Why Capello was wrong to tell Rooney to calm down

Referring to Rooney's sending off last week (see my post Manchester United's March Madness) "What were you doing punching the corner flag? You're a crazy man, a crazy man,".

To me, Rooney at his best is not calm, as I said, but energetic and out to make nuisance of himself by trying new things. He is audacious and arguably a maverick.

At his worst, Rooney is an angry player who storms around confronting people and making a nuisance of himself in an entirely different, and unproductive, manner.

The difference is not intensity, activation, energy or arousal - to use a few terms. Using Reversal Theory as a guide, the difference lies in whether Rooney is playing 'in the moment' (playful state) or his mind is somewhere in the future or past (serious state).

One often hears a manager say about a player "If you took that side of he personality out of his game he wouldn't be the player he is". Reversal Theory allows us to unpick problems like this and look for triggers that cause a 'reversal' from one state (e.g. the playful and rebellious states) to another (serious and rebellious). This might be a "bad" decision, growing frustration, or it might be the influence of a leader (microclimate), but the triggers can usually be found and managed.

Notice from the states used as an example that both "good Rooney" and "bad Rooney" are in the rebellious state (which sounds bad, but isn't necessarily). So, if you want "good Rooney" the answer, I believe, is not to calm hom down or try to stop his rebellious streak, but to keep him playing 'in the moment.

This could involve staying focused on the process (what do I need to do now?), self-talk or other cues to encourage 'playful' thinking, or even use of a physical cue (a reminder of the mindset require).