I'd have used 'yet another arrogant prick' personally, but this is the only issue I have with Pogue's post.
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Decline of Wayne Rooney and the England Squad
- Thread starter deletebeepbeepbeep
- Start date
I'd have used 'yet another arrogant prick' personally, but this is the only issue I have with Pogue's post.
Mo Gosfield
Well-known member
- Aug 11, 2010
- 6,292
Exactly. The point I was making about Rooney was his impact ( or lack of it ) in tournament games at the highest level. I.e the World Cup and Euro's. Playing for your country at this level against the best in the world. Friendlies mean little or nothing in the whole scheme of things.
The very best influence and help win tournaments. They inspire and carry their teammates through. Could Rooney have guided France in 98 like Zidane. Or Argentina with Maradona in 86. Or Beckenbauer in 74 or Pele in 58 and 70? Could he have the influence of a couple of little Spanish midfielders over the last three tournaments?
The answer is obviously no because he hasn't got this class. This is top drawer stuff. These players are polished diamonds amongst rough stones. World class, world beaters.
Rooney is one of the better England players in recent years and that is the very reason why we havent won anything. We have no top class players. Simple.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 30,595
I don't see how people can criticise Rooney yet acknowledge that he's been playing with shit players for 9 years.
Surround Rooney with the England team of 1990 and he'd have bagged another 10 goals, be just 5 behind Lineker, 6 behind Charlton and a shoe-in for all time top scorer. Instead he's had bollocks service from the likes of Stewart Downing, Walcott, Lennon et al.
Rooney is not the problem here.
Surround Rooney with the England team of 1990 and he'd have bagged another 10 goals, be just 5 behind Lineker, 6 behind Charlton and a shoe-in for all time top scorer. Instead he's had bollocks service from the likes of Stewart Downing, Walcott, Lennon et al.
Rooney is not the problem here.
Yet more excuses for his average performances.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 30,595
I'm no Rooney fan but your position on this is ridiculous. He's the 5th highest goalscorer for England off all-time and he's still only 27.
This has been discussed already. He has scored 33 goals. Now take a look at the nations he has scored competitive goals against:
Wayne Rooney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Someone else has described him as a 'flat-track bully.' which is an accurate reflection of his standing in the game.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 30,595
Ok, we'll have to agree to disagree. It's just a bit sad that the likes of Rooney and Michael Owen get so much shit when they've actually scored so many goals for England. If someone deserves a hard time it's Walcott for scoring that hat-trick vs Croatia then **** all else in 6 years.
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,749
But Theo hasn't been picked as a striker, has he? God, is it really six years? It feels like he's just beginning to establish himself as an England player. I like him, I think he's one of our better ones.
Rooney gets 'so much shit' because he comes across as a bit of a dick, and has done nothing of note since Euro 2004. Thats nearly a decade. He looked brilliant in that tournament, and we all thought we had a potentially brilliant player on our hands. But, when it matters, he has consistently failed to deliver.
I'm not sure that I agree that Owen gets the same abuse - he's still more fondly remembered for his early England career. He has, however, done himself no favours by seemingly not caring about playing at all in recent times.
Yes, but people above him in the scoring charts like Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker didn't score all their goals in competitive games against the likes of West Germany or Italy, they did their share of 'flat track bullying'. Like it or not (and I know you don't) Rooney IS one of England's best-ever forwards - although admittedly he hasn't turned into the white Pele which we were hoping he would back in 2004. Not that that should be much of a surprise; historically England have never been that good, so being one of the 'best ever England' players doesn't mean that you're one of the 'best ever world' players.
I'm not really disputing this. My initial post stated that I felt Rooney is not able to shape and influence the big games. He certainly has a higher than average position in the English game but on the world stage he falls well short.
PS now that Charlton and Lineker did not score all their goals against big teams but they both did step up to the plate for the big games, unlike Rooney. Lineker scored some vital goals for England including one in a WC semi. And I do not need to write anything about Charlton. Rooney is a serial choker on the big stage. There are plenty of theories for why this is, but you cannot avoid the fact he has never performed well in the big Man U games or international tournaments for England. Good, but not great.
This. Calling himself the 'Big Man', smoking, eating like a horse, boozing and slagging off England fans is not the way to go for an elite athlete. I probably give him a hard time but he does not appear to apply himself as well as he could and this makes me angry. Most people agree he has weight issues, his body shape seems to change a fair bit and this was very noticeable when Man U sent him off to Seattle for conditioning a year or so ago. I really struggle to get my head around the idea that a professional athlete's fitness can be questionable. To me it's a total lack of professionalism. I really struggle to give privilidged people like this my support. Why cant England players be nice like they used to be? Rant over.