What?! So he was responsible for picking and choosing what club games he played in? I mean, what are you saying that he did, that he shouldn't have done? Was he bingeing on pot noodles every day? Come on, what did he do wrong? An extra week off isn't going to make any difference. Lampard was knackered after a long and hard season, and should've been dropped. That was the manager's fault. Good one with Rooney visiting the prostitute, keep the moral indignation coming! You start off by saying that Lampard will make a packet out of his autobiography, then conclude by saying you hope the public boycott it. But I agree that it must have been disappointing for fans to pay so much money to watch a load of bilge, for this, blame the manager. Other than that, this part is a "footballers are in it for the money" diatribe, well blow me down, what a shocker! Try to look beyond the World Cup and see that he is a World class player who's played well for us in the past. But I don't think he should be captain either. Are you a sports scientist now or something?! It's down to the manager to get the players fit. It really is as simple as that. Players can voice their opinions, but at the end of the day, the manager's decision is final, otherwise the players are running the show and the manager is an on-looker. I've got half a mind to think this is sexual jealousy on your part. Reacting when a camera was on them? Like no-one else in the crowd does that! Does that make all fans publicity-seeking trollops?! How do you know that they were burning holes in the player's credit cards? Probably a lot of tehm were, but ("vacuous bimbo") Cheryl Tweedy was actually quoted in the press as saying she's never go shopping with her boyfriend's cards, and had her own credit cards. But I'd agree with the general point about player's wives staying away from the players. To summarise your post then: - Players are responsible for their own fitness, and should be telling the manager what training they should do. I would say that they are responsible for making sure that they don't do anything stupid like getting drunk or eating junk, and they should voice their opinions about training (how do you know that they didn't?) but other than that it's down to the manager. - Players are money-grabbing bar stools - so what else is new? - More stuff on players being responsible for their own fitness - see above - A load of Mary Whitehouse Victorian-throwback stuff, which I do actually agree with despite the way it's written. Now get back to the cellar Bob Cratchett and get on with filling out the ledger!

I don't know what experience you have of the working world, rover6, but I think you'll find that it is sometimes difficult to do a good job if your manager is useless. Why the hell are you comparing the player voted second-best in the World with some Norwegian geezer who has vanished from sight? I think the opinions of teh former carry just a little more weight. Bottom line: Lampard is entitled to his views and I can't disagree with anything he's said. The fact that he has had a bad tournament doesn't in any way invalidate what he's said.

Don't be a lemon all your life. You're telling me seriously that Lampard can't criticise the Ikea Egghead because he was a regular under him? That's like saying I can't criticise the company I work for as they keeping paying my wages. You've got some very funny ideas.

We'll get him back when he's 32 and his legs have gone.

Where did I say Newcastle were going to "do a Leeds"? The niceties of corporate finance are lost on me I admit, but I'm pretty much certain that if you weren't up to your necks in debt then the Intertonto wouldn't be necessary. Perhaps they're desperate to keep the income up in order just to service the debt? "How's Bellamy going?" - goodness, a little bit childish, eh?

Blimey, Keith Treacy played?! Maybe he will get a run out for us at the end of the season. I've liked the reports I've read of him, will watch out for his name.

Nice result in the intertoto mate. Prestigious competition that. of course being about £90m in debt, any prize money would be welcome, eh? Let's compare notes at the end of the season eh?

Maybe they'll sign other players and push themselves 9 figures into the red. Oh deary me, how the mighty have fallen ... I will be stunned if Newcastle do better than us this season. I'm quite pleased in a smug sort of way I know footballers want to play every week, but that's desperate. They only appointed Roeder because they were skint.

Superman is a Christian allegory, no it's not, it's about a Jew fleeing his homeland, oh no it isn't it's about a wolly woofter in tights being out-and-proud, but remaining defiantly non-scene when he puts his glasses on. Or is it just about a geezer who knocks ten bells out of the bad boys?

Is Deliverance some sort of allegory about Vietnam? Can't stand the appearance of the new Superman, looks way too camp to me. So he can go take his super-ass elsewhere. Rover6, when are you going to lighten up? You must be beating the birds off with a pooey stick. "Hey Rover6 bay-bee, tell me more of your scientific dissection of Blackburn Rovers in the nineteen nineties. It just makes me sooooooooooooooooo hot hot hot hot hot hot!"

He gets bored with winning everything and decides to take up swordfish wrestling instead? His wife insists he spends more time at home doing the washing up, and he can't juggle the demands of top-flight management with being up to his arms in fairy liquid? Someone throws a half-eaten wham bar at his head it gets stuck in his coiffure and he takes a 12-month sabbatical to get it surgically removed and get treated for PTSD?

