BBC punditry trio Wayne Rooney, Micah Richards and Joe Hart have fulfilled a forfeit by rowing on New York's Hudson River, after Rooney declared he would 'row the River Mersey' if Norway reached the World Cup quarter-final. Norway did, prompting Erling Haaland to tease Rooney with 'I'm looking forward to seeing you, Wayney boy.'
How Was the Rowing Experience?
Wayne Rooney described the experience as 'more relaxing than I thought,' adding: 'Once we got into a nice little rhythm, we were OK. A couple of other times we came out of the rhythm and Micah nearly killed my back. But no, it was good. Harty looks like he's been doing it for years. So it was actually enjoyable.'
Micah Richards said: 'It was good fun. I wouldn't pick it to do it again, but I enjoyed it – there for the lads.' Joe Hart noted: 'It sums up how we've been the whole World Cup, as a trio. None of us were so comfy doing it but no one cared, we all got on with it and it was a good laugh. And Wazza said he was going to do it and he has done it, so he's a man of his word.'
Chemistry On and Off Screen
Their first time working together at the World Cup was England's second group game, a goalless draw with Ghana on 23 June. Hart explained: 'It's gone well because, while we're all very professional in what we're doing, we also go way back – like a long way back – and that's important. It means that we're ourselves and feel comfortable around each other. Gabby [Logan], Kelly [Cates] and Chappers [Mark Chapman] have been unreal as presenters in getting the best out of us. As a group we've really found something.'
Rooney compared the dynamic to playing on the pitch: 'We all have our bits of analysis to do but in terms of when we're talking, you don't want to speak over someone else, so it's about eye contact and understanding when you're coming in next. It's really good chemistry.'
The trio go back over 20 years. Hart met Richards when he was 19 and Richards 18, while Rooney joined the England squad at a young age. Richards recalled: 'I met you, Micah, the first time you were in the England squad [November 2006] and I remember thinking: 'Who's this loud lad coming in?''
Honesty in Punditry
Hart emphasised the importance of fairness: 'I find it easy because no one's right. You may say your opinion isn't as valid as mine because you haven't played the game. But I don't think it matters – as long as you're being fair, then fine. I'll die on my sword for this but I'll always represent the players because I feel like you can't forget what it's like to be out there.'
Richards praised his colleagues: 'Joe and Wayne deserve huge credit for the way they've applied themselves and performed because with the BBC, there have been as many as 24 million viewers. This is your first tournament Wayne, I believe?' Rooney confirmed he had done a couple of games before, but Richards noted: 'Your first when you're doing it properly, then, and you're on every single time. For them to be in the studio and perform the way they are, I think it's sensational.'
Rooney added: 'There's a good blend between us. Joe's completely right about defending the players. There's times where we've all been criticised when we were players and it's not nice. But from my point of view I don't mind criticising but as long as it's constructive and it's in the right way. Like when I've said a player has not had a good game: I'll say that if I feel the player will know he has not had a good game.'
Thomas Tuchel's Future
After England's 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina, Rooney criticised Tuchel's defensive approach: 'It was a mistake by Thomas Tuchel to go defensive. It's important to say that because if you are sitting at home and you say the players were brilliant when they were not or Tuchel was brilliant when he wasn't, then you know you're not going to listen to what we say.'
Richards said: 'Yes – though I would have liked to see him go for it more against Argentina.' Hart reserved judgement: 'I'm going to reserve my opinion – I want to hear his verdict. We were there that night and it got really wild. England were toe-to-toe with the best team in the world with the medals to prove it and the best player to ever play the game [Lionel Messi]. Then I felt like it was drifting away – Tuchel may have got caught up in the moment as a human and just thought: 'Revert to type to what got us through [against Mexico].' I think that's something he'll reflect on.'
Rooney argued for keeping Tuchel: 'It was there for us to win with 15, 20 minutes to go, whatever it was. He made a big mistake in not allowing us the opportunity to get more pressure on the ball and surrender possession. But if Tuchel gets sacked who are we going to bring in? You could get Pep [Guardiola] but is that going to work? Tuchel will learn from his mistakes so I would keep him.'
Richards agreed: 'I agree with Wayne in terms of the manager and the negative moves he made on the day [but] Argentina were the better team. The players showed pride but I watched that second half again and they absolutely battered us.'
Rooney, Hart and Richards will cover the World Cup final live on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday.
