Rooney rant the action of a man under severe strain

The City kit manager and former Latics star writes every week for Chron Sport

I KNOW it is an action taken in the heat of the moment and that he has had more than the usual stick to deal with from the press this season — but I can't condone Wayne Rooney's rant into the television camera this weekend.

It is hard sometimes for people outside the game to understand the pressure these guys are under and it must be very difficult to keep pent-up emotions under control.

With everything that has gone on, in one sense I can understand in a way what Wayne did.

But I am sure that he looks back at the way he purposely directs his words into the camera with regret. The likely two-match ban he has picked up will give him time to do that.

He is a fantastic player and a role model to so many around the world, so it doesn't send out a great message to those younger fans who idolise him.




THE SUNDERLAND game was a comfortable victory for us and we never looked in danger of dropping points at any stage.



It was obvious that one of the teams was battling away at the top of the Premier League, while the other was more concerned with trying to stay in it.

We are in the top four at present, in third place and six points clear of Tottenham in fifth — a team we still have to face at home in what seems sure to be a crunch game.

I think Champions League qualification will go right down to the wire, but the good thing is, our destiny is in our own hands and we can make it happen.

I would certainly prefer to be preparing for games in that competition rather than the Europa League.

To get through to the final, you need to play out the equivalent of half a Premier League season and that is a crazy amount of games.

The competition has become a bit of a mess and I would much prefer to see it going back to being a straight knock-out in the mould of the old UEFA Cup.

While we come up against all sorts of sides in the Europa League, in the Champions League there are fewer games and the competition is full of fantastic teams, great experiences and terrific football — not that I get to see much of the football myself!




WE ARE away to Liverpool on Monday and it is a game of massive significance for our season.



Then straight after that we have the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United — a game which for most of us is impossible to avoid having one eye on already.

In recent times we have been beaten by them with late goals, so we feel that we owe them one this time.

We certainly feel we are capable of getting one over on United and will enter the game at Wembley with plenty of confidence.