It has been a turbulent few days in camp England leading up to Euro 2012.

A good win against Belgium on Saturday night has been overshadowed by the moaning of Rio Ferdinand, who despite claiming he will be supporting England at the championship has done is very best to rock what is an already a very sinkable boat.

It was reported by the BBC on Monday that Ferdinand had told 'friends' that the decision to exclude him was 'morally very suspect'. He felt he was being left out of the England squad because of the race row that currently engulfs John Terry, who is in the England side, and his brother Anton Ferdinand. Roy Hodgson, disagreed with this and told the press that he had left Ferdinand out of the because of football reasons.

Ferdinand snapped back on Twitter, leaving a message, saying: "What reasons????!!!". And his agent Jamie Moralee then issued a statement calling Hodgson's decision 'nothing short of disgraceful'.

I have to disagree, what has been nothing short of disgraceful is Ferdinand's behaviour.

England players for too long have thought they have a divine right to be in the squad. And I have to admit it was surprising that Martin Kelly, a full back with little international experience, was picked ahead of Ferdinand, but that doesn't mean it wasn't for footballing reasons and it certainly doesn't excuse Rio's toys-out-of-the-pram behaviour.

Telling friends that the decision was morally questionable and then getting his agent to issue a similar statement, was childish, petty and cowardly. Poor hard done to Ferdinand isn't man enough to even stand by his own whining, he has to get others to do it for him. But let's take on Ferdinand's assumption that his exclusion isn't to do with footballing reasons, because let’s face it is an easy argument to pull apart.

Before the squad was announced Ferdinand’s own club manager, Alex Ferguson said the defender wouldn’t be able to last the pace at Euro 2012, alluding to the player’s injury problems over the past two years.

Added to that he is no longer one of England's first choice centre back pairing. That was always going to be Terry and Cahill. And even with Cahill now injured, Lescott and Terry looks a better fit.

Hodgson explained this to Ferdinand when he left him out of the initial squad, saying that he didn't want to take a player of Rio's international experience, just to have him sit on the bench.

That situation didn't change when Cahill got injured and Martin Kelly got called up. Ferdinand would still have been a bit part player.

Therefore it makes perfect sense, for footballing reasons, to invest in England's future and take 22-year-old Kelly along to the tournament. It is of more benefit to England for him to be sat on the bench than an ageing and injury prone Ferdinand.