All of the tabloids were quick to condemn Wayne Rooney, whilst also advertising the services of Jenny xxx. They were almost as quick to criticize as they were to revel in the sordid details that amazingly occupied the front eleven pages of The Sun when the story broke. No paper went as far as the Daily Mirror though, who allowed Scooby Doo to publically denounce the actions of the Manchester United and England star.

Elsewhere the dirty details of the story weren’t reported with the same amount of relish and enthusiasm as they were in the red tops. The Evening Standard featured the story, but it flinched at the word prostitute and instead preferred to focus on Rooney’s re-action to the scandal on the pitch, although I’m unsure whether this headline was intentionally witty, or a wonderful accidental pun.

Opinion pieces followed Rooney’s romp and generally focused on the stars lack of morals and how his indiscretions could have affected England’s World Cup chances, but The Evening Standard has always been a lone wolf and instead preferred to offer a different angle. Jason Cowley felt that if the women involved in Rooney and co’s sordid escapades had been a little more sophisticated and refined, in the mould that Fabio Capello admires so much, then maybe things would have been different. It’s the elephant in the room. How did we all miss it?

Even if the front pages of the tabloids have been dominated by Jenny xxx drip feeding the gossip hungry public with saucy details, Rooney’s performance and goal against Switzerland ensured the back pages would largely focus on his abilities on the pitch, although The Sun was still desperate to crowbar in a pun on their back page, even if the intended double meaning doesn’t make any sense.

The England squad weren’t the only national team in turmoil this week, as the rotund manager of Group G neighbours Wales, John Toshack, revealed he was contemplating quitting after they lost 1-0 to Montenegro. **The Daily Star ** naturally treated the story with great sensitivity.

After wading through treacle in their appointment of a new manger, Villa finally settled on former Liverpool gaffer Gerard Houllier. Houzat! for a coup for the Midland club proclaimed The Sun, who clearly had forgotten what sport they were writing a headline for and mixed this one amongst the mounds of other puns they churn out daily.

A blow is a treat, so a daily blow is fantastic news for Charlton, especially considering their fall from grace in recent years. The innocent minds at Sky Sports decided to give the club a lift, as they saw nothing wrong with this title when reporting the relatively mundane story that defender Christian Dailly was facing a spell on the sidelines after fracturing his eye socket.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Friday September 10, 2010.
Tags: Manchester United, Wayne Rooney