Is it time for Wayne Rooney to retire

Hodgson didn’t deserve to stay on past the World Cup

It is testament to the English FA that they can make the incorrect choice when it is available to them. At the end of the World Cup, England had humiliated themselves with a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica. The careers of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard had all, gradually but certainly, come to an end for England. Now was the time to bring in an inspiring, modern coach to take the green shoots of English football and take them away from a world of self-imposed pressure and frozen performances. They needed to be given sophistication, the ability to improvise, and justified confidence. So, the FA kept Hodgson on. A man who bristles with arrogance, not achievement, it is no surprise that his side learn nothing from him and adopt a safety-first approach. This is another generation of players who will not fulfill their talent because the FA have the wrong staff at almost every level.

Walker defending for goal is no surprise

Kyle Walker is bad at defending. His strengths are being very, very quick, and being able to run with the ball at the same time as being very, very quick. It’s enormously important to have full-backs who can provide attacking width, especially in a 4-3-3. It’s the same reason that Danny Rose is picked instead of a solid alternative. Partly, there is a solid alternative, but mainly because if you’re England manager your only hope is to point your team forward and hope that somehow you get to score a couple of goals. They might be so blunt up front that this is a forlorn hope against the best sides, but it is still better than relying on the defence, as today proved. Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill are so witless that having Gary Neville and Dennis Irwin either side of them wouldn’t make the situation significantly better. But nevertheless, it means that when Walker and Rose are near their own boxes, there is a weakness, as Iceland’s first goal shows. There is no solution, it is simply the worst kind of problem: an intractable one.

Wayne Rooney should consider retirement

Wayne Rooney needs to consider whether he can justify to himself his presence on a football pitch any longer. This is not hyperbole, unless of course he is willing to drop down several divisions, or wind down his time in China or America. He is not an effective captain. He is not an effective playmaker. He is not an effective striker. He is not an effective midfielder. Once, it was said that he was willing and able to play every position. Now, it is clear that he is unable to give a decent performance in any of them. His body, through his own fault, genetics, or a mixture of both, has clearly begun to fail. In fact, no. It started failing years ago and Rooney has not had the nous to develop an alternative set of skills. The technique has drifted away. The pace has disappeared. The ruthless approach in front of goal is now a serious case of the yips. He used to be decisive on the pitch. It is time he is decisive off it. He has to improve, or retire, because he is no use to England or Manchester United in this state. It might seem unfair to focus so often on Rooney, but remember - he is captain of both sides, and he is extraordinarily well rewarded. Good on him for that, but it doesn’t make it in any way justified.

Joe Hart cannot save to his left

“I’m not an ambi-saver. It was a problem I had since I was a baby. I can’t save left.” It was a heartfelt admission from Joe Hart, even if it is one that I have just made up. Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world. On current evidence at least, Hodgson isn’t. However Hodgson has rarely been let down by Hart over the last few years, even if he is demonstrably incapable if the ball is on one whole side of him. It isn’t even the first goal he has conceded weakly on his left this season - it’s not even the first this tournament. Hodgson had no real reason to drop him for Fraser Forster ahead of the tournament, but there certainly is one in future. Guardiola, though, has absolutely no reason to stick with him if he wants to achieve the kind of success he managed at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Iceland show how not to be England

Iceland have around 20,000 men of the correct age to fill their team. If you strip out those who are unfit, those who lack the natural ability, and those who are unsuitable for all kinds of other reasons, that is an intimidatingly small amount of men to assemble a national team from. That has not stopped them. Years ago, Iceland decided that they would be the very best team that they could be. They did their research, they put up the cash, and they made sure that they were the opposite of England. Iceland were dismissed by a great many (admittedly not all) people in England, and there was talk of a favourable draw for the country’s team. It is as if English fans are afflicted by very specific amnesia every two years at these competitions. Will they choose to ape Iceland and calmly and methodically improve their lot, or will they again try a similar folly as they have over the last two decades? It isn’t tough to predict.