In this week's Mills & Boom column I focus on the week's talking point - Wayne Rooney's red card. We shouldn't really have been surprised at the three-game ban. Violent conduct always has been a three-match ban and on what grounds do the FA think they have the right to appeal the suspension?
Despite that, Rooney is still a must in Fabio Capello's squad, just because he's the one definite world-class player we have.
Carlos Tevez's situation at Manchester City also brings back memories of my time at Leeds when Peter Reid made me train with the kids in the 'car park'.
Give my latest offering a read and let me know your thoughts in the comments box below - Danny.
Rooney ban no surprise
We shouldn't be surprised by Rooney's ban. There are certain guidelines - two bookable offences is generally a one-match ban, foul and abusive language is a two-match ban and violent conduct is a three-game ban.
There are no grey areas, they are the guidelines and everybody accepts them. They are also the FA's rules as well, so I'm not quite sure where the FA are going with a potential appeal.
Of course we'd all love Rooney to have the ban rescinded but that's not going to happen.
UEFA are not going to undermine one of their top referees, they are not going to go back on their decision and unfortunately it was violent conduct.
It wasn't the most violent I've ever seen but according to the laws of the game, he kicked out at a player and he has to take the three-match ban on the chin.
I just don't understand where the reports of a one-game ban came from. I could be wrong on this and I'm sure lots of people will email in and correct me but the only way to get a one-game ban for a straight red card is for a professional foul. But any violent conduct has never been anything else but a three-game suspension.
In defence of the FA I think it is desperation time for them. They know how important Rooney is to England and they will go down any avenue to try and get England's best player back in the side.
Conspiracy theory
Are UEFA and FIFA against England? Well it's open to debate. It is what it is, I think Rooney himself knew straightaway he had done wrong and knew he was going to get a straight red card and with it a ban.
But I'd still take Rooney to the finals, if you get decent group games and you get through to the knockout phase you then have one of the best players in the world, on his day, coming back into the team. People saying leave him behind and punish him, well you're only punishing the team and the nation so he has to go.
It's a bit of a clich? but you are only as good as your front two players and you don't win anything unless you have great strikers. England haven't had great strikers since Teddy Sheringham and Alan Shearer played together at Euro '96.
Michael Owen was fantastic but he never had a great partner alongside him and Rooney has never had a great partner with him either, therefore England have struggled and never won anything.
And when you are talking about Crouch, Bent, Carroll, Defoe, Welbeck and Zamora, would they get in the German side, the Spanish side, the Dutch side, French side and even the Italian side? I'm not so sure any of those would. They are good players, but they are not top quality international players that are going to win you tournaments.
Fabio Capello now has to find a goalscoring combination that works well. He will be disappointed that he will lose Rooney for three games, but what other option did he have but to put all his eggs in the Rooney basket. He is without doubt our best striker and his form this season has been magnificent, but he plays on the edge and you cannot take that away from him. He can create a goal, score a goal and win a game all on his own.
All the other strikers now have an opportunity to show what they can do, but it's difficult times for Capello to find someone to replace Rooney in the first three games of the Championship.
Tevez's training pain
Carlos Tevez is forced to train on his own at Manchester City, and believe me it's no fun.
I've been there and done that. I was made to train in the 'car park' with the kids under the magnificent Peter Reid at Leeds. Unfortunately it was the time when we were all trying to be shipped out of Leeds for financial reasons.
I'd been to speak to Reid to tell him I understood the situation and said I wanted to work with him. I knew we had two international full-backs in myself and Gary Kelly and he knew they wanted one of us to leave and I knew they wanted it to be me so I said 'not a problem, let's work together and get a move'.
Unfortunately Reid said no and took the other option and said 'I'll decide what happens and when' and sent me to train with the reserves on the hardest pitch at the training ground away from everyone else. I was also told not to speak to the first team.
I think there were four of five of us that were ostracised and it was a difficult time for Steve Agnew, the reserve-team manager. He had four or five international players that had been exiled, but what it does is it makes you even more determined and selfish and all you do is think about yourself and it almost has the opposite effect. You come into training on time and you do exactly what you're told and you avoid any sort of upset, but you just do enough, you don't do any more than you have to. And in the end sometimes it comes back to bite managers.
I think City are trying to upset Tevez. You can only fine him a certain amount of wages, but if he's late for training they will try and claw some more money back.
They are trying to frustrate him and make him do something ridiculous so he's sacked and they can get all their money back.
It's a difficult time, difficult for the staff too and someone's got to look after him. But I don't think Tevez will be at City beyond January.
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Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk