Mix2nd Half UCL Besiktas V Man Utd 09 15 09 720p HD SkpdFunny bloopers are a click away

Every once in a while, the Wayne Rooney we remember from Everton and his early days at Manchester United reveals himself. The lad with the uncontrollable temper who would lash out at opposing players and be a liability to the team he was playing for.

For a few seconds last night, that Wayne Rooney returned for Manchester United after he got subbed. The above video shows how Rooney was not pleased at the decision, and shook his head to let the world know it. He seemed to get into a minor altercation with the crowd when he approached the bench. But as soon as he sat down and began to take off his football boot, he slammed in to the ground in a fit of rage.

For Wayne Rooney who’s on top of his game right now, the episode is frustrating to watch for me as a viewer because he’s so close to being the complete professional nowadays. He has the composure on the pitch to not lash out any more. He keeps his anger in check and funnels his energy into his playing abilities.

But underneath those incredible skills that he has, he obviously still has a weakness which is his temper. For opposing sides in the 2010 World Cup, they should keep this in mind as they try to unsettle the striker and get him off his game. It’s definitely a weakness that England need to pay attention to.

The other concern is that from a very controlled performance by Manchester United, the few seconds of Rooney’s temper tantrum becomes the story from last night. Instead of focusing on Antonio Valencia’s poor performance or the way Manchester United played well as a tight unit, the focus is on Rooney and his idiotic actions. It’s just not me either. The lead story on Through The Night from Sky Sports last night was the Rooney incident.

Let’s hope Rooney can learn from this experience and grow as an individual. He can’t expect to play 90 minutes of every game. Some of his frustration last night may have been about his own performance in addition to the fact that Michael Owen came on for him, but he needs to move on and channel his energies into more positive performances beginning this weekend against Manchester City.

Thanks to Off The Post for uncovering the video clip.