Pig-sitter?

Playing the "blame game" is better than playing teh race card.

You have absolutely no way of knowing that. And in any case, the manager wouldn't let the players run the team. He may listen to what they have to say but isn't compelled to act on it.

Ah yes, so easily confused those two. Will remember it for the Africans showing they can play a bit; Argentina (who should have won the thing, to be fair) piddling all over a fairly-decent Sebian side; Brazil being complete no-hopers and Zazzoo Zazzooka dropping teh nut. Other than that, pretty much unmemerable, particularly the knock-out stage.

Trying to influence the manager's tactics by criticising him in public before the biggest tournament in the World? Now that is unprofessional in my book. Can't be bothered arguing anymore, let's just agree to disagree.

Neekoy, you've got some strange ideas about what "being professional" is. To me, being professional is being as prepared as you can be for a game, ready to give your all. Who cares about Steve bl00dy Mclaren. Owen is entitled to his views, and I think they are correct. Perhaps he wasn't asked about the penalty-taking, otherwise he would've criticised that as well. But then again if the tactics had been OK, penalties wouldn't have been necessary against Portugal. As for Manager's being fans, Eriksson wasn't even English so I have no idea what point you're trying to make. Owen's had his say and I was glad to hear it, because at least someone in the camp knew turnip Swede was doo-lally, so it's heartening to know for teh future. I don't think it's unprofessional in any way at all, and more power to his arm for speaking out.

Players aren't allowed to speak out at all, ever, about a manager? I just don't understand the logic. Michael Owen is only human, he did his best for his country, despite having to play for someone who through his own incompetence hampered England's chances of progress. Who wouldn't have been frustrated in those circumstances. Players are supporters too, why shouldn't they speak out after the event? Better that than to make things worse by refusing to play for the manager or rocking the boat while he is still in charge.

What??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps he would've had more chance of that had he been playing for a "proper" manager, rather than a platitude-spewing pocket-lining birch-spanking sauna-dwelling Nordic chancer. Owen has only said what we've all been thinking, and what the media has been stating throughout the whole World Cup anyway. I'm just glad he's spoken up and confirmed that at least someone in the England camp knows something about the game. And he certainly hasn't stabbed anyone in the back ... Svennis has done a good enough job of making the World Cup '06 his managerial valediction. It would take a monied brainless oaf to employ him now, no-one with any sense would employ such a clueless character. What are you talking about? Weeks ago? What, when the tournament began, he should have given interviews criticising the manager? Or before the tournament even? Don't talk twaddle. He was obviously wound up about Sven and for the good of the team waited until after the tournament to get it out of his system in public. Why should it be left to the fans? The players (hopefully) care as well, why shouldn't they have a go in public when it doesn't matter any more? if I had to endure the Swedish imposter's crazy tactics I'd be very frustrated as well. And I'd certainly well have my say.

Have been to Rotterdam. Apparently the outskirts are OK for a beer (didn't have enough time to check), but the centre ... flipping giblets batman, as boring as hell! The airport is a bit bigger than Blackpool's. some geezer emerges from a shed to transfer you to town ... The highlights are a bunch of square houses which look like stacked dice and a great big tower which you can go up and survey the boring boring boring landscape. And there's barely any pubs, just a couple of irish ones. You're better off staying in Amsterdam and training it on the day, think it takes 40 mins or so.

Speak for yourself Alan. Hargreaves has never done anything out of the ordinary for England before. I don't care if he plays for the Mars Select X1, before yesterday he was just Batty without the flair. Personally I would've played Gerrard up front with Rooney and played: Cole-Carrick-Hargreaves-Lennon in midfield. Have to agree with Revidge - 5 years of friendlies and sven still didn't have a clue what side or tactics to use. The team came first - which players were his mates and thus couldn't be dropped whatever; tactics were an after-thought.

Fair enough Matt, I don't mind the laughter. Sven is a tactical ar$e. I'm sorry, but he'd lose at Connect 4 to the bottom of the remedial class, it's that bad.

Nothing to do with the press. He will be hounded out of England, without a shadow of a doubt.

Sorry Rovermatt but you are up your own bum. When it's tournament time, you're like a catholic priest rushing through an orgy trying to stop fornication. "No! No! You have no chance of success!" If you don't agree I'm not surprised and not bothered, but you strike me as another self-satisfied lawyer.

You have a big problem with England, especially when there's a build-up to a competition, you're like a parent telling a kid Santa doesn't exist, rushing around to tell England supporters that really we're crap. "Semi-clever"? Oh please Matt, you're beginning to sound like a typical lawyer, completely up his own passage.