Rooney to go to the WC

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

so says the man

 

Sven-Goran Eriksson is prepared to go to any lengths to keep Wayne Rooney in his World Cup plans. His patience would even stretch as far as a recovery date of July 9 for the forward's fractured metatarsal. On that day, the final of the tournament will be played in Berlin. Why would the England manager do that? "To win the final," he said. It is no part of Eriksson's duties to assume his side will have returned home before that issue can arise.

 

His tenacious hope that Rooney will take part keeps on being tainted, however, by realism. The England team doctor Leif Sward will travel today for talks with his Manchester United counterpart Mike Stone but Eriksson is not expecting any great encouragement, even if the club says the attacker could resume training in six weeks. "Miracles happen in life now and then," said the manager, giving a frank indication of the odds against Rooney. The player will remain in Manchester until he is fit, whether, as Eriksson put it, "that is before, during or after the World Cup".

After some five years in the job, the anguish of England is getting to Eriksson at last. "s***," he said, when asked for his immediate reaction to Rooney's injury at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. "Even the Chelsea lads thought that." The worrying will not be Eriksson's responsibility for much longer and the announcement of Steve McClaren as his successor seems to be imminent. The Swede denied that the England coach was merely a self-effacing member of the retinue. "I don't want to have people around me just saying yes," he insisted. "I want opinions we can discuss and of course he has an opinion."

 

He said the Middlesbrough manager was an influential member of the backroom team. "Every time we are together after dinner we sit for one hour or two hours with the coaches. What are we doing? Discussing football: what to do tomorrow, what the next squad is, the next team. Of course everyone has their opinion. He is clever, of course he is."

 

Eriksson is happy with the thought of his replacement being beside him at the World Cup. There are worries the manager might prefer to hand over immediately. He confirmed reports that Rooney had a "cluster" of fractures but did not seem to believe the prognosis was worsened by that fact. None the less, he will be even more eager to make sure the remaining attackers are in shape and in form.

 

Eriksson will name a provisional squad of 23 players on Monday, with three or four others on standby. Peter Crouch, Michael Owen, Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent should be included. Were it not for Rooney, Owen would be a source of consternation and Eriksson brackets them as both "very difficult to replace". On his comeback from a broken metatarsal of his own at Birmingham, Owen felt discomfort and he is not guaranteed to be in Newcastle United's line-up to face Chelsea on Sunday. "It doesn't matter," said Eriksson. Owen will be expected to take part in both friendlies, against Hungary and Jamaica, as well as the B international with Belarus.

 

There is a limit to the number of players whose readiness can be taken on trust. Those not in condition at the moment may miss the World Cup if other candidates are available and Eriksson said those in doubt would be considered case by case. This should concern Ledley King, Jermaine Jenas and Luke Young. Others, by contrast, are coming into contention at the ideal time. Eriksson was in Germany last night to watch Owen Hargreaves trying to help Bayern Munich towards the double in a match with Stuttgart. After injury, he has again become a regular for his club, often in the midfield holding position which preoccupies Eriksson.

[Lee W]

Spare us Sven FFS.

 

[ozziecazzie]

What a master stroke!

How must the others feel over desperate Sven's pleadings?

.... bit inadequate, to say the least.

Sven, the master of psychology; pathetic.

[Guest Sabre]

What a total idiot

 

I enjoyed one ITV News question last night:

 

"Can England still win the World Cup without Rooney?"

 

No, you dicks. We won't win it with him either.

[Bailo]

I find SGE's style of man management laughable. The desperation would be funny if it wasn't so incomprehensibly misplaced.

[Owen1978]

Im suprised the english media & sven havent put back the start of the world cup by a month!

[Gravy]

Im suprised the english media & sven havent put back the start of the world cup by a month!

 

Rooney still wouldn't be fit in time even if they did.

[sutty]

This is good news.

 

I'm now supporting England in the hope his return from injury knocks him out of the mancs opening games.

[Gravy]

I want England to win the WC as I support England. It would be like when we won the Rugby WC x 50.

 

Plus, imagine the down in the mouth miserable gets on here if England did win it.

 

Miserable bar stewards the lot of you.

[sutty]

I want England to win the WC as I support England. It would be like when we won the Rugby WC x 50.

 

Plus, imagine the down in the mouth miserable gets on here if England did win it.

 

Miserable bar stewards the lot of you.

 

 

Kinell Gravy, you are a right whinging miserable b*****d at the best of times. That's why murph drinks so much.

[Gravy]

Kinell Gravy, you are a right whinging miserable b*****d at the best of times. That's why murph drinks so much.

 

Well it certainly isn't coz you're buying him the drinks.

[Owen1978]

I want England to win the WC as I support England. It would be like when we won the Rugby WC x 50.

 

Your right!, imagine all drunken bints, it will be shag fest!

[IgPig]

Sven's a nutter.

 

Always remember reading a book about Shanks, where various players basically said if you were injured you might as well be dead as far as Shanks was concerned.

 

Sven needs to forget about Rooney, decide what he's going to do instead, and concentrate on making sure the rest of them don't use his absence as an excuse.