Rooney Tunes

 

What a year it has been for Mr Wayne Rooney. Exactly this time last year the Manchester United and England talisman seemingly had the world at his feet. With every goal scored and consistent impressive displays, Rooney was firmly etching himself out of the departed Cristiano Ronaldo enormous shadow left at Old Trafford. Rooney was well on course to legitimately being recognised in his own right as one of the game’s elite players.

But at the quarter-final stage in the UEFA Champions League as United faced Bayern Munich in the first leg, Wayne’s world seemingly fell apart as he got injured towards the end of the game in a 2-1 defeat. An incident that pretty much saw Manchester United’s season crumble away as they ultimately failed to retain their Premier League title, and see their Champions League campaign eventually fail against Bayern Munich in the return leg.

Followed with a poor display at the World Cup for England and well-documented issues both on and of the pitch, this year once again Rooney is preparing for a Champions League quarter-final tie but this time against perennial rivals Chelsea. However, Rooney goes into the tie under what is becoming a regular feature this season under controversial circumstances, as he finds himself in hot water again. On this occasion, it is over his foul-mouthed rant through a television camera heard by millions of viewers over worldwide audience, during United’s dramatic turnaround against West Ham in the Premier League.

Despite a near instant statement of apology, the corridors of power at the FA clearly feel that this ‘outburst’ by Rooney was in breach of their rules of player conduct and have looked to charge the striker. A charge set by the FA for the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language. With a fine and more painful to his teammates a possible two-game ban pending, Rooney’s rant has come at the business-end of the season where United can ill-afford to do without the services of their prized asset at any point at this stage of the season. But is the FA charge too severe? In my opinion, I believe so.

I do not condone some of the wild and reckless behaviour that we see of some today’s footballers display on the pitch, and in certain situations off it too. Some of which I have commented on in the past and I do not fully endorse Rooney’s excessive celebrations, but I think we are encroaching a dangerous point of policing the game too much and filtering out any kind of emotion or passion within the sport.

Personally I quite like hearing or seeing the raw emotion that the players and managers display during a game, or once it has finished. More often than not we always hear the constituent drone of players particularly during interviews speaking in a lifeless fashion about a match, their opponents, and generally anything football related. I like to believe for the most part giving plaudits to their opponents is a genuine act of respect, but I find it refreshing to hear what players really feel about issues, both on and of the field.

Jamie Carragher comes to mind when in his autobiography book, he is known for stating that although he loved playing for England, Liverpool was and is always his first priority. An England defeat would never hurt as much as a defeat for Liverpool. Rather than the passive talk we always tend to hear, it was the first episode to my knowledge that a player just told it like it was regarding their thoughts on international football. 

His comments proved to confirm the growing consensus amongst fans, who have long thought that this notion may exist for many other players but not all representing their country at international level. Whether his comments were widely celebrated is debateable, but it helped with the communication link to supporters of his views and opinions as a professional sportsperson.   

Relating managers, I always like to hear the authentic thoughts and feelings when they feel aggrieved over a decision during a match, or remark on how a particular victory was achieved. Underlined especially when such individuals are asked to speak so soon after the game and emotions are slightly raw, naturally the response maybe raw and unpolished also. You cannot have a situation where the footballing authorities demand managers to talk to the media straight after the game, and indirectly ask them to address their fans and football public in a soft a flower-like tone when clearly that is not how they are feeling.

Obviously there is a fine line between expressive and excessive. Nevertheless there should be an element of understanding emotive situations by those that govern football. The FA and the Premier League should realise that the game that they help manage, is about passion and holds intense moments. These are two of the key components of competitive sport.

It is a shame that we have a situation where players cannot physically celebrate with their fans or cannot wave their shirts around when scoring a goal, without getting booked or indirectly being sent off for receiving a second yellow card for such an action. In my opinion it only compounds the established detachment between footballers and their fans.

With the exhaustive media coverage and broadcasters forever waxing lyrical about bringing sport ever closer to its admirers, you have to ask this question. If this drive was not in place by such media channels in the first instance, would the camera that Wayne Rooney swore at be apparent and practically in the penalty area where the whole occurrence took place? Is Rooney’s language any different to what we expect to hear from fans, players, managers, and sometimes officials during a game at a stadium?

If you are a regular football attendee at matches then this is not of any real shock. If the FA is charging him for using foul and abusive language, then they would be banning a number of players and managers all the time. So is it a case that he is being charged for using such language, or that he has been openly caught on television?

Yes the game was daytime viewing for those watching in the UK, and primetime programming for audiences in Asia, and clearly the FA and the Premier League want to be seen protecting their high-quality global product being associated with such an act. But a notable fine I feel would have been a suitable punishment.

Some may forward the recent event where Rooney went flying in with the premeditated intension to elbow Wigan player, James McCarthy that shockingly went unpunished. But with this latest incident, this could be a classic case of the ever-popular phrase football pundits like to use of “football decisions tending to even out during the course of the season”. Perhaps in an unconventional way Rooney’s misdemeanours have finally caught up with him.

However I do not think the FA are throwing the book at Rooney because he got away with that incident at the DW Stadium, and this is a way of disciplining him with that in mind. I would like to think they are judging the case on its own merits, but on this case alone I do think a ban is a bit extreme in itself.