ROONEY MADE TO SUFFER

From the Torygraph

So now it's official: England's treatment of the convalescing Wayne Rooney at the World Cup was a scandal. And how do we know? Because Steve McClaren tells us so, and as part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's managerial cabal in Germany and now head coach he is perfectly placed to give the definitive verdict. Rooney should never have gone to the World Cup.

Good for McClaren for voicing sentiments that condemn England's willingness to risk the welfare of a potential match-winner by rushing him back. Good for McClaren for vindicating the genuine concerns of Sir Alex Ferguson, who feared Perfidious Albion were not considering the player's long-term interests. Good for McClaren for effectively highlighting the difference between being deemed fit by doctors, and being fully match-fit for combat with sly markers like Ricardo Carvalho.

"In hindsight, we asked too much of him," McClaren said on Sky. "It was a big ask. He suffered at the start of the season because of it." Suffered! England have no right to hurry stars into situations where they "suffer". A racehorse trainer would be banned for pushing a thoroughbred back into the stalls too soon after a fall. But we do it with footballers, and wonder why they then struggle.

As stakes rise, so the temptation grows to take a chance on a player's fitness. As football quickens, the dangers of that gamble multiply. In return for a few decent touches and dashes by Rooney (and a red card from a frustrated forward), Eriksson cast a shadow over the start of the Manchester United man's season. Only now does Rooney begin to resemble the prodigious force we all know and admire.