Wayne Rooney’s office at the Derby County training ground is spartan and bare. There are no pictures on the walls. There are no mementoes on the desk. There are no trophies to remind him of past glories. There are none of the motivational slogans so beloved by so many modern managers. There is no television screen, no yellow ticker, no breaking news.
The only adornment is a thin, white plastic tactics board behind him with round blue discs for players and, now and again, he gets up and moves them around to illustrate how he wants his team to play.