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Went off on a stretcher at Stamford Bridge, looked bad especially as the guy hardly ever stays down after a challenge, fingers crossed its nothing to serious!

Early indications show that the news is fairly optomistic apparently.

Good luck Wayne!

He looked buggered. Hope it's not too bad. Looked like he went over on it rather than cracking it against something. I'm no Doctor Nick though...

John Terry hobbling around the pitch for 40 mins didn't fill me with optimism for his World Cup fitness.

Lets hope that Owen and A. Cole have decent comebacks this weekend.

What happens if Owen and Rooney aren't fit? Two Meter Peter and Darren Bent? Ashton and Fowler?

On a positive note Joey Cole played damn well and seems to be liking that left-wing role. His goal was superbly taken, though Man Utd didn't exactly make it difficult for him. At least Neville, Ferdinand and Lampard finished withough getting themselves broken.

if he doesnt make the world cup we've no cunting chance of winning it

he's out for 6 weeks :(

http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=383387&CPID=219&clid=114&lid=4161&title=Rooney+out+for+six+weeks

6 weeks = 42 days.....world cup starts in 41 days.....shit that's close!
And with Terry & Owen struggling aswell oday.......hmmm not looking good at the moment.

That's it we are fucked.

No way Rooney will be ready, it's another Beckham scenario all over. He just won't be fit.

Owen looks fucked too.

So the giraffe and the dwarf up front. Fuck me we'll be lucky to get out the group stages

We may be screwed

Every world cup winning squad has a player which steps up a level and does unexpectedly ace. This just gives more players opertunities.

thats a nice sentiment but every team in the world needs a rooney, we haven't just lost beckham or lampard.

i really hope they don't try and rush him back or play him when he's clearly not fit, ala becks the last world cup. leave him out for the group stage and then risk it.

WE'RE FUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

an injury specialist reckons he will be back playing in 7 weeks. so that would mean that he only misses the first 2 group games and therefore is not the end of the world. however his match fitness would be considerably low

an unfit, semi-injured Rooney is still the best player we have.

Must play at all costs...ALL COSTS

He's had this injury before, euro 2004...took him ages to come back from that one and get back to his best

we're still going to win the world cup anyway:D

Says on the BBC site that if theres any chance he will be able to make an appearance, then Sven will take a gamble

Who's your first choice to start then now that Rooney's out and Owen is doubtful?

Harewood and Bent going by form this season and if it doesn’t work out they could always open up a tailor shop or a brewery.

Little and Large

aka Defoe and Crouch

Defoe and Gurney.

Lord I hope not I think you'd get more fruit in a gay bar than that combination.

Dafoe for his pace I can see the benefit and maybe bring along good old Teddy for a bit of arial prowess and nouse.

It's not looking good is it?

If fitness wise it goes badly with owen and rooney then you have to bring in teddy.

Teddy and Defoe. Bit old school but think it could work.

Crouch would be a definite, don't think there's much chance of Harewood going, hope not anyway. Hopefully Owen will be fit in time, otherwise I'd go with Defoe or Bent.

Fucking bad news about Rooney though, no-one can replace him.

Without going into the whole Crouch saga again Sven has already indicated he's there as a 'super' sub.  If he takes along an unfit Rooney and a suspect Owen that leaves the 4th striker slot, still largely up for grabs, as looking an almost dead cert to be the main man.

It's likely to be Dafoe but I think Sven is really going to have to shuffle his pack and make some bold decisions.

If owen doesn't make it I'd be tempted to play lampard just behind defoe. Would leave a Beckham, Gerrard, Carrick, J. Cole midfield.

On the subject of additions Downing and perhaps Reo-Conker would be a couple of nice ones and possibly big Dean Pantsdown?

Definitely a super sub if Rooney and Owen are fit but if they're not Crouch should start and I'd have thought that's what Sven would go with. Defoe has had an average season by his standards, Bent is still very inexperienced, they should be there but not as starters.

With the form Aaron Lennon is on I'd like to see him in the squad.

Lennon looks superb, has he played  for the U21's yet?

I wonder if we could naturalise a Johnny Foreigner in time for the world cup?

Bit of a challenge can anyone come up with a striking candidate that’s still playing (not necessarily in the Premiership) that would be eligible for naturalisation and play for the International side?

Rules are –

1. Can’t have represented any other country at International level although friendlies don’t count.
2. Has to be or have been resident in the UK for a total of 5 years or 3 years and have a parent or grandparent who is English.

Best candidate (if any) gets a packet of Revels.

It's difficult, I'm starting to wonder what di canio is up to.

Yep Lennon's played a few games for the under 21's Sven has said he's one of the players "knocking on the door of the senior squad" apparently so he still has a chance.

Isn't Cudicini one?

EDIT

No spot on Ben he could indeed still play for England.

Kanoute was another possible a few years ago as well as Blackburn's old timer Amaruso.

Yep good call, one cap but it was in a friendly so it doesn't count against him.

I think Edu may have been another a few years back.

It's a shame that we can't force them to play. Cudicini would've made a good backup goalkeeper at least.

Aye, he did eventually turn around and say he'd rather be 3rd choice for Italy than play for England.

Seems a waste him warming the bench at Chelski.

Yep I read that somewhere too.

This is total bollocks.We made ourselves favourites to win the thing and now with one player missing we're no hopers,which,in my opinion,does not justify the pre-Rooney injury hype,We were never gonna win it anyway with our threadbare squad-the first x1 are o.k.-the second x1 wouldn't beat anyone.

nobody's 2nd XI could win a world cup, or "beat anyone".

it was pretty obvious we were amongst the top 5 or so teams in the competition. without him it's an outside chance rather than a fair one.

Theo Walcott has got to go.

    Brazil played Pele at 17 Ronaldo was in the 94 squad at that age.

are we looking at a crouch/defoe partnership if the worst should happen then?

with bent and...... who else as backup?

Shearer! Fuck even hes injured! Ive liked the look of Ashton this year, just means were going to go to the World Cup with a really unexperienced strike force!

When France won the WC in 98....they had 1 up front Stephane Guivarc'h , who I don't think scored a goal.

   If we're forced to play one up front, then probably the best two eligible players in the role are Marcus  Bent and Kevin Davies.

Let's go 4-6-0!

Marlon Harewood

Bumpety bump bum! Di canop for England? Page 2

Told you I was doing imPortant reserch... They didn't call me inspecor cluecko for nothing you know...

This should be triseros' custom title, mods sort it out.