IT IS ASKING TOO MUCH FROM GERRARD TO PLAY ROONEY ROLE

Even before Steven Gerrard had drawn breath, much less regained feeling in his battered legs, the national Press were piling unsustainable pressure on the England midfielder's shoulders.
Suddenly, after a mentally and physically disabling FA Cup final we could forget about Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen (and the rest of the national team).
Gerrard would capture the tournament on his own, winning every tackle, creating and scoring all the goals, and leading a one-man lap of honour at the end of it all.
That's what happens when the media - or the London arm of it, anyway - have hysterics.They lose what little sense they own and make one player the sole hope of a nation.
Only the permanently befuddled - at least half the Press pack on this evidence - will follow this inane line of reasoning
Gerrard undoubtedly is a world-class player. But we didn't need Cardiff to tell us that.
And a little commonsense might have warned us away from a populist bandwagon whose spinning wheels might end up pinningGerrard - and our hopes - to the ground.
For the moment, national sportswriters can happily dream about Gerrard's ability to win England the World Cup.