Simon Parker column

The sight of Wayne Rooney banging in goals willy-nilly will have cheered England fans everywhere.

Even those of a Hull or Man City persuasion might eventually agree that it is a good thing our main man is scoring from anywhere.

But the most hearty news of this World Cup year has been Fabio Capello’s decision to clamp down on players using social networking sites.

Don Fabio has done it again in his campaign to ensure England’s hopes this summer will be decided on the pitch and not off it.

Already there is no danger of another Baden-Baden because the Wags have been banned from staying in the same hotel. It sounds like they won’t be allowed within a 50-mile radius of the playing headquarters.

Now Capello has turned his icy glare on the world of Twitter and Facebook. And he’s seen it for the pointless distraction that it is.

Newspaper columns could also be banned – which will hit skipper John Terry – as Capello ensures all eyes are fixed on the big prize and nothing else.

Rooney is not the biggest player in the squad bound for South Africa. That, and nobody is left in any doubt, is Capello himself.

The more I hear of this guy, the better he gets. England will never have a greater chance of glory.