To Live and Die with Wayne Rooney

Catastrophe! Scholes sees red in the seventeenth minute, Rooney sees red with the game winding down, and Fulhamerica triumphs over United, 2-0. A penalty and a circus goal by Gera are the difference in this one, aside from the obvious disadvantage of playing shorthanded for most of the game.

What can be said about Scholes boneheaded, two-handed swipe at the ball, other than, "Paul, let it go in! You have the most potent attacking force in football! Concede the goal, keep yourself on the field, and equalize." Instead, a veteran player, an alltime United great, makes himself look foolish and unnecessarily impedes his teammates. At least Scholes had the class to simply and silently walk off the field to the dressing room. Do not pass the centerline, do not pass the referee, and for God's sake, do not pass Sir Alex! I have not read anything about the postgame manager's talk to the players, but I would not be surprised to hear SAF did the exact opposite of what is expected. Bill Parcells, and Coach Bill Belichick are similar in stature to SAF, and they were masters of the off balance attack. A day that went all wrong is met with silence or surprising attention to the positives, and a big win brings an unexpected dressing-down.

Rooney was (rightfully) sent off in the second half for launching the ball back in the direction of the referee and of the free kick mark. He did not aim for the ref, nor was he out of line in wanting the game restarted quickly. He made the mistake of losing his cool in the manner he threw the ball. It was not an accurate throw, and it was heaved with such venomous frustration that he was shown his second yellow. He then had a few words with the ref, dropped the corner flag to the canvas with a vicious right hook, and spent the rest of the match in the dressing room.

For many years, these displays of temper have haunted Wayne Rooney. It's hard to believe he's only seen red twice as a United player. Most famously, he was sent off for stamping Carvalho in a World Cup match against Portugal. Most recently, he should have seen red against Aalborg in the Champions League for a similar violent attack. His critics point to his dirty play, and I will not attempt to excuse an attempt to injure another player.

What I have come to realize about Rooney is this: you take the good with the bad. He's a dedicated, passionate young man, and he will lose his temper and get tossed out of a game every once in a while. The times when he can play at the very edge of that aggression are the times when he is at his peak. He will mellow with age; it's inevitable. Until that time, I'll take Wayne Rooney, every day, just the way he is: a dangerous player who HATES to lose, HATES to be dispossessed, and HATES when calls don't go his way. If a passion for victory means a meltdown every once in a while, then I choose to live and die by Wayne Rooney.