Wayne Rooney, England's fearless captain, will gather his players in a pre-match huddle at the self-proclaimed home of the huddle, Celtic Park, guaranteeing even more catcalls on Tuesday night . When they break from the huddle, England will run into a wall of sound.
The huddle first appeared at Celtic Park in the early Nineties after Tony Mowbray sought a way for players to “show real unity and togetherness”. Similar sentiments are behind England’s adoption of the huddle.
“It shows the togetherness of the team,’’ Rooney said. “It’s come from all of us as a team. It’s good. Up to now I’ve spoken, and a few lads have jumped in after I’ve spoken, which is great. It shows everyone’s wanting to be vocal. It’s something we’ll continue to do.’’
The words will be mainly about staying calm in the eye of the storm coming their way, keeping the ball to frustrate Scotland's players and supporters, lessening their fervour. “We take on board the messages that have been put to us all week,’’ Rooney said. “We want to keep getting them across to the players.”
The tactical talk will be brief in the huddle; it will be more about setting the right mood, and demonstrating that they are a band of brothers before the fray commences.
Peace reigned at Celtic Park on Monday night as Rooney, having inspected the pitch, made his Football Association car wait as he signed autographs for Scottish fans and posed for pictures. He respects the Scots, has a soft spot for Celtic, but will not shirk any challenges. For all the talk of a physical game, Rooney is still not expecting early reminders or late tackles.
“We have to play the game within the rules,’’ the Manchester United player said. “I don’t think it’ll be like the games 20 years ago. It’ll be a football game. There will be an edge to it, but that’s what you expect from this kind of fixture.”
The referee is Jonas Eriksson, the Swedish official unfairly vilified by Manuel Pellegrini after Manchester City lost against Barcelona last season. Eriksson is mainly considered a safe pair of hands, not given to dishing out red cards. Whether he lets as much go as the Serb Milorad Mazic did in Scotland’s old‑school roustabout with the Republic of Ireland here on Friday remains to be seen.
Rooney has advised the players of the tumult in store, of the opponents running on the adrenalin cascading down from the terraces. “I have spoken to the younger players because it can take you by surprise,” he said. “It will be a big test. You have to be ready for the start of the game. I’m sure we will be.
“I’ve played here before in the Champions League and the atmosphere is really loud and intense. I found it inspiring and intimidating. I was a young lad. It was a great atmosphere before the game as you came out. It’s a stadium with a particular atmosphere you want to experience as a player.
“I’ve played up here a few times, so I wanted to pass on my experience. Their fans will be really up for it. It will be quite intimidating if you’re not used to it, so I just talked about it to the younger ones in general to make sure they’re ready for it. Everyone knows this stadium, the fans here have a great reputation of making it an intimidating place to come.”
As a fan, Rooney has attended games in the past to sample the atmosphere and to support friends. “I’ve done it with Everton at Ibrox and at Anfield, watching Liverpool v Arsenal when Franny Jeffers was there.”
Rooney’s erstwhile school-mate and team-mate with Everton and England was an unused substitute for Arsenal in that Premier League game on Jan 29, 2003, at Anfield. “I didn’t go in disguise!”
As a player, he has experienced plenty of intense occasions, such as when England faced Turkey at the home of Fenerbahce in 2003. “It’s different, the history between England and Scotland,” Rooney said. “Istanbul is more aggressive. This has more of a football feel to it. Footballing intimidating.’’
There will be individual duels within the collective duel. He could run into his friend and United team-mate Darren Fletcher. “It’s incredible for him to be back playing, to be back in the Scotland team,’’ Rooney said of Fletcher’s recovery from ulcerative colitis. “It shows the character he is, the type of person he is. Obviously it was a hard moment for Darren and his family and he’s come through that with flying colours.
“He doesn’t miss a training session. He trains really hard, so I’m really pleased he’s managed to come through. He’s back fit and ready to play. Obviously, we speak about the game and he’s playing for Scotland and I’m playing for England. We’re great friends off the pitch, but for 90 minutes we’re opponents.”
Given the proximity of fans to the Celtic Park pitch, the noise can make communication difficult for players, whether with each other or with the bench. Rooney replied that England have been well prepared, knowing their game plan which was reiterated at a 7pm team meeting last night.
“The manager will give us more instructions on the game, and it’s down to us to put them into practice on the pitch. If there are drastic changes, we’ll be up for it.”
When Roy Hodgson was asked whether any deals had been done with club managers (apparently not), Rooney shook his head as if affronted by the thought of having his role restricted. He wanted to play 90 minutes. “Yes, of course.’’
Having spoken so warmly about Celtic Park’s atmosphere, Rooney was asked whether he would be interested in playing for the club after United. “I don’t know. You’ve seen some great players come here and play, the likes of Roy Keane who I played with. I’m focused on England and Manchester United.”
Showing admirable dexterity, Rooney then neatly sidestepped local questions about which had the better atmosphere, Ibrox or Celtic Park. He did slightly stir the pot of enmity when recalling an early memory. “The biggest moment is Paul Gascoigne’s goal in [Euro] ’96.’’
A game that critics call only a “friendly” has aroused huge interest. No points are at stake but pride is. England have had a difficult year, performing poorly at the World Cup, but have since picked up with five wins on the spin. “We went to end the year on a high,’’ Rooney said. They will need more than a huddle.
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