The Confidence Coach's Sports Psychology Articles
On The Couch With Dr. Martin - 442's Sports Psychology Expert
The Confidence Coach's monthly Sports Psychology Article in 442 magazine. This article was written after England's May friendly win over the United States, in which Wayne Rooney, received a booking from the referee, and some concerns from his manager.
Wayne Rooney
It’s the May friendly international between England and the USA, at Wembley Stadium. It is a game notable only for the headed goal by England captain John Terry, helping to banish the desolation felt, after his Champions League final penalty miss.
Yet, despite the less than competitive nature of the match, and with the maturing burden of husbandship upon him, Wayne Rooney has still managed to get himself booked for a tackle on Frankie Hejduk. Which was unsurprising since his notorious temper has been simmering throughout the game.
So much so that manager Fabio Capello stated that he wanted to speak to Wayne Rooney about his aggressive tackling. Both in training, and in the competitive arena, Capello is concerned about the way Rooney is channeling his sporting belligerence.
It's nearly six years now since Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene. His was an an unfettered talent, nurtured at Everton, with breath-taking skill and vision. Here was a player with an abundance of natural talent, the world of football laid tantalisingly before him.
Since that time, Rooney has moved to Manchester United and become assimilated into the more prosaic needs of the professional game. Asked to play a variety of roles, he throws himself into each match with brio.
Nevertheless, he has become an effective team player, not so much the brilliant individual of 2002 vintage, but more valuable to his club and its team ethic.
With it, his uniqueness has become compromised. Yes, he can still score brilliant goals, but he no longer has the aura of genius that surrounded him as a sixteen year old.
Now, Capello wants to deal with Rooney's aggression. Aggression and sport are integral but need to be understood. Even an apparently equable personality like recently retired tennis pro, Tim Henman, was disqualified from his first Wimbledon for hitting a ball at a ball-boy, but he understood, learned his lesson, and matured.
Wayne Rooney’s competitive aggression, often can be found simmering beneath the surface. But it sometimes spills over into frustration.
Perhaps frustration, that his talent is not matched by his level of performance. He recognises he has the skill to thrill, but may find it hard to accept that it must be subsumed to the needs of the team.
Now, he is no longer a player that opponents truly fear and has had to accept that Christiano Ronaldo will hog the limelight. Early on he was eulogised; talk was he could become the new Maradona; the new Best; the new Cruyff. He was blessed.
Now, while he is admired, he can be contained. And that must be a source of frustration to the child prodigy. Capello may have to get inside Wayne Rooney's mind. He will need to discover how much he is enjoying his football. And to find out how happy he is. Is he playing to the limits of his ability? What frustrations, if any, is he feeling? What, if anything, is missing from his game?
Wayne Rooney's aggression may simply be his unfocused attempts to channel his boundless energy. But this is wasteful, it is energy that is not being directed into what he does best. He is capable of sublime moments; capable of football genius. The last thing Wayne Rooney wants to become is just another footballer, so he should abjure the mundane but learn from experience.
When Fabio Capello took the England job, he said that he would become the team psychologist. Getting inside the mind of Wayne Rooney, will be the first task for Dr. Capello.
Martin Perry: Confidence Coaching & Sports Psychology - 0044 (0) 77897 56425
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