Ferdinand past his sell-by-date? No, he's better than most English defenders... it's all about opinions and Hodgson's entitled to his
By MARTIN SAMUEL - DEBATE
Roy Hodgson is just not into Rio Ferdinand. Conspiracy, oversight or plain common sense? This week’s debating club decides.
Plus Rolf Harris, Brazilian drum and bass and something that is wrong on every level, apparently. Although not as wrong as this first bloke…
Not sure why Rio Ferdinand deserves a special mention. He has had his chance with England. Rio was an excellent footballer, now he is just good. He must be content to play with his Twitter account while those that can, do. Ravi Shanka, Southall
Bit harsh this, Ravi. Those who can, do? The performance against Real Madrid suggests he still can and being an important part of a team that is running away with the Premier League title is doing on a rather impressive scale. Even a good Rio Ferdinand is better than most central defenders in England. And now, follow me down to the dark world of conspiracy.
Not in with a shout: Rio Ferdinand is down the list of central defenders for England manager Roy Hodgson
I'm in the camp that believes Roy Hodgson didn't have the bottle to drop John Terry or pick Terry and Ferdinand. To select Rio now that Terry is retired would confirm this was the case. I think it is sickening and a reflection of Hodgson’s poor judgment that he went with the accused and dropped the family member of the defendant. He didn't have the bottle and went with the easy option. Forrestleigh, Lincoln
Yes, because it certainly made life easy, picking Terry last summer. No controversy there, I recall. The key words I’d say, Forrest, are ‘the accused’. Not, you notice, the guilty, as Terry was not at the time (indeed he has only been found guilty in the Football Association’s inferior court with its lower burden of proof). Either way, it would be a rum old world if the moment a person was accused of an act he instantly became a second-class citizen without waiting for trial. What Hodgson went with last summer was the player he considered to be the better defender: and it was most certainly no easy option.
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I think Hodgson has been told not to pick him by the Football Association, for reasons only they know. Peter The Painter, Leicester
I don’t think he would stand for that, any more than Fabio Capello did.
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Rio made the mistake of announcing his preference for Harry Redknapp as England’s manager. Childish Roy Hodgson is another Steve McClaren. Jemma, Amsterdam
So did Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, Jemma. Next!
Solid: Ferdinand put in a superb performance as Manchester United drew with Real Madrid in the Bernabeu
Good old England, where the elephant in the room is not to be discussed or acknowledged. Rio Ferdinand has not been picked because of the stand he took by siding with his brother against the establishment and John Terry in the race row. What should Rio have done? Dump his brother in his hour of need and support? The day the best man is selected to get the job done regardless of race or creed is the day the Great starts to come back to Britain. Fem10, London
This would be the establishment that pursued Terry in contravention of its rulebook, yes? That stripped him of the England captaincy before his trial, and that lost the England manager in a European Championship year because of that decision? That pronounced a guilty verdict that the Crown was unable to obtain? Yes I can certainly see how football’s establishment has been conspiring against Ferdinand all along. In sport, the best man does get the job. That is exactly what happened between Terry and Ferdinand in the summer. Hodgson made a professional evaluation, he did not pick sides. Far from the establishment not accepting Ferdinand, it is you that would appear to be in denial. Anyway, enough of conspiracy. Back to plain wrong.
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Rio Ferdinand: 12 years part of the golden generation, failure after failure, plays well when Manchester United look to attack on the break and when he has team-mates sitting around covering him, looks exposed when it is an open game and he gets beaten for pace. Also, he will be 35 when the World Cup comes around and won’t be able to play two games in a week. Pauly D, Dublin
Fair enough, that is your opinion. I don’t agree with it, but my point was a wider one. Suppose Hodgson seconded every word you wrote, Paul? What purpose would be served if, in being forced to justify his decision, he made a similarly bleak statement purely to answer his critics? None at all.
It's been a while: Ferdinand last played for England in June 2011 against Switzerland, alongside John Terry
Rio Ferdinand is playing better but only because of the way Sir Alex Ferguson gives him rest. Rio can't play every Manchester United game, and no way could he play for both club and England. Derbs, Nova Scotia
Didn't Sir Alex Ferguson say he had worries about Ferdinand’s long-term fitness? Maybe Hodgson has, too. Mark, Watford
Ferguson seems to swing both ways on the subject, Mark. What he is telling Hodgson privately, however, may conflict with his public stance.
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A Sex and the City analogy for football is just wrong on every level. Easttyronejohn, Tyrone
As wrong as Kate Bush putting on a bizarre Australian accent in a song featuring Rolf Harris and animal noises from Percy Thrower? You be the judge.
