1 Jul 2012

"It's unfair!" - Steven Gerrard explains why Wayne Rooney is not World Class...

In my view, it's painfully obvious that England have no World Class players, but if you believe the gross exaggeration and hyperbole of the British Press, players like Wayne Rooney are World Class superstars, capable of amazing feats of footballing genius at the highest levels of the game. Well, Euro 2012 emphatically debunked that laughable assertion once again, and in the process of defending Rooney's latest England failure , Steven Gerrard inadvertently explained just why the Manchester United striker is NOT World Class.

In an England press conference yesterday, Gerrard defended Rooney's poor form at Euro 2012, arguing:

"At this level one of the biggest things is playing without expectation or fear. Since he's been around, there's been pressure because of his performances, and it is only normal if Wayne is weighed down with that feeling of expectation because everyone expects him to do well"

Gerrard's view perfectly captures the reasons why Rooney is not World Class:

* World Class footballers (WCFs) are not weighed down by the pressure of performing at the highest level. They thrive on the pressure, and have the mental strength to rise above the intense expectation.

* The ability to perform, influence and dominate games at international tournaments is what separates WFCs from every other footballer.

* The fact that Gerrard believes it's 'normal' for alleged World Class players to repeatedly buckle under the pressure is illuminating in and of itself. That just doesn't happen to the true greats of football, which is why they are worthy of being labelled World Class.

International tournament football is the highest level of football because it requires the strongest mentality. Players carry the hopes of an entire nation on their shoulders, which inevitably means the pressure and expectation is inarguably greater than that associated with domestic/European football.

As such, to truly be one of the best in the world, a World Class mentality is required, and Rooney just doesn't have that, and neither does any other England player. Italy's Andrea Pirlo is a prime example of a WCF at Euro 2012:

* Pirlo plays without fear and it's clear that he has the utmost confidence is his ability to positively influence games.

* He dominates games for Italy, as evidenced by his peerless performances at Euro 2012, especially against England, where he made Gerrard and Parker look like amateurs. And it's not only this tournament; Pirlo also played a major part in pushing Italy to become World Cup winners in 2006 (as well as inspiring Juventus to the Serie A title last season)

* Pirlo's penalty against England is perfect example of World Class mentality in action. Italy were 2-1 down in the shootout; the hopes and dreams of an entire nation were on his shoulders; he had to score, as a miss would've lifted England's players, and probably would've led to elimination. With zen-like calmness and nerves of steel, Pirlo nonchalantly chipped the ball into the net as if he was practicing on the training ground, and consequently inspired Italy to victory.

It's this kind of mentality that the Rooneys of the world lack, and with that in mind, it's no surprise at all that England have failed in so many penalty shootouts over the years. Bill Shankly perfectly encapsulated the mentality required of WCFs when he said:

"A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe that you are the best and then make sure that you are"

Only the true greats of World Football can do this at the highest level, and until the likes of Rooney, Gerrard et al dominate games at International tournaments, they can never legitimately be considered to be World Class (In my humble opinion).

See also: World Class Football Performance: A New Definition

Jaimie Kanwar


55 comments:

  1. WCFs wtf !!
    Every Player has a bad day or too
    Messi also fails for Argentina
    So Please Dont be so judgemental

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  2. Rooney has failed at countless tournaments, and the same applies to ironically lauded 'golden generation'.  Messi doesn't deserve to be put on the same levels as the likes of Maradona until he's had a major impact at a major international tournament for Argentina. It's not just about ability; as I said, it's also about mentality.

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  3. sad...this was one of the most biased article of yours.. gerrard did not perform anywhere near the likes of pirlo or rossi are u telling me gerrard is not a world class player?? has he ever performed for england like he does for liverpool?? I'm telling u this cause I'm a manutd fan and not a crazy one who thinks players suck just because they play for liverpool..i used to love the way gerrard plays and not only him but also suarez no matter how shameful his behaviour is...i have read some of your articles and found them sensible but this just disappoints me

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  4. Perhaps you should read the article properly; in the final paragraph I argue that Gerrard is not world class.

