Sir Alex Ferguson dumped Wayne Rooney to the bench, then saw
his side throw away another two-goal lead against West Brom as Manchester
United's season lurches from one crisis to another.
The Red Devils' title challenge is in danger of disintegrating
before the onset of winter after a calamitous mistake from Edwin
van der Sar allowed Somen Tchoyi to complete a staggering comeback.
Javier Hernandez and Nani appeared to have put the hosts on the
road to victory with their first-half strikes, only for Patrice
Evra's bizarre own goal to provide West Brom with their window of
opportunity.
Yet the biggest story was perhaps that Rooney sat through all the
drama on the bench, the cover of injury he himself had removed no
longer available to explain an absence that was the culmination
of an awful six months.
Even when he came on with 19 minutes left, it was not as a central
striker, although he did have United's best chance of a winner,
which was turned away by James Morrison.
If Rooney really was challenging Ferguson's authority with his
midweek revelation that he has not been suffering from an ankle
injury, there are a long list of players who could be used as proof
of who wins such battles at Manchester United.
David Beckham, Roy Keane, Jaap Stam and Ruud van Nistelrooy have
all been bundled out of the club after Ferguson deemed there was
no point having them around and there is no reason to presume Rooney
would be any different if the manager felt he no longer had use
for him.
Today there was no obvious fitness reason for Rooney's exclusion
given he completed the full 90 minutes for England. This time, the
only conclusion to draw would be poor form was the determining factor.
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