Let him be

It's bad enough being red carded out of the quarter finals, it's even worse for the entire press in your country to villify you and blame you for the loss.

I am, of course, talking about Wayne Rooney.

Personally, I think Ricardo Carvalho should have been yellow carded for kicking Rooney repeatedly on the shins as they fought for control of the ball. But when Rooney turned and stepped backwards, he had no idea his foot was going to land on Carvalho's privates. And while I admit it must have been really painful for Carvalho, I think it was completely unintentional from Rooney's point of view.

I think Rooney should be given a break. He has put his heart out, first in getting fit for the world cup and then playing every game to the fullest. The strategy designed by the England coach was not the most favourable, leaving Rooney alone up front with no support whatsoever. But with whatever was available, I think Rooney did a good job.

The press in England should focus on the fact that three stalwart penalty takers (Lampard...who is England's main penalty taker, Gerrard and Carragher) missed their shots. That was the reason England lost. Not because Rooney was red carded. England managed to hold stalemate even with 10 men and still managed to put pressure on Portugal with a lot more possession. The missed penalties lost us the game. Not Rooney.

Leave him alone.

He has had to live with a lot, especially the red card which will play on his mind for a long time to come. Let's make life a little easier for him.

After all, he's only human!