Dimitar Berbatov (United)
Minutes: 2109
Goals: 20
Minutes per goal: 105.5
League ranking: 1st
Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
Minutes: 882
Goals: 8
Minutes per goal: 110.3
League ranking: 22nd
Javier Hernandez (United)
Minutes: 1161
Goals: 10
Minutes per goal: 116.1
League ranking: 16th
Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)
Minutes: 2224
Goals: 16 (inc. 2 pens)
Minutes per goal: 139
League ranking: 2nd
Andy Carroll (Newcastle United)
Minutes: 1657
Goals: 11
Minutes per goal: 150.6
League ranking: 3rd
Salomon Kalou (Chelsea)
Minutes: 1435
Goals: 8
Minutes per goal: 179.4
League ranking: 22nd
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Minutes: 2113
Goals: 11 (inc. 3 pens)
Minutes per goal: 192.1
League ranking: 4th
Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal)
Minutes: 2018
Goals: 10
Minutes per goal: 201.8
League ranking: 16th
Wayne Rooney (United)
Minutes: 1367
Goals: 3 (inc. 2 pens)
Minutes per goal: 455.7
League ranking: 81st
Man Utd News 24/7
That’s it, I’m inviting berba to my house for tea!
Berbs and Chicho must be the front two from now on
Play Rooney on the left if need be
Berbasex.
Give Chica and Berba a run out together.
I sometimes wonder if scott is married to Berbs sister. Either that, or he is still trying to convert the last few people into Berb fans. Most of us are already convinced.
455.7! Pathetic! Doesn’t matter how you dress it up that’s shite. I know his assists are better than last year already but £250k a week for 3 goals (2 penalties), I know I’ll piss off a lot of people by saying I hope we’re rid in the summer but it’s how I feel. That wouldn’t be any different if he was bang on form, like Scott I cannot feel anything for Rooney anymore.
SELL: Rooney
BUY: Tevez!
Rooney. Sorry son but you’re lacking in ambition…. Legend…!
@Alpha
I disagree with both mate, lol. I’d rather give Welbeck a chance than bring back the troll.
What about Van Persie ? I think he could be in TOP3.
Rooney — you blew it. Fuck off.
From the Guardian:
“Can Liverpool maintain their recent upsurge in form at Anfield?”
Hmm, since when has one win at Wolves been classed as an ‘upsurge in form’!
The infamous stats lol.
@Costas
Ha. Love it mate. The troll ent doing too bad in those stats above though is he?!
I really like Hernandez. Hopefully he stays fit and really develops in to something special. Proabably needs to bulk up a bit though too. I think there is so much potential at United but we only see it in fits and starts.
Regarding Rooney,
I know the goal stats look bad, but Rooney is leading the assists charts in the league so far.
Thats pretty impressive considering he has been unavailable through injury, marital problems, contract wrangle, vacation, etc for most of the season.
Also, Berbatov does play better with either Rooney or Giggs in the team. Thats my observation.
Our attack needs to be built around Berba, and if that means picking Rooney instead of Chicharito, so be it.
Also Chicharito is awesome coming off the bench and running behind the defence.
I am not trying to justify his bad form. Rooney is supposed to be our star- atleast his wage packet says so.
But he has not been completely useless so far.
As always, he takes time to come back to form from injury. I believe he was getting to his best after his West Brom performance but unfortunately got injured again.
not a man utd fan but ive seen a lot of games this season ive got to say theres better players in the blackpool squad i feel ferguson feels the need to play rooney to justify the contract he signed but if u sold him now u wud get no were near what was being offered before berbatov has been class hernadez is looking gd and when u get welbeck back he shud be playin more often he is class
@bchilds. that is so true, those stats are shite.
on the other hand, look at the berbs’ stats. ’nuff said
rooney gave his slut all the balls and goals and united gave rooney all the money!!!well the winner is of course rooney,he got what he wanted from both,sluts and united!!!well done rooney,you showed fergie who is the real master of the game!!