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  5. The article is 100% spot on. You are forgetting, by his standards Gerrard WAS world class, a few years back but was poor by his standards last season for club . So YES Gerrard is NOT world class. Its clear for everyone to see that he is not the same as before. Just because a player was World Class in previous years that doesnt mean he STAYS world class for ever. Facts are facts. If Englamd had world class players they would actually win something , The Facts show they are not world class. Accept the obvious.Enough of this "England are world class2 crap until they WIN something.  

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  6. Your opinions as usual have the depth of a licked plate........England always have problems with these competitions because of the weather and lack of acclimatisation, not enough time to prepare etc.

    Your still a boreon

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  7. Utter tosh. You, Sir, are a nob.

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  8. so in your view players like shearer luis figo christiano ronaldo scholes ballack raul nedved sneijder are not world class players! lol

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  9. Gerrard has had a great career, and his efforts have led our club to glorious victories, sometimes out of despair. Yes he hasn't performed to that standard for England, but Gerrard consistently over the past 10 years delivered when it matters most for Liverpool. Yes, he struggles to do the same now, but can do on occassion. You state that a World Class Player must have confidence in his ability. Gerrard has this, and he is brilliant under pressure like Pirlo(scored his penalty in the Italy shootout, must be remembered). The only reason Gerrard wont be remembered as an England great is because he failed to win the World Cup. This blame cannot be thrust on him alone, as countless other England teams have failed to reach the '66 win. Gerrard has served Liverpool as well as any other Red, past or present, and I'm willing to bet future also. He proved his confidence in his ability when deciding to stay and reject Chelsea(where he would almost certainly have won the title). He had confidence that he could realise his ambitions at the club he loves, and only two strikes from an Italian teenager who decended into obscurity soon after denied him. He is world-class imo, but Rooney still has to prove so(in that sense i agree with you).

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  10. You really are talking soup here Jaimie lad. "Messi doesn't deserve to be put on the same levels as Maradona ....." He is currently one of the best players in the world without a shadow of a doubt and has a great mentality. Have you ever played football?

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  11. You have your view, I have mine. Is that okay with you?





    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: "It's unfair!" - Steven Gerrard explains why Wayne Rooney is not World Class... | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  12. You totally misunderstand my view. I've outlined my definition of world class in a different article. If you read that article you should be able to figure out if I think the players you mention are world class

    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: "It's unfair!" - Steven Gerrard explains why Wayne Rooney is not World Class... | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  13. We all have our opinions. Please write an article discussing your views on Messi and see the comments you receive! To repeat, "Have you ever played football?"  

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  14. Wonderful! Facts and opinions. Like fish in the water. See them when you look and see them disappear when you look too hard.

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  15. Get off your high horse already! You don't need to have played football to understand it; the very idea is ridiculous (and yes, I have played football to a decent level). Using your logic, no one in the world could ever have an opinion about anything unless it was based on experience. If that was the case then human beings would have a terrible understanding of history. After all, how can people alive today have a view on the America Civil War if they didn't fight in that conflict?

    You and others who share your view are constantly trying to intellectualise football, and that only an elite few who've played the game have the ability to understand how it works. Utter nonsense.

    Cardio-thoracic surgery is difficult; Quantum Entanglement theory is difficult; football is not. Football is simplicity itself, and understanding football is easy, despite what you and others say.

    I will be writing about Messi as part of my upcoming 'World Class' series, and people will inevitably disagree with my views, but that's fine - people are entitled to disagree, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

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  16.  Gerrard is a great player but he isn't world class...world class is zidane,marradonna,cruyff , etc...to many players are labelled world class and they arnt ...would gerrard get in the current spain team or the world cup winning french team ...world class players walk into any team in history

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  17. Typical, put the blame on Rooney for the Poor overall England performance. What about the manager then (ex-Liverpool), who was only given the job as he's a Yes man, what about his tactics. Henderson coming on "to do what?", but try and get the Liverpool fans back on board (How many Liverpool players made the England squad? A team that finished mid-table!)
    Get a grip bin-dippers and accept it was the team that was poor.

