He ****s up one corner, and all of a sudden he can't take a corner full stop. Jeez, it's this sort of lazy sensationalist hyoperbole (rubbishing a player based on one kick in 95 minutes of football) that really ****es me off about England fans (in the loosest term). Why is it as fans we are never happy unless we have a scapegoat.
Rooney is our most talented player, unless you play him out of position, which is what happened Saturday night. But rather than see that Rooney was playing out of position, people (I'm not calling them fans anymore) see it as an opportunity to snipe at him. And yet out of position he still had a more positive impact on the team than any other midfielder employed to create chances did, that the same fans are prasing to the high heavens.
We are the only nation that doesn't build around our best player. You wouldn't see Italy playing Balotelli out of position to accomodate Immobile on the back of one good season, because they know what the player is capable of, what he brings to the team, and the lift he gives the players around him with the confidence they get from playing with him; and the fans get behind him too. We shoot our players down before they've kicked a ball, and revell in every mistake they make. Then bemoan the whole squad because they didn't perform, despite bitching about them the whole time. It's counter productive, depressing and quite frankly pathetic.
Why is there not a thread on the Midfield pairing's inability to pick up players on the edge of the box, especially during set pieces, as this was far more costly. Or why Henderson didn't move out to support Baines, who was constantly outnumbered two to one, a job the much maligned Milner (another easy target for the lazy critic) would of performed excellently, and would of allowed Baines to actually utilise the attacking element of his game, which also would of provided Rooney some support, giving hime more of an opportunity to impact the game. Both of these actions ultimately cost us the goals which cost us the game. But it's far too easy and fashionable to lazily attack Rooney.
This is rant directed England fans as a whole, rather than just yourself, but it was your original comment that frustrated me into the rant.