Rooney – DOGSHIT
Hernadez – the future
BERBA – Best striker on the fucking planet right now.
“tek a boo son!”.
@Alpha
Tevez’s record isn’t bad at all. This is the second season in a row where he is doing better than either Rooney or Berbatov. But it has a lot to do with attitude too. Say that ambition gate never happened last fall and Rooney still had the same stats right now. You wouldn’t find so much negativity directed towards him in here. I don’t think so anyway. And that’s why i wouldn’t want someone like Tevez back. Not after what happened..
Hernandez has a long way to go, but his stats right there are as impressive as anyone’s. It’s his first season in European football, the Premier League nonetheless, and he has played a lot of games as a sub. And right now I feel that that’s where he is most affective. Taking advantage of tiring defences.
I think people are harsh on Rooney. He wasn’t absolutely terrible yesterday, especially considering he was shunted out to the left for 50% of the time he was on the field. When Hernandez starts he is far less effective, he is knackered by the hour mark. His all-round game is lacking and he is at his most effective when teams are tired. He also struggles when teams defend deep. I, for one, want Wayne to remain in the starting line up. He is still our best player no matter what the stats say. He was fabulous against Birmingham and West Brom recently. He is still 100% committed to the club, see him leaping over the seats when Berb won it last night. Rooney must still be in the side
“tek a boo son!” – won’t be hearing that again for a while!
For Liverpool nowdays, any point is an upsurge in form.
Wonder if there would be a downsurge against Fulham
@bchilds
its a joke, if Weliable Woy had had the same results as King Kenny no-one would give a shit. one win against Wolves and Dalglish is saving Liverpool??
Sorry but its a crock of crap.
Its the same, Chelsea beat Bolton 4-0 and are back to their best, not out of the title race yet. United beat Birmingham 5-0 but all I heard was how poor Birmingham were and how United still hadn’t really hit form. Celebrating the 19th in May will be hard for all the ABU media
@Lee
It proves how low his stock is currently, even with Ferguson. Could you imagine a senario pre hookers where we’d be 2-0 down with 65mins played and Ferguson subs Rooney off!
Stats hide the fact that Mr. Ambition has been playing fairly well for us, at least by the abysmally low standards he set for himself at the World Cup. Many above seem to hate him for his money-grabbing ways and I do too, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten the fact that he still is the best English player of his generation and we are better off with him in our squad than outside it.
what the fuck is wrong with wazza
Big Andy Carroll is up there in third! What a fantastic future this kid has. It’s a shame he’s injured because I can’t wait to see him play again.
I think we should buy the Hulk. No one would fuck with us then.
keano86 = DOGSHIT
loserpool 0:0 Fulham
Half time
Couldn’ t give a fig if WR10 scores another to be honest. Would personally rather he keeps getting the assists and Berba gets the goals. Why, because all I care about is #19 and the glory of Manchester United. Wining games is my number one priority and I don’t give a hoot where the goals come from.
However, If all was equal, I would prefer that the a large number of the goals keep coming from our number one man Mitka Berbatov. Berbatov scoing is the best way to insure a United player is up for the golden boot and best scorer in the prem. Again, more glory for our club. WR10 is out of the running this year. So the go too guy for awards in Berbatov.
As to the numbers. Stats aren’t everything. They do proove that Berba is the flavor of the month, and that seems to be enough for most. But I wonder how berbatov would be doing if we didn’t have the threat of WR10, or Nani, or Chicharito, etc, to pull the defense. With multiple treats, berba does better in most games. We need the second forward running at the defense to broaden the threat and open up against teams that have 10 behind the ball. Park and Nani contribute to this as well this season. The assists are an important component to this which is missing from these stats. Still not complaining. Berba has been out of his skin this year. And long may it continue. Berba for Golden Boot. Scholes for European player of the year after he leads us to our next european cup.
loserpool 1:0 Fulham
52 minutes
@RedLife: He’s not trying to convert anyone else, he’s just simply proving the point that he and everyone else that agreed with him regarding Berbatov were correct, and the rest of you were silly and short-sighted
.