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  18. I agree with this article 100%, British media hyperbole is largely based on the delusion that because a few players ala Gerrard & Rooney excel in the premiership & in Europe this form can be extrapolated onto the world stage. Truth is Gerrard was world class, but unfortunately age is catching up with him & his influence even on LFC has wained. But in years gone by he has been a bright spark for England amongst a very mediocre bunch.

    As for Rooney, whilst I agree that he is a great player, he cannot be considered in the same category as Ronaldo, Iniesta, Xavi etc He is certainly not world class because he doesn't show up in major tournaments.

    My belief is that English football needs restructuring with regards to its philosophy, we also need to think long & hard about how we nurture our bright talents-e.g Adam Johnson. We select the likes of Milner & Downing ahead of him because of their work ethic whilst we negate flair & freedom of expression! This British quota idea is very necessary if we are to unearth truly world class players.

    By the way, behind Gerrard, Gazza was our last world class player!

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  19. The Stupid is very strong in this article.

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  20. Get off your bar stool already! Thanks for biting. A great days' fishing. Pity your opinions count for diddly squat kid. Decent level so you say. Asif Kanwar... You're are just proving now that you're full of shiite!

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  21. I agree with u Jamie 100%. Tonite we saw world class players all over the pitch.British players r massively overrated. Till we get rid of some crap we have at Liverpool we'll never get into top four. Watching three ex reds tonite in Alonso, Torres and Arbeloa shows how low the mighty reds have fallen.

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  22. Lol about Messi. If you DON'T think that Messi would have dominated the world if he was around in Maradona's day then I don't know if there is any help for you. He has far FAR more to his game then Maradona did. Maradona's winning world cup team had solid defense and a good team around him. He actually didn't do much in that final. Messi is instrumental in every game he plays. He isn't helped by the fact that he plays for a team of strikers, or has the worst keeper in international football history.

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  23. You missed the point Jamie, he's saying Gerrard is world class and he is. The reason none of our 'world class' players don't seem to be world class at the international tournaments is because they never bond well as a team.

    Gerrard and Rooney have both won the champions league, beating off teams who all have 5 star international players, including pirlo, ronaldo and messi. So for you to say neither are world class is absolute nonsense.

    I know you have your opinion but sometimes I feel your articles are too over criticle and that you feed off of putting down the players that have served their club fantastically. Yes they don't 'always' perform at their best for country but it doesn't strip them of world class status.

    Don't be so negative Jamie. Your articles are well informed and I enjoy reading them, but I do feel your negativity is sometimes overpowering and off putting.

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  24. if i was in good pawer i wil defo kick out same english player in the country dogy fuckn twat they make me sick.......... i have respect for same 

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  25. I wouldn't hold Gerrards performances in the last 2 tournaments as proof he isnt world class. He was Englands best player in bith despite not being helped by his managers. Hes played either out of position or in an out numbered midfield or both.

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  26. simply, put, rooney is a world class footballer. This is just a view of a liverpool fan.

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  27. just watched some world class football,spain crushed the italians Yessss.enjoyed watching some past lfc players,finally understand why they opted out,every one of them spanish players where on the same wave length,now thats a team.Did balotelli lose his dummy.Classic!!!

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  28. you outlined your definition of world class in a different article maybe, but not this one!! Jaimie, my friend, people are often fickle and sometimes you need to really explain everything over and over again to them. I'm with you by they way on the whole Gerrard debate, he was superb, he's lost i now but no way is Rooney is world class, he just doesn't do it enough for me. Messi i can get on board with because he does it time and time again with his club but unfortunately his country as a footballing country are not a great team either, their living off messi and, simple as.

