Some thoughts on England's performance in the World Cup

I've been waiting to do this and was even thinking of not doing but as someone who had a coaching badge and was a member of the FA's Coaching Association until both expired (because I refused to pay for the CRB checks they required when I already had them for another organisation) I just wanted to have my own little rant after hearing the comments on the BBC this evening relating to grass routes etc.

For me the issue to explain this World Cup performance was largely down to one factor and that was the insistence of playing Wayne Rooney.

Harsh but the problem in the Italy game was Wayne on the left which, even with the cross, isn't his position.

Rooney was played (according to some) because he is the teams talisman but if the tag is true (and that, for me, is another debate, especially in light of this seasons performances for United) then why was the 'talisman' not played in his preferred role with the rest of the team then built around him like all others?

We're we really saying that our best person for the left was / is Wayne? And if yes why then was the 'talisman' then played out of position against Uruguay?

The answer  for me was that we didn't against Italy, 'we' accommodated a player just to have him in the team, when, even with all the ability that Wayne has, his performances simply didn't merit it and, perhaps even worse then that, we had players who could do a better job but were ignored.

The positives of good players coming through can be accepted, especially Raheem Sterling but it will be hard to judge the consequence of shifting him to accommodate Wayne, despite playing so well against Italy, could have.

Fingers crossed, with him being young and hopefully just so desperate to play that he will play anywhere there will be no effect on Raheem but I do have concerns about what accommodating has and if we can't see the dangers of doing it then it will be that issue, not how the game is played at a grass routes level, that will be our problem in future competitions.

Silly errors, woeful tactics etc. can all be overcome, even during competitions, but accommodating players is a mindset that we must change.