Manchester United and England Captain Wayne Rooney has shot down reports that the England National Team Players were in revolt against Manager Roy Hodgson. Reports suggested some players were upset about personnel decisions and the inexplicable move of including Raheem Sterling in the starting XI against Iceland, a disastrous match that saw Three Lions eliminated from the 2016 European Championships.
(Sterling had been so bad at the Euros that England fans started a petition to bring him home).
Rooney publicly denounced claims of a player mutiny.
“In response to the recent media reports, I’d like to say that [suggestions senior players lost faith in manager Roy Hodgson are] completely untrue,” Rooney said.
“On behalf of the players, we completely supported the England manager but we understand his reasons for stepping down.
“We had absolute faith in the build-up and throughout the tournament.”
Whether or not Rooney is telling it like it is, and whether or not you find his statements believable, it’s undeniable that yesterday was one of the biggest upsets in football history, and a total calamity for England. Roy Hodgson, out of contract at the end of the season, immediately stepped down following the game.
It was obvious that he would not have been retained had he stayed on.
Hodgson made some boneheaded decisions last night, with Sterling and waiting until the 85′ to bring Marcus Rashford obviously at the top of the list. Ultimately, the buck stops with him, but there’s so much blame to be spread all around to so many people here. England is notorious for their “50 years of hurt”, which has seen incessant choking on the international stage, but this was a new low even for them.
It was a total team “effort” in failure; so much blame to be spread around to so many. Rooney says there was no player revolt, but a mutiny does explain why such a clueless calamity occurred, in which the whole side was thoroughly thrashed by a minnow side boasting just a fraction of the talent that they possess.
Hard to figure out where Rooney and England go after bottoming out here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
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