Why not to pick Rooney for the Euros

Alan Shearer says that, despite the three-match ban handed down to him by UEFA, Rooney should still be picked for next summer's European Championships. For many, that is reason enough to believe precisely the opposite. But in case you're still undecided (or Geordie), I thought I'd offer a few more detailed reasons why England's best player should not be taken to the tournament.

1. Three games is too long
England will do well to make it out the group during Euro 2012. If they do, the players that get us there deserve to maintain their place for the knockout stages. Tournament football is about consistency, you don't go chopping and changing half way through. We took David Beckham to the 2002 World Cup when we shouldn't have. Can anyone say that was a gamble that paid off?

2. Play the system, not the man
International football teams, at least the top ones, play to a set system, and the players fit into that. For club football, perhaps a team will build itself around one player, but in the international game that is just not the case. If Messi has to play out of position for Argentina why should England make exceptions for Rooney? And more pertinently, would Spain take Xavi or Iniesta if they were in this position? Would Portugal take Ronaldo, or Netherlands take Sneijder? You're damn right they wouldn't. To panic around the loss of one player is an embarrassing indictment of how far our international game has sunk.

3. Potential replacements
As talented as Rooney is, his performances for England do not make him undroppable. Our squad is supposed to believe that, if their form drops, then another will come in to take their place. If Rooney is taken to the Euros, this will undo that mentality altogether. If Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge or Alex Chamberlain were to play in the opening three games and then be replaced by Rooney, what kind of message does that send to our young, emerging players? The decision Capello makes this summer could have significant knock on effects long after his reign has ended.

4. He is a knob
To kick another player when your team is in control of its final qualifying match, for whatever reason, is inexcusable. Representing your country at a major tournament should be a major honour, and Rooney's actions suggest that the event means precious little to him. Perhaps by taking the privilege away, it would teach him a bloody lesson.