After a long and arduous season for England's top players comes an almost meaningless trek, no pun intended, to South Africa for a friendly. I say almost meaningless because you are not going to tell me that Sven-Goran Eriksson does not know by now, to a man, all there is to know about his potential teams. The game is therefore, first and foremost a political gesture, and, once again, the thorny question of club of club v country has raised its ugly head.
Wayne Rooney is surely an integral part of England's future, short, medium and long-term, so, why on earth was it so crucial that he participate in this game and why on earth were not the wishes of his manager and club not taken into consideration? Instead we had a farce of Brian Rix proportions that, as a tug-of-war between the Football Association and one of the country's leading clubs, did the game's ruling body nor the England coach, no favours.
It seems that the Football Association would not take the word of Everton's medical staff regarding Rooney's fitness and the injury to the 17-year-old's medial ligament. So, manager David Moyes and Everton physio Mick Rathbone accompanied the youngster to Heathrow Airport where England's youngest international was examined by FA doctors and medical staff.
The upshot is that Rooney was unable to make the trip to South Africa but the repercussions, i.e. the distrust that was plainly obvious by the England coach towards Everton's assessment of Rooney's fitness, does not augur well for future relations between the two parties.
Now we have to wait and see what happens next week when Rooney is due to attend the six-day England training-camp in La Manga, although the Everton physio has already cast doubts over his availability for that, and beyond.
Rathbone is not even convinced whether Rooney will be fit for England's friendly against Serbia and Montenegro on June 3 and the clash with Slovakia on 11 June. He said: "Normally these things take three weeks to heal, but he's training comfortably with me. He's able to run in a straight line and we're happy with his progress."
Eriksson remains hopeful Rooney will be able to meet up with the England squad at their La Manga training camp on Friday but Rathbone added: "He remains doubtful for the game with Serbia & Montenegro on 3 June but he has a better chance for the game on the 11th with Slovakia."
Eriksson's plans were further disrupted with the withdrawal of Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy who has a neck problem and will remain at home for treatment. On top of all that Kieron Dyer had already withdrawn, to be replaced by Joe Cole, and the decision that no players from the FA Cup Final would participate against South Africa was made some time ago.
So there we have it. A pointless exercise, several thousand miles away and an England team that will bear no resemblance to that which will take the field against Slovakia in June's Euro 2004 qualifiers.
On a positive front they do say it's an ill wind etc etc. and Murphy's absence could pay off, in the future, with the call-up for Gareth Barry, who certainly won't see a trip to The Dark Continent as anything but a shaft of bright sunlight on his particular horizon.
The Villa man, seemingly frozen out by the England coach, has not figured in two and a half years of the Swede's tenure and therefore has not added to his six caps. Let's hope that if Gareth does play that he is able to occupy THAT position in which he has excelled for his club, left midfield.
