In October 2006 Steve McClaren split up an England strike partnership that had yielded seven goals in three games. The opposition might only have been Greece, Andorra and Macedonia but this was still a productive pairing when measured in terms of results and goals scored - surely the only sensible criteria to judge any strike partnership.
That strike partnership was Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe - a classic 'big man, little man' combo that was inarguably effective. But Wayne Rooney was available again and Defoe was dropped, with McClaren presumably reasoning that Wayne Rooney was the better player. Thanks Jermain, but back to the bench you go.
What followed was a five-match streak without a win for England as they drew at home to Macedonia and lost away in Croatia with that inspired 3-5-2 formation. Oh and Crouch playing up front alonside a misfiring Rooney, showing little sign that they were on the same planet, never mind the same wavelength.
And just as Michael Owen would prefer to play with Emile Heskey over Rooney, it was abundantly clear that Crouch would have preferred to play with Defoe. These quotes from Crouch tell you all you need to know:
"I really enjoy playing with Jermain. I did it at under-18 and under-21 level for England, so it is good to have the opportunity to work with him at senior level too.
"We all know he is a top-class player and if he gets the chances, he will take them. I know his game, he knows mine and overall, we complement each other really well."
Those are not wishy-washy 'me and Steve should work well together because we are top-class players' sentiments, but quotes from a player who knows when he has found a partnership that works. McClaren may not have been paying attention, but Harry Redknapp clearly was - less than two years later he is on the verge of re-uniting them at club level at Portsmouth.
I'm by no means Redknapp's biggest fan, but I give him credit for realising what McClaren could never fathom - that a successful partnership is worth more than two world-class individuals working way out of sync.
Hopefully, Fabio Capello will also be taking note of events off the Big Four radar. I for one would rather have an England strike partnership of an unfashionable but scoring Crouch-Defoe than the reputation-stacked but misfiring Rooney-Owen combination.
Sarah Winterburn
Your Comments
Fatty
"gimzy - I agree with you if it fails but nobody ever bemoans the fact that Jimmy Greaves didn't play in the '66 WC Final... Then again, this is England we're talking about. Of course it will fail. A case of damned if you do, damned if you don't."
chelseablue
"I would like to point out that the defender who regularly hacks the ball 70 yards up the pitch to Crouch is actually Rio Ferdinand, Terry only ever hacks the ball if he is making a clearance. "
mike_christie
"The shocking thing about most top international teams is the genuine top-quality players that don't make it into the team because no matter how good they are they don't fit into the team plan. In England we seem to take this view that if you just chuck the best 11 players out on the pitch it will work. That way we end up with partnerships and teams that just don't work. Lampard and Gerrard would seem to have proved conclusively over a good number of years that no matter how good they may be for their clubs, as a pairing in a 4-4-2 they just don't work. Rooney is an essential part of United's gameplan with his industry, strength and no little skill complementing the players around him. This doesn't necessarily mean he should be a shoe-in for England if his style and attributes don't complement those around him. My only fear with the idea of any England team featuring Peter Crouch or any other big striker is that talentless hacks like Terry will see this as a signal to hoof the ball 70 yards upfield at every opportunity."
Ezy_Rider
"Hang on, if we're saying Rooney is overrated - which he certainly is, to some extent - then we cannot under any circumstances turn round and recommend Jermain Defoe to replace him in the England side. Rooney's hype makes him out to be world class, Defoe's make him out to be a reasonable prem striker and he's barely that. Goes missing far too often, doesn't really create anything and doesn't get into good positions often enough. Granted, there are plenty of strikers like this, but if those strikers are scoring a goal from every other chance they get, then you can afford to make allowances in the side; having 10 players do the work of 11 to make room for Defoe is not going to yield enough reward"
tdcollins1974
"I'm a United fan and I couldn't give a toss if Rooney plays as long as England are winning. I firmly fit into the camp of it's either Gerrard or Lampard but not both and that goes for everywhere else on the pitch too. If Crouch and Defoe works but Rooney and whoever doesn't we go with Crouch and Defoe. I'd like to see how they do in The Premiership this season but I suspect Crouch going down to Pompey is going to do both their England chances no harm at all."
gimzy
"Budner...I totally agree. There will be murderous rage from English fans if Rooney were ever left out of the team be it for reasons suggested by Sarah. The unfortunate coach who has the balls to carry out this idea will be chewed, spat out and flushed down the gutters. "
ajsr1982
"It's a tough one. You could argue that you get more out of Gerrard and Owen/Defoe by playing Crouch up there, but no doubt Rooney is a very good footballer, even if he is a bit over-hyped in certain quarters. He can't play with Crouch, that's for sure, as both players like to come deep to receive the ball. I think the problem with Rooney is getting him to actually play one role. He appears to want to do too much at times, and can often either crowd areas of the pitch, getting in the way of the likes of Joe Cole/Lampard/Gerrard, or, he gets himself isolated. Ferguson has this problem sorted at United, as when Rooney comes out of the middle, Ronaldo comes inside, or whoever else might be playing.. their front four are interchangeable. Do England have the capacity to play that way? Perhaps not, and if not, is Rooney a hinderance or a help? "
Mutid
"Crouch is a top player ignored by way too many because he is a LANKY FREAK. Good luck to him at Pompey. Comparing Rooney to Dirk Kuyt is a touch ironic as it is Rafa's belief in this headless chicken which has kept Crouch out of the Liverpool side and hence on the England fringes. Rooney is a fantastic player who is completely and utterly willing to play to the game plan set out by his genius manager - hence his tasty haul of medals at such a tender age. United's choice of strikers isn't about Golden Boots or This Year's Flavour; it's about free-flowing, difficult to contain selfless attacking, and that's Rooney & Tevez with their hard won CL medal to proove it. I watch United and I see great things and I wouldn't swap a single first team player for Dirk Kuyt (except maybe Van Der Sar when he's flapping like a nervous newbie). It's not Rooney's fault that England can't play like United. That said, if Defoe and Crouch are banging them in, I'd be more than happy for Rooney to take a nice break during International weeks."
PCPOnline
"Being a United fan I need to state that Rooney seems to thrive when playing with a mobile bigger strike partner. If you look at all the times he has been prolific it was when RVN was doing well or when Loius Saha was doing well. Then compare that with when he is playing with Carlos Tevez or Old Man Owen, he is not that good. Rooney needs clear cut chances to score, this means he needs a strike partner that can take players away from the goal mouth. If you are a ManUtd fan just think how many times Rooney gets one-on-one chances with the keeper and fails to burry them. The man can play football, he has the vision of a surgeon, but unfortunately the finishing prowess of Andy Cole. So to sum up people would be insensed because they know Rooney can see oportunities that neither Crouch nor Defoe can fathom, but if you have a good playmaker then Rooney is a useless finisher."
geo1978
"Rooney=the English Dirk Kuyt. Why does no one see this? Rooney had talent when he was 16, but he spunked it all up that granny. Now, he's no more than a workhorse. I honestly cannot ever remember exclaiming 'wow' at anything positive he has done. Drop him from the first XI, but use him sparingly as a sub to bully the ref/the opposition."
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