Rooney can strike blow for England unity

No fans, no Ferdinand and now no Owen, it couldn't be much worse for Eriksson. The absence of England's top goalscorer has produced the biggest smiles among the locals in the pavement cafes along the Bosphorus, although I'm told that they have also been laughing at the petulant display of union militancy from England's millionaire footballers.

They would not have been quite so bullish, though, had they seen the aplomb with which young Rooney dispatched his first England goals against Lichtenstein and Macedonia last month. Tomorrow he wins his eighth cap, in the toughest match of his short international career.

Another goal, his third, would do for him exactly what Owen's third goal (in his eighth match) did for him in the 1998 World Cup against Argentina in St Etienne.

Turkey, strangely, provided the platform for both the young Lineker and the young Shearer to establish global reputations. Lineker scored a hattrick against them in a vital World Cup qualifying tie in 1985 and Shearer scored his second international goal against them in a World Cup tie in 1992.

The Turks, of course, have progressed significantly since then, finishing third in the 2002 World Cup. But it still rankles that they have never beaten England, nor even scored a goal, in nine attempts.

If David James can emulate Peter Shilton, Chris Woods and David Seaman-who all kept clean sheets against the Turks, then England will qualify automatically for Euro 2004 and avoid the lottery of the play-offs.

James, of course, was on duty when England beat Turkey 2-0 at Sunderland in April, the day on which Rooney made his first international start, alongside Owen. Tomorrow, Rooney is most likely to partner Emile Heskey.

The physical prowess of the big Liverpool striker, combined with Rooney's pugnacious appetite for the game, should ensure that Turkey don't have it all their own way and may ease some of the pressure on England's back line.

The Turks need to win and, with Tugay pulling the strings diligently in midfield, will exert sustained pressure on England's rearguard.

The absence of Owen's pace reduces the effectiveness of England's counter-attacking game so Heskey and Rooney, supported by Paul Scholes, will be expected to hold the ball and buy time.

As important as it is to secure a draw, what is even more pertinent is the manner in which Eriksson and his team, still clearly angry with the FA, set about the task. Anything less than 100 percent commitment will be ruthlessly exploited by Turkey. England need a good result but, more importantly, they need to restore their credibility in the eyes of the nation.

The England team is not there for the benefit of Ferdinand, Eriksson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Gordon Taylor or any other individual. They represent all of us - and it's time they realised that.