Tevez is quality, wish we gave him a fairer go in his final season instead of a bench player, look at him at crappy City, he’s the sole reason they’re at the top, his goals have been his hard work as he carries that sorry excuse for a “team”.
Pantsil omg
Wigan 0:0 United (reserves)
Full time.
All you lads saying bring Tevez back just don’t understand. Tevez was and is a whinger, not a United kind of player. Same reason we were shot of Ruud and Becks, to much bother a too much self worth. Not a United player. Tevez is doing well now because he is a quality player but more importantly, he is the go too guy at Shitty. He would never be that here. If he isn’t the star, Tevez is going off the rag complaining. We just don’t need that kind of player. Tevez had his United chance. Quility, yes, but not what SAF saw as a United player. I agree with Fergie. I will take the mix we have. Glad to be rid of Tevez and his constant digs at the boss.
we’ll do what we want we’ll do what we want were birmingham city we’ll do what we want….
wonder were they heard that one!
^ I just logged onto RoM to type that pal ^
haha beat ya ;p
Errr… Just a thought. We’re all pretty much in agreement that we need a central creative midfielder, right? What about Rooney? His game is obviously about more than goalscoring and since he’s not scoring goals and we have to strikers who are, why doesn’t fergie try him in that position? Great vision, eye for a good pass, hardworking, skillful. Am i right?
@Duncan
Not feeling it! Have flashbacks of Ferdinand in midfield and Keane in defence when I read that!
loserpool 1:0 Fulham
full time.
Duncan,
I’ve been saying that for 2 years. People slaggeg me because they thought he was our best scorer and such a powerful runner at the defense. But that is what we have all been complain ins missing from our midfield of late. We have defenders Carrick/Fletcher we are missing the guy who pushes us forward (Ando) but also scores (NOT Ando). We need the old Scholes, or maybe the new WR10. Might also reenergize the lad. Mind, I wouldn’t drop Scholesy for this experiment. Needs to be tried out in and non Scholes game.
Cheers mate.
@bchilds
There was a cup game at Wolves in 2006 when Rio and Rooney were partners in midfield, lol.
Dogleash’s LIverpool are starting to fight back! They can still escape relegation!
I’d like to see Berbatov and Hernandez start up front with Anderson and Rooney in centre midfield. Fletcher has been no where near the standard he reached last season and the middle of our team lacks much needed creativity. With Rooney’s dire performances in front of goal, coupled some decent build up play, such as his part in the goals against Birmingham, I think he could do very well in the role that Paul Scholes used to occupy. He seems to be trying to compensate for his lack of goals by tracking back and running around more so maybe this position would see the team benefit from this the most.
Nothing more kneejerk than a footie fan… Rooney’ll come good. His performance against Brum at the weekend was great, only thing missing is the goals, so get off his back. Yeah, he was a bit of a dick last year, but in case we forget, unlike Captain Caveman, he actually stayed at the club. That makes him a United player. Since when do United fans get so much animosity for one of their own?
He’ll come good… and in the meantime we have plenty of firepower.
Your pool leaking like a sieve? Call Dalglish, the scouse Holloway.
I dont agree with some that Rooney will come good this season but Im sure he’ll be better next season if we keep him. He’s going through exactly what Tevez went through when he didnt know what was going on with his future. Tevez scored 3 then fucked off, now there are people here saying sell Rooney Buy Tevez. Next year he’ll be fine. Last year he had a possitive momentum where he massively out performed his true ability level. This year the complete opposite has occured.
I feel Berbatov and a true No 10 should play together for the majority of the rest of the season, Owen or Chica, seen as Owen isnt needed after this year then Hernandez should get the nod. Play Rooney on the left to get some use out of the most expensive player in Britain.
