Mike Bassett, England Manager

[LUX]

Good result, uninspiring performance last night.



if no-one's claiming this parallel reality, I am.

[LUX]

"fookin' 'ell we're in injury time against ten men Slavonika and it's nil nil"

[LUX]

"yes, Alan Lollana, get in my son"

[Hoop Blah]

The comments about Rooney playing where he wants were a bit odd coming from Big Sam of all people.

I wonder if that's a bit of a cover up for his tactical plan/mind games, but either way, I'd expect the manager to be putting his foot down a bit.

[TBM]

The comments about Rooney playing where he wants were a bit odd coming from Big Sam of all people.

I wonder if that's a bit of a cover up for his tactical plan/mind games, but either way, I'd expect the manager to be putting his foot down a bit.

I think he did the right thing by saying that as it takes the pressure off Rooney and onto him - he's [Sam] been in the game long enough to not let the media criticism bother him. I do think behind closed doors though he'll have a word with Rooney about how & where he'd want him to play.

There's been a lot said about Rooney in midfield so if big sam didn't defend Rooney it would make it more of an issue

[Ian Royal]

Has Fat Sam ever really managed a truly big star before? Maybe he just can't hack telling Rooney what to do. Or realises that he can't communicate it in the grunts he'd understand.

[TBM]

Has Fat Sam ever really managed a truly big star before? Maybe he just can't hack telling Rooney what to do. Or realises that he can't communicate it in the grunts he'd understand.

Errrrr he managed West Ham, so of course he has

[Hoop Blah]

Has Fat Sam ever really managed a truly big star before? Maybe he just can't hack telling Rooney what to do. Or realises that he can't communicate it in the grunts he'd understand.

Apart from World Cup and European Championship winner Djorkaeff nah, not really.

Unless you count triple Champions League and 5 time La Liga winner Fernando Heiro that is.

Oh, and of course Ivan Campo, but he only won two Champions Leagues so might not count.

Eider Gudjohsen (spelling!) wasn't a bad player I guess, but at least he was on his way up as a very talented youngster that Sam helped nurture so might not've as difficult to tell what to do.

He also managed Stelios whatever his name was when he was a key player in Greece's shock European Championship win and Gary Speed was quite a well known player and seemed to enjoy life under Big Sam too. He prolonged his career under Allardyce and had quite an Indian summer with Bolton.

Apart from that, I suppose you could include the likes of Anelka, but he's an easy guy to manage by all accounts and had only won a European Championship and Champions League before signing for him.

Of course there's Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan too...

[Ian Royal]

Has Fat Sam ever really managed a truly big star before? Maybe he just can't hack telling Rooney what to do. Or realises that he can't communicate it in the grunts he'd understand.

Apart from World Cup and European Championship winner Djorkaeff nah, not really.

Unless you count triple Champions League and 5 time La Liga winner Fernando Heiro that is.

Oh, and of course Ivan Campo, but he only won two Champions Leagues so might not count.

Eider Gudjohsen (spelling!) wasn't a bad player I guess, but at least he was on his way up as a very talented youngster that Sam helped nurture so might not've as difficult to tell what to do.

He also managed Stelios whatever his name was when he was a key player in Greece's shock European Championship win and Gary Speed was quite a well known player and seemed to enjoy life under Big Sam too. He prolonged his career under Allardyce and had quite an Indian summer with Bolton.

Apart from that, I suppose you could include the likes of Anelka, but he's an easy guy to manage by all accounts and had only won a European Championship and Champions League before signing for him.

Of course there's Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan too...

I prefer TBM's reply.

Having a winners medal doesn't mean much, ask Kes about Ross Turnbull. I don't think many of them could be argued to be in quite the potential star ego category as Rooney, just being a knob doesn't really count. LOL @ Speed, Stelios, Nolan and Carroll.

[No Fixed Abode]

I'm sure having a Champions League winners medal means quite a bit to Ross Turnbull. (He's won more than you).

[Hoop Blah]

I was being a little facetious of course Ian, but I don't think Rooney has really shown too much ego and negative influence over his team in the past so I'm not sure the accusation holds much truth either to be honest.

He's played out of position on many occasions for both United and England and always done a shift for the team so I don't think he's guilty of playing for himself. Having said that, if the manager wants him to do something different then you'd have thought he'll have to tell him that and make sure he's playing where the team need him to and not just where Rooney gravitates too. If he can't do that any more, or won't, then he has to bomb him out of the team.

As for star quality and egos, I'm pretty sure taking the likes of Anelka and El Hadji Diouf and getting a decent return from them shows he can handle difficult temperaments.

The whole 'he can play where he wants' thing does sound really odd though, and very un-Sam like.

[Nameless]

I'm sure having a Champions League winners medal means quite a bit to Ross Turnbull. (He's won more than you).

To be fair the IT manager at Reading had a league winners medal last time we won the league.
He was a fairly forthright Aussie and probably quite hard to manage but having the medal didn't make him a superstar.

[Winston Smith]

The whole 'he can play where he wants' thing does sound really odd though, and very un-Sam like.

I took it as nothing more than a way to get the interviewer to shut up

[Hoop Blah]

The whole 'he can play where he wants' thing does sound really odd though, and very un-Sam like.

I took it as nothing more than a way to get the interviewer to shut up

Yeah maybe.

If it was then I think it was a surprisingly naive of him as the whole Rooney debate has raged on for the last couple of years and it was a big talking point in the build up to the game.

[Winston Smith]

The whole 'he can play where he wants' thing does sound really odd though, and very un-Sam like.

I took it as nothing more than a way to get the interviewer to shut up

Yeah maybe.

If it was then I think it was a surprisingly naive of him as the whole Rooney debate has raged on for the last couple of years and it was a big talking point in the build up to the game.

a talking point amongst who though? I have never heard any fellow football fans deb8 Rooney's best position. just journalists when it is a slow sports news day.

[Hoop Blah]

a talking point amongst who though? I have never heard any fellow football fans deb8 Rooney's best position. just journalists when it is a slow sports news day.

Really?

The media go to town on it yes, but I've seen lots of discussion on whether Rooney should play and if he does where. The two topics are intrinsically linked aren't they?

[Winston Smith]

nah. I see it as one of them 'media talk about and claim the nation is talking about it, the majority are not talking about it and never will but a minority decided to talk about it as they feel everyone else is because the media says everyone else is.

it's all just flotsam and jetsam when you think about it. I mean really truly think about it, not just casually observe it.

[Hoop Blah]

Fair enough, my Facebook is full of debate on Rooney's inclusion in the squad and where he should play if he does.

I'd say that debate is fueled by the media discussion as well, but he's clearly a topic for debate.

[Sanguine]

Never mind 'development', following last night's game and his winning cameo against Hull, can we now bin the fanciful notion that Rashford shouldn't be starting for both United and England?

And - pointless stat of the day. Harry Kane has scored 1 goal in September, ever. Why does he take so long to get going in a season?

[LUX]

Kane is a mystery. He was on fire for two seasons (slow starts notwithstanding), but has been absolutely awful since- and during - the Euros. His passing/contribution v Iceland was unbelievably bad. It's not just a question of missing chances, not being in the right place, his confidence is shot and he is a mess. A manager needs to sort his head out. That's what they are paid for.

I wish him luck as I want him to be a star for England.