How the **** can you blame it on Rooney, the difference between Rooney at United and Rooney at England is that he actually gets decent supply and has options when finally on the ball (which we hardly ever hard). It was his choice to pick Rooney anyway, did you expect miracles after something like 5 weeks without playing a competitive match. Picking Milner was his own fault as well, I still can't justify why a Right Back needs a bodyguard, negative?
I was slightly optimistic before, but after seeing that game against Italy he done nothing as the game went on despite having less and less of the ball as the game wore on and we were getting dominated in midfield but he did not change the formation or anything. All he done was bring on Walcott.. which as we could not even get the ball, was hardly going to make a difference.
I can't be optimistic anymore about Hodgson when he does not chang anything in a game when completely overrun in midfield and having so little of the ball. Then after in a press conference he states he does not think statistics tell the true story of a game.. well I am sorry but statistics are the best way to analyse a match, if not an opponent. Makes me think he has learned nothing, oh and I would not be suprised if he never asked Rooney to man mark Pirlo, can't be 100% sure.
Not to mention on top of this Italy are not exactly a pacey team but yet we stick with Terry and the deep defensive line, which just always invites pressure.
Playing a high defensive line with a counterattacking system doesn't work very well at all. Either we tried to play proactive, front-foot football - the same stuff that's had us dumped out of tournaments in the early stages in recent years - with a totally ungelled squad and a marked disadvantage when it comes to retaining possession, and get destroyed by the likes of France and Italy, or we play to our strengths on the counter.
So how can you blame Hodgson for picking Rooney. If he dropped Rooney you would have criticized Hodgson. Now that he picked Rooney and he put in a horrific performance, your throwing mud on Hodgson. Can Hodgson win?
The same France team that got beaten 2-0 by Sweden? The same Italy side with 1 win in 6 games prior to playing us? Not as strong as you think they are, not to mention we got destroyed by Italy and still went out on penalties, so we went out without having a real go at them nor knowing what we are capable of with a better system/formation.
When we played Holland in that friendly under Stuart Pearce I hoped that was a sign of England progressing and I thought we done very well that day, we actually put in a credible performance and were not playing negatively, admittedly we had CB's with some pace that day so we could play a higher defensive line, but still Hodgson could of left out Terry and used Jags and Lescott.
You only say this because Chelsea had success with it in the Champions League, in the Final you had one chance with a Drogba header and equalised. It was all total luck, if it was not that you would of gone out without a whimper and you know it.
Is it luck Bayern missed 30 chances and Robben 15 to himself or is it poor technique, making the wrong decision and good defending? Luck is when the ball hits a beach ball and goes in or when you are getting beat with not long left and a fog all of a sudden sets in from no where and the game is abandoned. Bayern and Barca constantly missing chances is not luck!!!! There is more than one way of playing football mate. Just because a side decides to play 8-9-10 or even 11 behind the ball does not make it any lesser of a game.
Italy and France are both significantly better sides than us. I mean, this is a bit ridiculous. There was almost no time to prepare, so it was always very unlikely that we would be having different systems, that takes time, and that is more like to happen now, over the next 2 years. To say you dont have faith in him after 4 games in the Euros is short termism of the highest degree.
Not sure what Pearce has to do with anything, it wasnt great football then, and it still doesnt change the fact that he had no time to prepare.
AS for Rooney, he quite clearly did ask him to mark Pirlo, during the game you could hear Hart screaming at Rooney saying " Watch Pirlo, behind you left shoulder.
Milner, actually had a decent last two games.
You've made the same points, over and over, and half them of them have been rebutted repeatedly. We get it, you dont like Roy, you made that perfectly clear before the tournament.
We knew it that it would be a very reactive tournament, because of the little time to prepare, only a fool writes him off because of this. The real work was always about after the Euros.
It was luck that they missed all them chances, look how prolific Gomez is for example, he could of had a hat-trick in that game just by him alone. That football will not achieve success again and again like the Barca style did for example.
Nothing gives me confidence in him when he does not understand what Michael Carrick could of offered this squad and describing him as a "holding mid".
I refuse to accept that Italy are better than us either, yes they have a Pirlo but apart from that they are quite similar to us, but play a much better way under their manager, the system/tactics held us back in the Euro's.
We had a Scholes, wasted for many years, bad manager choices in general over the last decade I'd say.
Edit: Double post by mistake soz.
I know Italy was better on the night, they destroyed us, better tactics/system.You can refuse to accept it all you want, but they were a better side, in term of system and players. Your own argument was that stats are the best indicator. Stats show they utterly us destroyed in all but goals. How it stayed 0-0 is beyond me.
You reinforce my point, you openly dont like Roy and you skew everything in an attempt to bash him. He has nearly 4 years left, but you've made your mind up on 5 games. Fickle.
Luck??? So the fact Gomez missed a sitter was luck, nothing to do with his poor shooting on the day nah?
I know Italy was better on the night, they destroyed us, better tactics/system.
But player wise apart from their Pirlo, their squad is not better than ours, pretty much very similar all round.
I made my mind up on Hodgson before he was appointed, I knew it was going to be pragmatic/negative and 4-4-2 and it was yet again a non ambitious choice by the FA. Then during the Euro performances and then him sitting through the whole Italy game getting completely screwed over in the midfield and he done nothing. Oh and not to mention he seen Pirlo continously unmarked throughout the game and done... nothing.
Baloletti is better than Welbeck
Cassano is worse than Rooney, but in a national shirt much better
De Rossi and Pirlo are hands down better than anything we have.
Montolivo is better over 90 minutes than Gerrard, who doesnt have the legs.
And thats my point, you have already written Hogdson off, before he got started, and with no idea of what might happen over the next 4 years. That is as thick as any journalist. This tournament was always a write off, anyone with sense saw that.
What is Hodgson suddenly going to do over 4 years then? If he even changes from a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 alone I would be shocked.
I respect Hodgson as a manager, but just do not see him as the right choice for England. If this tournament was a write off, why not use it as a stepping stone/experience to try out younger players, not just a few?
Smalling, Walker injured
Welbeck made his mark hugely
Oxo was promising.
Walcott was looking like himself again.
You dont just throw a bunch of young players into a tournament, even germany didnt do that, they blooded them with experienced players through the qualifications stages. IF Hodgson doesn't do that over the next 2 years, then your points will be valid.
Thats my point, we have no idea what he will do, so making a decison to write him off now is short sighted, and frankly, really foolish.
I never wrote him off, I just do not like what he says about disregarding statistics, makes me wonder whether he is learning from the mistakes in the games throughout the Euro's. Lack of possession particularly. I do not agree with the rigid 4-4-2 formation/system either, it certainly did not work against Italy and France, both should of won the game comfortably.