Quote Originally Posted by hirstyboywonder View Post
Bit harsh that. He is not world class by any means and he is certainly past his best but he has always given his all and has never cried off from playing for his country. Unfortunately for whatever reason, since 2004 he has failed to find any form in international tournaments. In qualifying he has been as good as anyone and you can't knock his goals record. Yes he has scored a fair few against inferior nations but he has continued to do so in a national team that has gone backwards in the last decade.

I had hoped that we would be fresher and quicker without him in the team yesterday but sadly there was little difference and we probably deserved to lose.
Every manager since Sven has failed to get anything remotely worth watching out of the national side on a regular basis, the fact is we are a long way behind many nations both in both technical and tactical ability.
He showed his true colours, when holding Man Utd and Alex Ferguson to ransom, over a new contract....And slagging England fans, that had made the long, very expensive trip to south africa in the world cup.....Lets not pretend we're dealing with a top bloke here....He's changed his public ways, purely because he's been given the England captaincy. ..by default. ........I haven't felt a connection with England players since Euro 96, when overpaid egos didn't seem to be a problem...You saw and felt what it meant. ...International breaks now, are a pain in the ar$e to me......We will never follow the German/Spanish model...because we have fewer national players in our league....And more pertinently, we have to always crowbar the so called superstars, eg Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney etc into the side, for sponsorship rights, clubs they play for, managerial cop outs, Fan pressure etc.....Why have under 21's, if there isn't a chance in hell, they'll get promoted. ....Its a team game....And a well drilled, hungry team, should be doing far better than it is......For me...International goalscoring records, only register, at major tournaments.....Thats when you prove your worth.