Personally I feel a squad needs a range of differing strikers with varying talents so no opposition can totally nulify you so to say so and so is better so lets sell so and so is just stupid in my opinion.
However I havent and never will forgive Rooney for what he did over the contract saga and now we have Evra doing similar, and why not. Manchester United has proved time on time to give in to loud mouth money grabbing cunts and have allowed the players to take the piss too many times. We had Keane taking the piss, Ferdinand taking the piss, Ronaldo taking the piss, Rooney taking the piss, Vidic taking the piss, Evra now taking the piss. This will carry on because it shows that the leadership at United is going soft and losing the plot. Oh sorry yeah, Tevez also took the piss, oh yeah and Beckham………
Off topic and for King Eric
Barcelona scored 4 billion goals today but unfortunately only 4 were deemed legal.
Apparently Messi scored so many that he was even knocking them in his sleep
Only 2 of his goals were legit.
What a shame – such a difficult league is La Liga…
smartalex – kiss my arse. thats a good boy
Costas
Hayley McQueen for Keys job right
Goat – If Rooney ever finds his form this season, United will be unstoppable. But until then, Hernandez must be a considered first team starter. Don’t like Rooney out on the wing TBH, he’s like a duck out of water.
@MG
Absolutely.
She would be a smashing hit. 
Sambo
Wait
Captain Cavemaaaaaaaaaaaan
What a cartoon
Unga bunga
Costas
Absolutely our Hayley is absolutely smashing
She’d be smashingly marvellous at her job.
What a smashing appointment it would be too
@MG
Smash and grab right?
Smash and grab and thoroughly enjoy – as long as our Hayley is happy
Yous two are smashed.
@MG
I would be happy if I didn’t have Gray in the same room with me, lol. You never know when he might ask you to tuck it in.
MG GREAT IDEA LAD!!!!!!
Hayley McQueen for Sky footie Anchor! That would seal the REVOLUTION!
United to take over the WOOOOOOOOOOORLD!!!!!!!
keano86
Nearly every post you make you label our players TWAT or CUNT.
Don’t do it. If you get emotional that’s great. Expressive, descriptive, angry, whatever.
You just post short nasty comments about United players.
You are a cunt. I despise you. Who you are, what you stand for. Fuck off.
Rooney will come good for Arsenal.
willierednut
Smashed in a nice sort of way – we don’t do naughty or cynical like some people
Costas
I share your sentiments exactly
FletchTHEMAN
Hayley McQueen takes over and we will never have a bad word about United again
Oh yes it will suit us just fine
Berba for 35 this season! wallpaper to celebrate berba’s 3 hatricks this season.
http://www.hdfootballwallpaper.com/dimitar_berbatov.html
Birmingham to wembley. So Ben Foster must win another medal.
Don’t forget the iPhone Ben.
red _ october
Nice one mate.
sell rooney
buy andy grey
red_october – it is obvious berbatov prefures a threesome lols
check this out guys:
http://content.screencast.com/users/BluesFanUK/folders/Jing/media/69dc3671-a9a1-4d24-83c8-8b983c1c010c/2011-01-25_2200.png
@smartalex – I think Foster will be using an iPad this time around….
It would be great if Birmingham can win it…..
I betcha that if Rooney started to score a lot of goals all you people writing him off would be praising him ….give the man a chance!
Keep hating on Rooney, the majority of fans will love him again (and already do, and are very vocal about it at OT). The guy is young, has years left, and is supremely talented. Getting rid of him would be absolutely stupid. As for his comments about ambition… that all relates to the Glazers and the constant shit in the media about United not making major signings. He had a sit down with the Glazers before he committed to a new contract with United, I don’t think he meant the ambition comment to mean the players currently there.
