I think the Hodgson quote is exactly what he needed to say. Personally I agree it is the best performance under his tenure, so most of all he needs to communicate to his players that they put in a good game and pick up what I suspect will be some disappointed lads.
When I play football in my local league, rather than hammer our goalie for letting in a goal with a flap (which happens allthe time), we tell him it happens and to pick himself up. Whilst it is not the high pressure, everything at stake game of the premier league or world cup, it is still the same principle. There's some young lads in that dressing room who put in a shift (e.g. Sterling) who need to carry forward some confidence and positives into the Uruguay game. Simples. They don't need the fear of failure hanging over them.
As for Rooney, he's not in my preferred XI but I'll leave the knives in the drawer until after the next game or two. Afterall, by all reports he's been putting in a lot of extra training which suggests this world cup does mean something to him.
Originally Posted by: Lumi-Ukko