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  29. all of u are not getting the pont. football is about a team playing cohesively together. in my opinion roy hodgson had got his team selection wrong. Scott parker adn gerrard were overwhelmed in the game against italy. they cant see much of the the ball, how do u expect rooney to score or create chances when he does not get the ball, or have an understanding with the movement of the other players, they are running into spaces and giving the ball away needlessly. I think the liverpool players are a big let down'and of course rooney did not dhow up perhaps

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  30. "England have no world class players"

    Joe Hart, Ashley Cole, Stephen Gerrard. All are world class players. Simple as.

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  31. LOL the biggest troll on the internet is Jaimie, got to give him some credit for it.

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  32. In fact I believe Jamie is right. Messi is arguably the greatest football talent on earth but he can't be lauded as world class until he dominates the international stage. He was quite poor at the world cup and is impact for argentinca does not rival Maradona's yet

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  33. Damn, this argument seems to go on forever.
    "Form is temporary, class is forever"

    I really can't give a damn if Gerrard or Rooney is considered world class or not. As far as I'm concerned, the whole England team is shit. You could put Messi and Ronaldo in there and they'll still be shit. Last night Spain showed the world they are the undisputed pass masters. The truth is, if the entire England team were Spanish, they'll still won't make the Spanish bench. Did you see the sheer quality of the Spanish bench. If the entire Spanish bench were to play instead, they'll still outpass the English team.

    Football is an art and beauty is subjective. What one considers  world class, others might just see as ordinary. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Class in this instance is subjective.

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  34. After watching Spain crush Italy, It is obvious they are a world class team. The teamwork and movement of the ball is world class. Football is a team sport. A moment of brilliance in a game does not make a player world class. Consistent display of brilliance is what makes a player true world class. Cassilas for example put in a world class performance today.

    Rooney can only play for ManU and Fergie. SG is not the player he was and should retire from International duty and concentrate on LFC.

    England, sad to say are years away from winning anything. 

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  35. Rooney will never be World Class!!!

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  36. leghumpingjihadkiller6:21 am, July 02, 2012

    This whole article is rubbish.   You take 2 sentences from Steven
    Gerrard and base your entire piece around your failed reading
    comprehension.  Then you give it a sensationalist headline and wait
    around for the hits to your rubbish website.

    Headlines from stories about the same quote from Gerrard include:
    Gerrard offers Rooney backing (Setanta)
    Gerrard defends under-fire Rooney (ITV News)
    Gerrard: Unfair expectation on Rooney (ESPN UK)
    Don't blame Wayne (Loughborough Echo)
    Gerrard: Don't blame Wayne (Thurrock Gazette)
    Gerrard - Don't blame Rooney (Sky Sports)
    Steven Gerrard defends Wayne Rooney and blasts Jamie Carragher (Daily Mail)

    To
    blame Wayne for England's early exit isn't even remotely correct. 
    Steven Gerrard was doing a pretty good job of distributing the ball in
    the first two games, but then disappeared against Sweden and Italy.  As a
    matter of fact, it seemed like there was a big gaping hole in midfield
    where some link up play should have been happening.  How about the fact
    that Roy Hodgson only had a month to sort the squad out since a) Fabio
    Capello ran back to Italy with his tail between his legs and b) the FA
    drug out hiring a replacement.  Frankly, that might have also cost Harry
    Redknapp his job at Spurs.

    Anyhow, I hope you get lots of
    clicks, but this article is rubbish and I imagine the rest of the site
    is rubbish, so no more clicks from me.

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  37. Even Carroll looks better than Rooney

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  38. Gerrard won't ever be world class too.
    Rooney should just contend with helping ManUtd battle Citeh for the premiership and the ECL while Gerrard just contend with the odd League Cup and FA Cup.

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  39. When did Rooney ever win a final???, Gerrard has won several.......................World Class and Englands only top player!!!

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  40. Mancs trophyless.........................Rooney poor!!!

