Wayne Rooney must learn from his mistakes

Wayne Rooney must learn from his mistakes

After scoring his hat-trick goal in Manchester United’s 4-2 victory at West Ham Wayne Rooney ran to a TV camera and swore into it.
The expletive was clearly audible and heard by every fan watching the clash on the television.

Apology

The England striker has now apologised. A statement released by Manchester United read:

“I want to apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my goal celebration, especially any parents or children that were watching. Emotions were running high and on reflection my heat-of-the-moment reaction was inappropriate. It was not aimed at anyone in particular.”

Silly

Just when it seems that he is maturing and growing into a more level headed individual he does something like yesterday. It may not be the worst offence in the world but it’s still something that will get him into trouble. Wayne Rooney just doesn’t seem to have his head screwed on right.

Crazy

The 25 year-old is without doubt a talented footballer but with talent sometimes comes eccentricity. His personality sometimes overrides his talent. Unfortunately his situation reminds me of that of ex-England star Paul Gascoigne. He was one of the biggest stars of his generation but he also had an in-built self-destruct button.
I just hope that Rooney doesn’t end up like the ex-Tottenham playmaker. His demons maybe different from Gazza’s but he seems to have the same problem of avoiding controversial behaviour.

Captain

Rooney has matured so much in recent years that he is even being talked about as a future captain of United and England. This sort of behaviour isn’t likely to help his cause, although the latest England captain’s haven’t exactly been squeaky clean. He must start to control himself if he is ever to fulfil his potential as a top class footballer.

Overshadowed

Rooney hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory this season but yesterday’s hat-trick against West Ham was superb. Unfortunately his display and three goals have been completely overshadowed by an attack of complete madness. His game is based on passion and heart but that’s no excuse for him to do what he did. Lots of other players games are based on passion but they don’t go around swearing at cameras.

Role Model

Every footballer is a hero to a youngster somewhere. They are held up on a pedestal and youngsters love to copy what their heroes do on the pitch. They are expected to conduct themselves in a certain way but they are only human and make mistakes. Unfortunately for Wayne Rooney he never seems to learn from his mistakes.

FA

As far as I know no player has ever been punished by the FA for swearing at a camera. This incident will probably set a precedent, not that this sort of thing is a common occurrence. The FA could fine the England striker and if they do act then they could use Rooney as an example. With the wages Rooney is on he is unlikely to struggle to pay a fine.
The FA are set to examine the incident before they take any action against the player. Rooney is expecting a decision on his actions on Monday. Some spectators have suggested that the Manchester United striker should be handed a ban but that seems very unlikely. I think the more likely outcome is a fine. I just hope Wayne Rooney now learns from this latest mishap and becomes a more stable person for it.