Source: Daily_Mail
Graham Poll: Perhaps Wayne Rooney was in holiday mode
THE OFFICIAL LINEDid Wayne Rooney have a minute of madness which cost him a yellow card and a suspension? Or did he fancy having June off?[LNB]It was clear that Rooney gave the referee no option but to show him a yellow card after he committed two very poor and needless tackles with moments of each other.[LNB]You would have thought that after escaping sanction for the first tackle on Andrew Crofts, he might have stayed away from conflict.[LNB] Missing man: Rooney is suspended for the June qualifier against Switzerland after he was booked in Cardiff[LNB]Instead, he raced straight into another hefty challenge on Joe Ledley. Discretion clearly isn't in Rooney's DNA, but can we simply blame his infamous short fuse?[LNB] More from Graham Poll... Graham Poll: Call that a ban? Sir Alex Ferguson still able to have his say21/03/11 Graham Poll's official line: Player pressure led to penalty error20/03/11 Graham Poll: FA come down hard on Fergie over rants... and it's about time17/03/11 Graham Poll: Judgement day approaches for Wenger and Ferguson as they face up to cost of blowing a fuse14/03/11 Graham Poll: Referees must be protected from half-time interference13/03/11 Graham Poll: Busacca got it wrong - Van Persie's red card was far too harsh09/03/11 Graham Poll: Clattenburg did himself no favours in bid to return to shadows07/03/11 Graham Poll: Carragher was lucky to avoid a straight red 06/03/11 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE I hadn't considered a deliberate caution but Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs - working as analysts for Sky Sports - suggested that perhaps he wouldn't be too disappointed to be missing the last match of a very long season. That is against Switzerland at Wembley on June 4.[LNB]Maybe this comment was meant in jest but after the game the England camp went to great pains to declare that Rooney hadn't even realised that he would miss the Switzerland fixture on June. I struggle to believe that. [LNB]Players who are one caution away from a suspension are highlighted on the UEFA team list so it is almost impossible not to know. Surely Fabio Capello would have advised all those players facing a possible suspension, but then perhaps not.[LNB]The end of season international is an unpopular one with players who are well aware that they will have to report back to training grounds around the start of July. They are looking to get away on holidays as soon as they can once the season is over.[LNB]I remember refereeing a Euro 2000 qualifier in Lausanne between Switzerland and Italy on June 9, 1999. A real non-event of a game finished 0-0 and at the final whistle I was speaking to Paolo Maldini, who said he couldn't wait to fly away on holiday. [LNB]I asked just how soon he would manage to get away. He replied that he - like most of his team mates - had a private jet waiting for them at the airport! I enjoyed my family package holiday in Majorca.[LNB] Yellow peril: David Beckham infamously admitted that his booking against Wales was pre-meditated[LNB]Of course, we have seen players deliberately earn yellow cards in the past. David Beckham is the most high profile after admitting getting a pre-meditated caution to avoid England's trip to Azerbaijan. [LNB]So it does happen, and stories of players getting Christmas off are legendary. But we'll probably never know whether Rooney deliberately missed June's date with Switzerland.[LNB]Good week for... The FABad week for... Neil Lennon [LNB]The Football Association will be encouraged to show strength when dealing with high-profile managers after a disciplinary commission accused banned Sir Alex Ferguson (above) of undermining the Respect campaign after his recent outburst at Martin Atkinson.[LNB]The Celtic manager was sent from the technical area during a friendly in Spain. Lennon is serving a touchlineban in Scotland but it seems he has not learned. Following this dismissal Lennon said: 'Ref over-fussy as I disputed a free-kick...' Allthe ref's fault then![LNB] More humiliation for Rio as Gerrard reveals Capello's captaincy callSold a dud! England fans left short-changed as Capello turns to his B team for Ghana friendlyPatrick Collins: Sorry is so hard to say when you are Sir Alex Ferguson[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Alex Ferguson, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Fabio Capello, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville Places: Spain, Scotland, Italy, United Kingdom, Wales, Switzerland, Azerbaijan Organisations: Football Association