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  41. Never_walk_wid_a_trophy_either8:05 am, July 02, 2012

    "*World Class Footballers (WCFs)......... what separates WFCs" Trust a Loosertool fan to sound serious and idiotic at the same time. WTF does WFCs mean.... Who F***ing Cares? Typical finding the only exciting thing going on in your fan blogs to be whining about Man Utd, as opposed to talking of how exciting it will be next season in CL with new quality signings. Rooney may not be world class according to your 'very high standards', but he's won about four times as many Premier League titles than Gerrard or any other current Liverpool player! Or maybe you'd like him to not win anything significant for a decade to get to your level of 'WFCs'! Go drink some soup! 

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  42. Rooney is a team player.  Players like Messi and Ronaldo are individuals who take take on 3 or 4 players and score.  Rooney needs a team around him.  Utd have better players than England.  If Rooney played for Spain or Italy you would have no problem saying he was world class.

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  43. Never_walk_wid_a_trophy_either8:13 am, July 02, 2012

    Oh... I got it...WFCs => Will Fernando(Torres) Come-back! No he won't! 

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  44. Did Rooney play bad? hell no. He was very good. The problem with England is not with the players but with the Media. Rooney and Terry performed far better than others given that England was defending 90 minutes. Attack then Roo will show you how to score. Defend then Terry was better than anybody that day. For God's sake, you England media are talking crap. Please stop criticizing and start motivating players if you need result.

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  45. So by that measure any old fan could be a successful manager? A manager's job is very much all about understanding the game so if that's so absurdly simple then why do we have these much-heralded tactical mastermind's at the top the game? Are they just average blokes who get lucky? Does their accumulated knowledge, skills and instinct for the game mean nothing?

    I suspect instead that what you mean is that football CAN be simplicity itself. That is CAN be understood and enjoyed at a very simple level. Of course that is true, it's why it's such a loved game all over the planet. We can all choose to enjoy football as simply as we like and that means we can all talk about it at great length. 
    However that doesn't translate to also mean that football can't also be complex and technical and, by that measure, difficult to understand at certain levels. There is no chance that the average fan could sit down with a competent technical manager and talk knowledgeably about how to construct and control a game. Otherwise they would be no different and someone like Arsene Wenger would be no better than some bloke down the pub. Of course they can share certain ideas and have a common understanding but after an hour or so of interesting chat you'd find even yourself unable to keep up with the extraordinary depth of knowledge a true student of the game actual has at their disposal. 

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  46. u said "he is currently one the best players in the world". however, maradona is the all time best player in the world. if u arguing with someone its better to think first before wright.

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  47. Shearer, Scholes?

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  48. Rooney will never make it into the Spanish reserves. Rooney is "No Class"

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  49. Are we talking about the same Gerrard that can't get Liverpool to even a CL spot?

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  50. We're talking about the overpriced flop, Caroll? I agree his hair looks better than Rooney. Goal ratio...major disappointment.

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  51. jaimie k have the point. maradona successive for his Argentina and his club, while messi only at the club. So you want to say messi is same level as maradona?NO. BUT, he have that potential.

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  52. If you believed the english press England were no hopers at the start of the tournament then they became World Class before the Italy game. All England players underperformed in that match (including Gerrard).
    In all honesty England are a decent Team wthin the top 10 in Europe but well short of being in the top four. Kinda like Liverpool in the premiership wouldnt you say. 

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  53. Just thinking!!What about asking Donald trump,Bill gates,or oprah if they would consider,say,putting us on their xmas wish list,then maybe we would have a shot at putting a team together.ynwa.

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  54. Actually, i don't know how long you Been reading this site, but, since his readership has steadily increased, Jaimie has rounded off some of the more rough edges that used to exist in his writing.
    That 'overpowering' and'off putting' negativity used to put me off too, then there was a subtle change, you blink, you miss it, but, it was there.
    Not sure if it coincided with the fresh approach our club has taken or if it was down to a natural evolution in writing and presentation, either way it's better and more conducive to debate without taking away the needed bite; that 'thing' that gets people emotional enough to want to give their two pennies worth.
    Anyway......that was my two pennies worth.;-)

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