Ingerlund

[milo]

True, but it's not for the lack of effort on his part, he's rarely let a manager down on the pitch (a couple of stupid reds noted).

He can't control the dizzy expectation of others. I'm sure that United feel they have had their money's worth and he has, let's not forget, just set a record that was beyond both Greaves and Lineker, two of the greatest forwards in the history of the game. That he isn't in their class makes his achievement all the more impressive, his longevity, when compared to the likes of Owen, who at one point seemed nailed on to take the record should also be applauded.

He has, in my opinion, been England's best player for a very long time, since Beckham left the squad, I find the keenness many have to shuffle him off into retirement as lamentable, we'll miss him when he's gone, just like we do Becks.

I agree that he has been England's best player for a while and that you cannot fault his effort. It is just a shame that he went from being a player who danced around opponents to one who runs into them.

 

[Baleforce]

I agree that he has been England's best player for a while and that you cannot fault his effort. It is just a shame that he went from being a player who danced around opponents to one who runs into them.

yeah, although even as a 16 year old his physique suggested he'd be more the latter than the former long term

 

[DubaiSpur]

yeah, although even as a 16 year old his physique suggested he'd be more the latter than the former long term

Yeah, what I expected from Rooney was largely what we ended up getting - an energetic battering ram with an eye for goal and a suprisingly good touch to go with that brutishness (although it isn't on the level of Messi or Ronaldo, it's still fantastic when compared to most forwards. I never did understand the hype that put him up on a ped.estal (why on earth is it automatically changed to pedal stool?) as England's greatest hope, although saying that I'm sure he would have compared more favorably to his contemporaries if he weren't unlucky enough to have burst out just as Messi and CRon (who in my eyes are definitely the greatest pair the world's ever seen, in terms of having the complete package) were also emerging, blinking, into the flashing camera lights.

He deserves his accolades now, just as he will deserve them when he becomes United's all-time leading goalscorer by the end of next season (if all goes well). And I agree with you: I think we'll will miss him when he retires/is permanently dropped, and I think that he'd still offer an awful lot if used in a more supporting role by someone like Garry Monk (once Woy leaves/is kicked, of course).

 

[Grays_1890]

Can't stand the love in for Rooney.

Yes, he achieved a great feat by becoming England's all time leading goal scorer but no, he certainly isn't the greatest English striker of all time.

I have to agree, I don't understand why others waste their time comparing him to ex England strikers because of a goal scoring record which is manipulated by so many factors.

You want to know how I rate Rooney and against who? I rate him against the other International frontline strikers in world football today and he is not even in the top 10 and could probably stretch that to 15.

If you want to use the term great in football you have to say Messi and Ronaldo, people will say its unfair to compare Rooney to them but its a fairer comparison than say with Charlton who played however long ago? It todays climate of the game, Rooney is a good striker, great? Not for me I am sorry.

Not that this is any way related, but I wouldn't also pay to watch Rooney play

 

[scaramanga]

I think that much of the disappointment with Rooney is that he promised to be so much more at 17.

Absolutely. I also think it's why he's on undroppable wages for Utd and is undroppable for England too though.

Most people saw his career trajectory at 16-18 and assumed he'd continue that way. In fact he plateaued very early in his career at a reasonably high level. Had he continued his improvement he'd be up there with the Messi/Ronaldo/Bale types in world football.

If he'd come through the way he did at Kane's age it would probably have been better both for Utd and England.

 

[Jordinho]

With doubts hanging over the fitness of Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wheelchair, Roy Hodgson is having to consider alternative players for Euro 2016

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-to-replace-injury-prone-Jack-Wheelchair.html

Just WOW!

 

[Whiffler]

Surprised this thread was so far back.

Dele Alli & Harry Kane in first selection.

Now Kyle Walker & Andros Townsend called up following other withdrawals.

Will our two super-subs do the biz once again?

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

is mason around the squad these days?

 

[Baleforce]

is mason around the squad these days?

still injured I guess

 

[elyid]

With doubts hanging over the fitness of Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wheelchair, Roy Hodgson is having to consider alternative players for Euro 2016

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-to-replace-injury-prone-Jack-Wheelchair.html

Just WOW!

Wouldn't it make more sense to pick Grealish? At least he looks like he could develop into a regular for England

 

[Jordinho]

Wouldn't it make more sense to pick Grealish? At least he looks like he could develop into a regular for England

It looks like he'll choose England.

My point was more that most of the squad get picked as long they're fit because of the clubs the play for. Hodgson goes to games every weekend, but still pick the same players. If Shaw was still at Southampton he wouldn't have been anywhere near the squad with his performances last season. Welbeck? Give me a break.