It makes sense to concentrate on the younger players like Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka and Phil Jones. Yet when an older player of genuine class like Rio Ferdinand hits a purple patch, as he is clearly doing now, he should be included for some of the big occasions where his experience can make a difference. Surely he has more to offer than the mediocre Joleon Lescott?
Jonathan Bywater, Huntsville
Jonathan Bywater, Huntsville
Cahill is 27, Jagielka will be 31 in August, so neither is exactly a youngster. Age is never a reason to abandon a player: if you are good enough, you are the right age. And yes, I do think Ferdinand has more to offer than Lescott.
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The so-called golden generation has had more chances to prove themselves on the world and European stage than perhaps any other era of England footballers. On each and every occasion they have failed and yet the media obsession with them continues. Let Roy Hodgson get on with building a team instead of picking big-headed, over-bearing, self-important individuals who think it's only about them. Drunkenf, St Helens
That passing character assassination doesn’t sound like Rio to me. As for the chances this generation have had that is because, with the exception of the 2008 European Championship, they tend to qualify for every tournament – unlike the golden era of the Seventies, for instance. There is nothing big-headed about men like Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, they are two of the hardest workers in the game. This generation have disappointed, but never think they don’t know that, and never think it doesn’t hurt.
The future? Ferdinand's United team-mate Chris Smailling played for England against Brazil at Wembley
I couldn't disagree more regarding Rio. Hodgson, as manager, should be allowed the same prejudices as fans? I believe his duty requires him to be objective and not disregard any player. Raveesh, New Delhi
You misunderstand, Raveesh. By saying he should be allowed the same prejudices as fans, I did
not mean he should be subjective. Fans will say they are objective while liking some players and disliking others. Hodgson has that right, too. A fan is entitled to believe Ferdinand is over-rated, and so is Hodgson.
not mean he should be subjective. Fans will say they are objective while liking some players and disliking others. Hodgson has that right, too. A fan is entitled to believe Ferdinand is over-rated, and so is Hodgson.
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It's not what Ferdinand brings to the pitch that is the problem, it is what he brings to the dressing room. Flyingfish, Bovey Tracey
In Rio’s defence here, he was never seen as a divisive figure before the incident involving John Terry and his brother, which was hardly his fault. I would agree, however, that attempts at media manipulation by Ferdinand’s advisers in the months that followed, increased tensions and made a bad situation worse.
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Rio is not an automatic choice for Manchester United, so therefore is not good enough for England. Time to bring on the young guns. The Whole Truth, Supreme Court of Good Sense
Those young guns would include Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, presumably – none of whom are automatic choices for Manchester United and therefore, by your logic, not good enough for England. If you’re going to have that as your alias, mate, you need to put the thinking cap on a little tighter.
Versatile: Manchester United and England youngster Phil Jones can play in midfield and defence
For me if you are picking Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, you must pick Rio Ferdinand. Get rid of Rio, get rid of them all. Nick BD, Bradford
This makes no sense. Why should it be everybody out or everybody in? Players age differently and options vary from position to position. If there are no young centre halves coming through, a player in Ferdinand’s role may last longer than a team-mate at, say, right back, who is placed under pressure by a hugely promising teenager. David Beckham was ousted from the England team because Steve McClaren had high hopes of Aaron Lennon in that right-sided role. Beckham later returned because Lennon proved a disappointment. It is not always just about the form of one player.
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England have called up Chris Smalling to play centre half. Rio keeps him out of the Manchester United team, so how is he getting picked ahead of him for England? Joleon Lescott and Smalling have hardly kicked a ball recently. It is clear that there is something personal involved, not a blind spot or a football decision as the article suggests. Keith0850, Falkirk
I don’t agree. Just because Sir Alex Ferguson prefers Ferdinand to Smalling does not mean Roy Hodgson has to agree. The same with Lescott. Roberto Mancini no longer fancies him. Does this mean Hodgson has to change his opinion, too? There is no point having an England manager if he has to slavishly follow club policies. Maybe Ferguson does not select Smalling because he does not think he works well as a partner to Jonny Evans. Suppose Ferguson took against Wayne Rooney or Brendan Rodgers did not rate Steven Gerrard? Should Hodgson ditch his captain because of a judgement call made by Liverpool’s manager?
Decision maker: Roy Hodgson is the man in charge of England's bid to reach the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
Rio is well past his sell by date. He has not really progressed since he left Leeds United and is living on reputation now. Mactheexpat, Malaga
For the record, Ferdinand left Leeds in 2002. Since then he has won the Champions League, five Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Club World Cup. All the while going backwards according to Mac. Bit too much sun in Malaga perhaps.
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