Source: Team_Talk
Rooney: Should he stay or should he go?
TEAMtalk guest blogger Adam Bate cuts through the hysteria surrounding Wayne Rooney's Euro 2012 ban and finds a place for England's maverick.[LNB] The last week has surely confirmed what we all knew already - Wayne Rooney is the most divisive figure in English football.[LNB]Wading through the views of journalists, ex-pros and - of course - the TEAMtalk Your Say boards, there appears to be no real consensus of opinion.[LNB]While Harry Redknapp and Alan Shearer have been quick to rubbish suggestions that England's star man should stay at home for Euro 2012, others are calling for Fabio Capello to write him off as a talented liability.[LNB]Motormouth Stan Collymore and World Cup winner George Cohen believe Rooney should be dumped from the squad and seem to have the public on their side.[LNB]At the time of writing, a Sky Sports poll suggests 68% do not want Rooney selected for England.[LNB]And it would seem it's not just Rooney's future that's under threat, but also his past. Brian Woolnough, chief sports writer at the Daily Star, says: "Rooney has never made an impact at a major tournament."[LNB]Now I'm sure the player has long since come to terms with England's failure to win Euro 2004, but he might be surprised to learn his four goals at the championships seem to have been scrubbed from the record books too.[LNB]But, even with more than seven months to go until the tournament, this sort of hysteria comes with the territory where Rooney and England are concerned.[LNB]A quick reality check suggests Rooney can be accommodated in the 23-man squad without restricting Capello's options too much.[LNB]The Italian coach may wish to consult his compatriot Carlo Ancelotti, who used a grand total of 23 different players in his starting line-up during the course of winning a 38-game Premier League in 2009-10.[LNB]Capello might also take note that England have used no more than 19 players in each of the last three World Cups - safely negotiating the group stages on every one of these occasions.[LNB]And the last time England appeared in a European Championships back in 2004, they fielded just 17 different players before being eliminated on penalties by hosts Portugal in the quarter-finals.[LNB]The identity of the unused outfield players at these tournaments could provide a clue as to where the England coach might be able to find room for Rooney.[LNB]In 2002, Sven-Goran Eriksson took Wes Brown, Gareth Southgate and Martin Keown to the World Cup and - despite reaching the quarter finals - the three defenders did not play a single minute between them.[LNB]Given these lessons from history, one of the key assets at Capello's disposal will surely be the flexibility of his players. [LNB]Chris Smalling and Phil Jones both have the ability to operate at full-back or in the centre of defence - even allowing the England coach to entertain the idea of going to Euro 2012 without an out-and-out right-back.[LNB]Elsewhere, Capello may be persuaded that players such as Stewart Downing, James Milner and Ashley Young are also capable of filling a variety of roles across the midfield and forward positions.[LNB]England certainly have plenty of time left to find a solution and Capello will have a clearer picture once the group opponents have been revealed.[LNB]But whatever the result of that draw, the eventual decision will surely be the same.[LNB]If England can get through their group, Rooney would be a vital addition for the knockout stages. If England cannot negotiate the group with a 22-man squad, the issue is academic anyway.[LNB]Until then, with every triumph and with every failure, debate will rage and views will polarise - and Wayne Rooney will continue to divide opinion like no other player.[LNB]Follow Adam on Twitter at @ghostgoal and check out his blog at GhostGoal.
