Diving into the Memory Banks

Two interesting quotes attributed to Wayne Rooney recently: “I don’t like diving, football doesn’t need it” and “I’d never dive. I’d like to think of myself as an honest player.”

No doubt Sol Campbell would have read these seemingly unequivocal comments with great interest. As would other members of the Arsenal team who lost their fantastic unbeaten record (49 matches) to Manchester United on that ill-tempered day at Old Trafford.

Wayne’s memory is clearly not what it used to be, but most of us can recall how big a part the penalty he won (courtesy of that most compliant of referees, Mike Riley) played in the result.

And that, as all the television replays proved, Sol Campbell didn’t touch him.