 

[Jordinho]

Dele Alli deserves to play for England and those people thinking it is too soon need to ask themselves this: why wasn’t he called up to the Under-21s sooner?

He has two caps at that level. That’s not his fault. Nor is it that he has started just four Premier League games and suddenly has a shot at making England’s Euro 2016 squad. It shouldn’t take him moving to Tottenham for the coaches to realise he is a good player. Couldn’t they see it at MK Dons?

Kevin Hitchrooster, who was my goalkeeping coach at QPR, came back to me 18 months ago and told me Alli (right) was a really exciting talent. His kid was playing there and he was raving about him every week. He absolutely murdered Manchester United last season in the Capital One Cup — surely someone looked at him then? So why didn’t he have the chance to play in the European Under-21 Championship in the summer?

He scored 16 goals from midfield and was the Football League’s Young Player of the Year last year. Why does he have to go to Tottenham before somebody is brave enough to stick him in?

Too many selections are based on club reputations. Years ago, Johnny Byrne played for England when he was in the Third Division with Crystal Palace. And it was hard to get in the England team in those days. Someone was a good enough judge then. They didn’t wait until he was at West Ham.

And if you aren’t quite sure, that is the point of the Under-21s: to give young players a chance to prove themselves in a less demanding environment before throwing them into the senior group.

Roy Hodgson has been brave now by putting him in, even though there is nothing on the line in these two qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania. It is fantastic. Alli is like Jack Grealish at Aston Villa: both of them can play.

They can unlock doors and be creative on the ball. They take risks. We need to produce more players like them to succeed at international level. Let’s not go back to the days of overlooking players like them because they maybe aren’t traditionally English.

They remind me of players like Tony Currie in the 1970s who got 17 caps, Peter Osgood who got four and Alan Hudson who ended up with just two. They were fantastic players. They could have played for any team in the world but they hardly got a look in.

If they had been in any other country, they would have had 50 caps at least but we didn’t encourage people like that.

We have got two kids there with unbelievable ability. With Ross Barkley as well, we should build our next World Cup squad around them. Throw Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane in as well and if they progress as they have been, suddenly you have got a group of young kids making the future look good.

And who knows? If the coaching staff and scouts are prepared to look beyond the Premier League, they will probably find a few more gems to along with them. It takes bravery to give them a chance but if we are always complaining about there being too few English players in the Premier League, then why not look beyond it?

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...for-england-to-notice-dele-alli-a3085511.html

Redknapp talking sense.

 

[Lemonade Money]

Article is a thinly disguised pitch for the job! What he's said is all very well with hindsight, but how about naming who he thinks should be included outside the PL?

 

[Lugash]

Really would be a huge blow if Wheelchair can't get fit - which is looking very likely.

I know people think he's overrated, but I think he's brilliant alongside a DM.

With Delph, the next best player for that role, injured and/or not playing enough, I think we're in trouble. Henderson and Milner are not, in my opinion, good enough.

 

[parklane1]

Really would be a huge blow if Wheelchair can't get fit - which is looking very likely.

I know people think he's overrated, but I think he's brilliant alongside a DM.

.

Could not agree more, Wheelchair has the ability to be a great player but unlucky for him he seems to be made of glass. The problem is for many Spurs fans they can not take the blue tinted glasses off to see how good he could be.

 

[SteveAWOL]

@england
Wayne Rooney will miss @england's @UEFAEURO Qualifier v Estonia on Friday night. Gary Cahill will captain the team http://the-fa.com/kRGvw2

 

[Lemonade Money]

Will Kane play behind Walcott? Will we have to see them embrace when they link for a goal?

 

[scaramanga]

Will Kane play behind Walcott? Will we have to see them embrace when they link for a goal?

You mean start the match with Kane on the pitch?

That won't happen for England - sounds like exactly the kind of nonsense a manager who knows his arse from his elbow would come out with.

 

[Denmark Spur]

“James, if anyone, deserves a rest because he's played so many games for Liverpool, and taken on the captaincy [in Jordan Henderson’s absence]. The rest will do him good and it's the right moment for Jonjo Shelvey to show what he can do again. Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick are injured.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...e-lions-go-in-search-of-perfect-a6688701.html


So Milner deserves a rest after playing many games for Liverpool and will not travel to Lithuania.

Okay then.

But a clearly tired Harry Kane, who has played more football than anyone else in the last year, taken part in Euro under-21 in the summer and only returned to preseason 2 weeks before
Premier League kickoff, will go to this meaningless, deadrubber football match.

Mind-boggling

 

[Papercut]

Looks like England may start with four of our lads on Tuesday (Walker, Kane, Alli and Andros) - could easily have also added Rose and Dier to that lot (and perhaps Ryan) if they were selected.