i agree i posted an article about this earlyer

Agreed. Stig made a good article about this yesterday but it got overrun by a Manc WUM

Sorry Stig!

I just read your article again and the only bit I disagree with is that I do believe an in form Rooney is currently vital to England.

But we shouldn´t be and its not too late to do something about it.

We have exciting players in Wilshire, Jones, Smalling, Sturridge, Welbeck, Young, Richards and Hart.

Add a few experienced old heads to that group and even without Rooney we have a team with pace and invention.

We need to develop a system of playing that does not need Rooney, cause let´s face it, he will probably get sent off in the actual tournament anyway.

No no no it's Spots ON Gary Neville that haven't ripened yet

Spain manage to win with 11 top players

I dont hink that wayne rooney is vital to england at all.
Too many times you watch him play, he spends most of his time running back towards the half way line with the ball, and really does not have any real impact in many of the games he plays for england.
I watched him against wales at wembley, and i don't think he had a shot on target in the whole 90 minutes.
This from a player who is touted as being world class ?
Maybe its time to look in a different direction, leave Rooney out for a few internationals, and take england in a new direction, that does not rely on a player who on too many occasions is found wanting at international level.
As for the circus that surrounds Rooney, well Im afraid its too well established, mainly I may add, to the stupidity of the player himself.
Even if hes dropped, his name will still probably be the first to be mentioned when the media turns its spotlight toward england.
Rooneys had more than enough opportunities in an england shirt, so maybe the time has come to move forward, and leave wayne to play club football with united.

Did Greece, Italy or Germany?

answer NO!

Why............Because their focus is on the team!

Too many times you watch him play, he spends most of his time running back towards the half way line with the ball, and really does not have any real impact in many of the games he plays for england.
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And the rest of the England team spends too much time looking to give him the ball. It makes us so predictable and so easy for quality opposing sides to deal with.

Sorry guys but even with your best 11 you're way short of Spain, Brazil, Argentina and even the likes of Holland and Germany

It will take a complete overhaul of the teaching of football to kids in England and the Uk in general to compete to win major honours.

Quite simply England players don't have the technique, touch or guile of their counterparts from the above nations.

At major tournaments they consistently fail to retain possession and do not gave the ability to open up the defense of top teams.

Is this a result of the money from Sky and the subsequent influx of top stars? Most probably. All the best players at all the best teams in England are, in general foreigners. That is to the detriment of English players.

The quick fix solution is strangling the life out you national side. They gave gone backwards in the last 20 years.

From the days Butcher, lineker, gazza, butch Wilkins, Robson, Beardsley et al threes barely a player of that quality in the England team these days.

You've gone thru untold managers in the last decade. But that us not the problem. It is simp the players are not there. This has been reflected in the standard of performance which has consistently been below par.

As ever you qualify. Clearly the quality is there to get to major tournaments. That's not the issue. The issue is to have a team of top class players who once at major tournaments can actually challenge to win.

Until Engkand are honest with themselves and stop looking for scapegoats when they fail, and address the fundamental issues with producing top players then they will continue to fail. Spain for example have THREE times as many coaches as England do.

Anyway all the best at Euro 2012. You'll probably be the sole home nation flying the flag again

I like the way he pulls no punches about England, where others will simply skirt around the issue, or are deluded enough to think England are actually a real force. I agree with what he says.

All the best players at all the best teams in England are, in general foreigners. That is to the detriment of English players.
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The issue of clubs looking to save money in the transfer market by buying foreign players instead of British players maybe a factor, but overall I don´t buy the logic of that argument. If players are good enough they will get selected,irrespective of nationality.

You should buy it cos it's true. Arsenal paid something like £10m for Oxelaide-chamberlain from a lg 1 club. Why?

For that you xls get a top player from the continent which is what most clubs do. Outside Rooney name another top English striker at a top English side?

There are none. They do not get the opportunity because managers and teams are not given the time to nurture them. Instant success is demanded of them or they're sacked for the next manager on the merry go round. While the EPL is the best league in the world to watch it falls short on twchnical levels. We seen that in the demolition of Man U by Barca.

Face facts. The lack of English players in your top sides is a severe handicap to your chances. Darren Bent ffs. Parker, Barry. Not exactly messi, Neymar or iniesta is it?

we,ll win nowt with terry in the team......far far too slow

We seen that in the demolition of Man U by Barca.
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What a rubbish example.

Man United have made it to three CL finals in 4 years losing only to Barcelona twice and Inter Milan.

If United play in a league that falls short of technical levels then why are they so successful in the CL.

I live close to Malaga and i watch them quite a lot. Take Valencia, Madid and Barcelona out of La Liga and the overall standard is poor.

Barcelona is an exception not the norm!

Our problems are at grass roots and academy level, its not because of increased competition which we all know has a positive effect not negative effect.

Before signing up to such a myopic xenophobic view try reading this first..........

http://www.epltalk.com/why-making-premier-league-more-english-is-not-englands-answer-21536

"..competition which we all know has a positive effect not negative effect.."

So it's a positive effect to have so few Academy players coming thru? The only competition is between which foreign player will start.

Chelsea, arsenal man city man u all their best players and benches are filled with foreigners. When your team relies on guys like darrent bent Garett Barry, Parker then u have no chance. Those guys are symptomatic of everything that is wrong with the English set up

Carneiro that may also be true. My example of Ox-cha is also the reason why no English players play abroad. Too expensive and lacking the ability of their counterparts. Exposure to football in a different Courbet adds alot to a players ability and experience. That was true of greats from yesteryear like Wilkins and hoddle. So I would certainly add that as a factor. Perhaps teams should be farming out academy players in loan to the likes of the Dutch leagues etc more often..

Yes they are, but with what is wrong with the English set up in terms of coaching at academy and grass roots level, not at the top professional level.

Another thing caneiro cut with the Xenophobe nonsense. It's got fool all to do with it. You are compounding my earlier point on scapegoats with such cheap digs. Grow up.

I believe it is a Xenophobic view to seek to blame high levels of foreign imported players as the reason as to why England are not a leading footballing nation.

It was not a dig but a statement of opinion.

It's not it's simple logic. If your players don't play for the best teams in key positions then your team will simply not have the quality of leading opposition teams

Glad to clear that up for you..

If the players are good enough they will play for the best teams in key positions.

Simple logic!

Your logic on the other hand it to reduce the standard of quality in the EPL and that will lead to a better standard of quality English national team.

Well how well has that argument worked out for Scotland over the last 37 years

I like MufcAlex
He's funny