Fabio Capello has offered Wayne Rooney a timely reminder of his responsibilities as an England player following his furious reaction to being sent off in Manchester United's defeat by Fulham last weekend, choosing to break the ice on the issue by jokingly branding the striker "a crazy man" in front of the national squad.
The first-team coach gathered the 23-man party together before training at London Colney and, having seen footage of Rooney's dismissal at Craven Cottage on Saturday, light-heartedly turned to the striker and asked: "What were you doing punching the corner flag? You're a crazy man, a crazy man." It had the desired effect, lancing any tension as England's players erupted in laughter, though Capello subsequently took the 23-year-old to one side and, with an arm round his shoulder, reiterated that he cannot afford to let such ill-discipline creep into his game.
The England head coach is a renowned disciplinarian and also took time to speak to Ashley Cole, who was arrested outside a west London nightclub earlier in the month for being drunk and disorderly. Capello has stressed that the left-back remains his first choice in the position and is also understood to have spoken with him about tactics ahead of Saturday's game with Slovakia but the player has been left well aware that such misdemeanours are not welcome.
Yet it is Rooney's occasional flashpoints on the pitch that have truly occupied the Italian's mind. The forward is saddled with a poor disciplinary record since emerging on to the international arena with his temperament invariably reflective of his frustrations on the pitch. He was booked only once in his first 17 England games, as he flourished against opponents unfamiliar with his style, but received three yellow cards and a red, against Portugal in Kaiserslautern, in the 16 matches between Euro 2004 and the end of Sven-Goran Eriksson's reign at the 2006 World Cup.
His time under Steve McClaren, when the team were generally struggling and his own form was patchy, saw three yellows in seven appearances but his disciplinary record since Capello took up the reins has significantly improved. His only caution in eight games came in the friendly win against the United States last summer – there had been three yellows and a red in the previous eight – though his fractious display that night prompted the head coach to admit he would "talk to him" at the next get-together.
Rooney had battered a loose ball into the advertising hoardings in the first half after a decision went against him and then risked sanction from the Greek referee for two crude challenges on the visitors' Ricardo Clark and Frankie Hejduk, the second of which earned the booking. Those discussions have reaped rewards – Rooney has not been booked in any of England's qualifying games to date – though Saturday's sending-off has offered a reminder that his temper becomes too easily frayed when things are not going wellon the pitch.
The dismissal near the end of the champions' 2-0 reverse, their second successive defeat, came after the referee, Phil Dowd, had shown the striker a yellow card for a foul and then booked him a second time for reacting angrily to the official's insistence that a United free-kick be taken from the correct position. Rooney duly lashed out at a corner flag as he left the pitch. The FA has since confirmed he will not receive further sanction other than a one-match ban, though it has written to the player to warn him of his future conduct, with Capello hoping to have calmed his mood ahead of the next two fixtures.
Doubts persist over whether either Shaun Wright-Phillips or Peter Crouch will be fit enough to feature against Slovakia, or Ukraine on Wednesday, after the pair failed to play a full part in training with the rest of the squad for the second successive day. Wright-Phillips has complained of a sore back, with his absence potentially offering Aaron Lennon a first cap since the defeat of Andorra in March 2007. Crouch, whose chances have been limited under Capello, required a scan on a tight calf muscle on Tuesday and, while that did not suggest any serious damage, he still felt discomfort yesterday.
