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Villa Park

Aston Villa and Birmingham City escaped Villa Park with local pride and honour intact - but a colourless midlands derby did claim one high-profile victim.

And with his brutally honest assessment of Stephen Ireland, left on the bench throughout , Gerard Houllier put down an early marker for the requirements under his regime.

Ireland is, without doubt, a talent but Houllier's dissection of the reasons behind his absence was an echo of the doubts expressed during the latter days of his Manchester City career.

So, even among the drab events of an encounter which ended with the spoils justifiably shared, conclusions can be drawn about what life will be like under Houllier at Villa Park.

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The Britannia Stadium

Wayne Rooney's tarnished reputation was brandished around The Britannia Stadium as Manchester United's heroes were celebrated in song.

Eric Cantona, George Best and - most intriguingly - Cristiano Ronaldo all felt the full force of the affections of the travelling following as United ended a week of Rooney-instigated turbulence with .

The one pointed and glaring exception from this glittering cast list was Rooney, celebrating his and his 25th birthday 3,500 miles away from The Potteries in Dubai.

And if any supporters were tempted to let their thoughts wander to the individual who played fast and loose with their emotions, they were soon banished by .

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Just about the same time as an angry balaclava-clad mob descended on Wayne Rooney's Prestbury mansion, Manchester United were delivering a clue that their journey into the Cheshire countryside may have been wasted after all.

The terms and timeline of Rooney's Old Trafford departure were expected to be confirmed after talks on Thursday between United chief executive David Gill, manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the player's representative Paul Stretford.

Surely there could be no pulling back from the brink after claims and counter-claims from Rooney and Ferguson as it was revealed United's finest player wished to leave, damning United with a lack of ambition as he went?

And yet, after Ferguson insisted the saga would be "put to bed", there was a .

The door was indeed open, as Ferguson had always said, and on Friday lunchtime Rooney strode through it .

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Wayne Rooney will not only have trouble looking Sir Alex Ferguson in the eye next time they meet - he might also struggle to meet the gaze of his Manchester United team-mates.

, which was no doubt also crafted by , rather than face the world's media in the manner utilised so compellingly by his manager and one-time mentor.

In it, Rooney delivered the truth that dare not speak its name at Old Trafford. United, in his opinion, are no longer ambitious or alluring enough to keep him in the silverware to which he has become accustomed.

And his complaint that chief executive David Gill "did not give me the assurances I was seeking about the future squad" is effectively an attack on the quality of his United team-mates, intended or otherwise.

On that basis, with Ferguson wounded by Rooney's demand to desert his post and with the player believing United's current squad is not good enough, how can he play for the club again?

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as he claimed every inch of Manchester United's moral high ground to hang Wayne Rooney out to dry.

Ferguson, consumate politician and manipulator that he is, left the door ajar for Rooney to pull back from his desire to leave Old Trafford - but it is impossible to see how the relationship can survive the Scot's gripping full disclosure on Tuesday.

of a player who he clearly believes is misguided, selfish, ungrateful and had shown a lack of respect for his club and manager.

Rooney did not get Ferguson's famous hairdryer treatment for his insubordination. The words were delivered more in the manner of a surgeon's scalpel, but the damage to the player's reputation and standing in the eyes of supporters was devastating.

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When a Manchester United player wishes to make use of Old Trafford's exit, a blatant act of public defiance against Sir Alex Ferguson can usually be guaranteed to do the job.

So when Wayne Rooney took the opportunity to switch attention away from his drab contribution to England's goalless draw against Montenegro at Wembley by , it was a moment of huge significance.

Ferguson had explained Rooney was missing from recent starting line-ups as a result of an ankle injury. The player, in a direct challenge to his manager's word and consequently his authority, insisted he was perfectly fit.

How Ferguson chooses to treat it will shape Manchester United's immediate future.

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Liverpool's new owner John W Henry could not resist taking a look at - and got a gruesome illustration of the scale of the task he has taken on.

Henry had planned to wait until Blackburn visited Anfield next week to make his formal entrance but because he was in the vicinity after completing his takeover, curiosity and the prospect of a Merseyside derby at Everton got the better of the Boston Red Sox owner.

Everton and a tumultuous Goodison Park provided a brutal introduction as and Henry had only shouts of "I hope you've kept your receipt" to accompany him as he made his way out of the directors' box.

If, in the words of "You'll Never Walk Alone", Liverpool hoped for a golden sky at the end their recent storm, they were to be sorely disappointed. There are more clouds gathering over an increasingly besieged Roy Hodgson.

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Wembley

England's failure to beat an infant nation put the current standing of Fabio Capello's team into brutal context.

The inevitable aftermath of England's shameful South African World Cup campaign was that coach Capello was only ever going to be one poor performance away from a return to the pressure cooker.

And after England's tentative strides forward in victory against Bulgaria and Switzerland in their Euro 2012 qualifiers came this with a population of 670,000 and only four years into its life as a football force.

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Wembley

Rio Ferdinand's sole contribution to England's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign to date was a tweet in support of embattled Wayne Rooney after the striker scored to set the platform for .

Ferdinand will be using more conventional means of communication with his Manchester United team-mate after being restored to central defence - and the England captaincy - by Fabio Capello for the meeting with Group G dark horses Montenegro.

There was surely an element of relief for Ferdinand as he took the stage at Wembley on Monday, as both possibilities looked in jeopardy until fate took a hand.

Injuries to Phil Jagielka and John Terry cleared his path back into the starting line-up, while Capello's strict captaincy line of succession ensured .

Ferdinand's experience and quality make his recall to the team an obvious and understandable choice - but Capello's decision to instantly recall him as captain does not sit quite so comfortably.

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as three teams on the Premier League's dark side, he did more than guarantee hostility next time he steps out at The Britannia Stadium, Ewood Park and Molineux.

Murphy, one of football's most eloquent and informed spokesmen, was articulating the fears of those who believe the price of success - and the penalties for failure - in the top flight is forcing players to cross the line when it comes to physical contact.

The former England midfield man suggested Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis and Mick McCarthy are three managers who are "sending out their players so pumped up there are inevitably going to be problems".

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Kevin Davies can forget Jamaica - that is unless he is planning a holiday in the Caribbean's "Land Of Wood and Water".

Bolton's 33-year-old striker, after finally giving up hope of an England career following years of long and honest toil in the Premier League, jokingly suggested recently that he might focus his international aspirations on Jamaica via his half-brother.

Davies has flirted with England's squad during his time at The Reebok, and just when he thought his chance had gone Fabio Capello has turned that flirtation into a full-on embrace with .

It is just reward for a career spent at the sharp end of English's football's combat zone, when .

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Roy Hodgson's reign as Liverpool manager has declined at such speed that even owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett were spared Anfield's wrath for a few brief moments on Sunday.

It currently requires events of previously uncharted mediocrity to divert The Kop's attention away from the despised owners, but Hodgson's Liverpool achieved it as Blackpool joined Northampton Town in leaving Anfield triumphant this season.

Liverpool supporters, with no serious form for ever demanding managerial change despite thousands gathering in the streets in protest against the American duo, .

Dalglish is the default option for those seeking unity at this troubled club. And , it will still have been an uncomfortable experience for Hodgson.

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