The question posed is “Should England play Wayne Rooney on Tuesday?”. The answer – from nearly all quarters – is an emphatic “Yes”.

The real question is, after such a long hiatus, how do you ensure that Wazza doesn’t come out of the dressing room like a caged animal and end up taking someone’s face off?

There are some clues out there as to how Roy Hodgson is handling the situation. Instilling a sense of stability as a means of quelling anxiety seems to be at the root of his approach.

First off, even after positive contributions from both Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck, he’s been unequivocal about Rooney’s inclusion. This should allow Wayne to focus on the job in hand – performing well and keeping his temper – without the extra anxiety of worrying about securing his selection.

Second, Hodgson looks to have told Rooney to ease himself into the game. Rooney told the Guardian website on Sunday that he and the manager had spoke about it:

“I think it’s important that the first 20 minutes I feel my way into the game,” he told the paper.

The danger, of course, is that by quelling his excitement, and aggression you are somehow shuttering Wayne Rooney’s talents. His transparent love for playing football and his physical, bruising style are what make Wayne Rooney, well, Wayne Rooney – so Hodgson is performing a balancing act.

But Wayne seems nothing if not hungry: “When you’re playing, you can always do something to change a game. In the stands, there’s nothing you can do. No control,” Rooney told the Guardian. On Tuesday, let’s hope he can do something to change the game… and maintain control.

Management ups and downs

Promotion:

Theo Walcott
Completed all of his passes in England’s victory over Sweden. Scored one, made another, changed the game. Get him in the starting line up, just like this guy advised. Has Roy been reading Professional Manager?

Relegation:

Sweden
Not that I have anything against the team in general, but as a lifelong football fan it is nice to see England send the Swedes home from a tournament for a change. Thomas Brolin, your boys took one hell of beating!