis Hamilton in F1
Andy Murray in Tennis
The huge performance of GB team at Olympics
England Rugby Union team progress
England ODI Cricket...

....the England football team has some way to go - to say it's our NATIONAL SPORT

[hirstyboywonder]

I hope you're right hirsty lad, it's so depressing being an England fan, qualifiers & friendlies are pretty much all we have to look forward to...England at a tournament?, I believe we can forget it, quarters at best, if that. We just don't have any world class players & unless you can ride your luck for six or seven games then we need world class players, just two or three would do it.

I agree with you in terms of not having the quality to expect anything further than quarter finals but I am hoping Sam gets them to play to their strengths and be better tactically, mentally and physically prepared than recently and not to be knocked out by far inferior teams.

[KINDERSCOUT]

I don't really understand why we set up the England team around Rooney. He is well past his best and not once in a tournament has he played well. He has been a good player but it is time we moved on. Drinkwater and Vardy would have been a better proposition than Rooney and Kane. Rooney seems to get selected on his reputation not his performances.

[Katchouro]

Seems it's open season on Rooney at club and country level and aussie's got his sniper cocked and loaded.

There was about two world class passes and one world class cross in the Slovakia game - all provided by Rooney. The problem isn't him it's the lack of movement from the rest of the players to create options for a ball player like Rooney.

At his age he's not at the height of his powers he's still the best we've got in the libero role. Alli showed in the Euros he's got a long long way to go before he's ready to make an impact in top tier tournament football.

[aussieowl]

Seems it's open season on Rooney at club and country level and aussie's got his sniper cocked and loaded.

There was about two world class passes and one world class cross in the Slovakia game - all provided by Rooney. The problem isn't him it's the lack of movement from the rest of the players to create options for a ball player like Rooney.

At his age he's not at the height of his powers he's still the best we've got in the libero role. Alli showed in the Euros he's got a long long way to go before he's ready to make an impact in top tier tournament football.

I'm not bagging Rooney, I'm bagging Allardyce for the comments he made, I thought Rooney was one of the better players in the game...Allardyce saying it's not for him to say where Rooney plays is ridiculous in my view & could show he doesn't really know what he's doing at international level...maybe if England played in a 20 team league looking like being relegated he might be alright.

About Rooney, he isn't world class, he's a very good player who even now still deserves a spot in the England team, I wish him all the best, I'm not as anti Rooney as you make out, I just wish England had two maybe three genuine world class players....Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore & Bobby Charlton would do...

OK, that's a dream but you see what I'm getting at?, if those three players were available today along with what we do have today then England would be a contender again, it's the difference genuine world class players make....can't wait for the next set to arrive.

Another way to look at what I mean about being world class....look at the England team of 66, take out Banks, Moore & Charlton, replace them with whoever you like from the current set up & ask yourself if England would have won the World Cup, I think not, the rest of the team were all very good players doing their jobs but those three made the difference...the only other world class player from 66 was Jimmy Greaves but he was unlucky with injury & the rest as they say, is history.

[Katchouro]

I don’t know the context in which Allardyce said that, and Allardyce is a bit of a corporate blusterer anyway – presumably he means Rooney’s role chooses itself due to the dynamic and personnel of the squad and the standard of opposition. Rooney can play centrally, right, deep and advanced – that’s a lot of versatility he’s offering, lot of roles he can fill. First name on the team sheet for me.

We’ve had the world class debate before, I personally think he is – and his club CV backs it up, same with players like Giggs, Ibrahimovic, Litmanen etc. And even at this stage of his career he’s still the pick of the England squad which currently is a flavourless and colourless bunch.

I’m not worried about your dislike of Rooney though aussie, more about Mourinho’s. He made a comment earlier in the summer about Rooney not being a number 6 and he seems to be hanging him out to dry playing behind a striker who can barely move. I’m hoping he’s not bombed out to China or the Gulf – we haven’t treated our world class players over the past thirty years (Hoddle, Gascoigne, Le Tissier, Scholes) too well internationally. Be a real shame if we didn’t do right by Rooney for his last two years as an England player.

[aussieowl]

I don’t know the context in which Allardyce said that, and Allardyce is a bit of a corporate blusterer anyway – presumably he means Rooney’s role chooses itself due to the dynamic and personnel of the squad and the standard of opposition. Rooney can play centrally, right, deep and advanced – that’s a lot of versatility he’s offering, lot of roles he can fill. First name on the team sheet for me.

We’ve had the world class debate before, I personally think he is – and his club CV backs it up, same with players like Giggs, Ibrahimovic, Litmanen etc. And even at this stage of his career he’s still the pick of the England squad which currently is a flavourless and colourless bunch.

I’m not worried about your dislike of Rooney though aussie, more about Mourinho’s. He made a comment earlier in the summer about Rooney not being a number 6 and he seems to be hanging him out to dry playing behind a striker who can barely move. I’m hoping he’s not bombed out to China or the Gulf – we haven’t treated our world class players over the past thirty years (Hoddle, Gascoigne, Le Tissier, Scholes) too well internationally. Be a real shame if we didn’t do right by Rooney for his last two years as an England player.

I've never really disliked Rooney, I just think he's been a bit of a knob, however, I watched a documentary about him last week on MUTV, he came across really well which made me soften towards him, since he's had kids he seems more level headed, I guess he's grown up now.