Of course he financially benefited from the saga… I’m sure he’s probably the highest paid player in the league now…. but if it was all about money as a lot of people (incl. this blog) have suggested, don’t you think he would have taken a fat payoff from City to sign??? A big fat sign on fee along with his chunk of the massive transfer fee United would have demanded? I don’t think he was ever going to City.. I think if City were ever of that opinion, that was the work of his agent to force David Gill to raise the wages being offered.
Maybe I’m wrong, don’t know, but all I do know is he is a United player now and is contracted for five years to this club, so maybe it’s time to… you know… “get over it”… or what other hoops would you like him to jump through first? As for his goalscoring form, it’s been what… about 10 months since he was on form. In that time he’s had a bad injury, a dreadful world cup, a family crisis of his own doing and a contract saga at United that still is causing ripples. And every week he plays, everyone is watching to see if he scores and if he doesn’t…. it’s news. Let;’s try lay off and see if that makes a difference…
united.george – it really would be great if Birmingham win it. That way arsenal played maximum games, no reward. Also no end to the 5-year drought!
I think Foster may have gone Android
gooooooooooooooool
MG – I got to say, judging on how bad rooney has been playing maybe we can sign richard keys to replace rooney has a striker lol
but od u think with all his family shit going on, he should have held the club for ransom and demand those high wages? I dont care if it was his agent or not. it was handled poorly. sure enough he isnt worth the money he is being paid now. maybe last season when he scored them goals all the time, but now??? get the fuck out of here. He does not deserve jack squat after the way he has behaved this first half of the season. So far he has a lot of ass kissing to the fans to make up for what he did.
P.S.
He cheated on his pregnant wife! AND THEN acted like a spoiled brat for more money. Is that the type of player we want to support? Sure he’s great and he’s skilled and i would love to have him in his old form. But at the current state, i am very very disappointed. He does not deserve our support. until he fuckin earns it.
FITB
Maybe we can have Gray as his partner – Stick him in goal – every time opposition is coming to score he can start his sort his trousers routine – should soon scare off the oncoming strikers
Goodnight fellow reds – the measure of success is not what we win. The measure of success is that we keep on coming back for more.
For a date with destiny. For the 19th
chino
I had to respond
You are so right
The shirt has to be earned – not just by the players but by each and every one of us. When we put our shirt on we do so in honour of our club – it’s more symbolic than just winning – it is far deeper than that.
If players are expected to respect the shirt on and off the pitch that is duty bound to us too – wherever we are we are not only displaying our support and loyalty to our club – but we are in a way it’s ambassadors.
None of us should forget the impact Manchester United has. We owe it to our club to earn it’s respect and people should know that period
As usual, I think sooner or later people will take back what they said about Rooney.
@Lee
He’s knackered by an hour mark?? that’s ridiculous, he’s 22 years old and like some said in here I would much rather like to see Javi get a start ahead of Rooney.
John Terry math: 3+3 = 11
Also, no need for me to gloat and say, “we told you so” about Berba… but I will do it anyway. We told you so!
@ Lee. Just what kind of criteria do you use to justify calling Rooney our best player? That, like most of his fans, you believe that running all over the pitch like a headless chook for most of the game, wearing your heart on your sleeve every step of the way, denotes class? Bullshit. The guy couldn’t hit the side of Old Trafford at times with his shooting, his first touch is awful, his decision making and passing is often woeful, and for a guy lauded for his committed defensive play he’s often easily dispossessed of the ball when only one-on-one against a defender and he has a nasty habit of turning the ball over near goal and setting up the opposition for an attack on our net.. Berba was too polite to say so the other day, but his comment about ‘certain players’ playing like blinkered horses near goal was doubtless aimed at Rooney, as well as Nani.
@Dela. Funny how often people trundle out a million and one excuses for Rooney, but never gave Berba the slightest break until his recent purple patch finally managed to win over many of the doubters.
STATS!
http://www.trulyreds.com/20110127/the-great-escape-for-lucky-united-how-did-we-do-it/comment-page-1/#comment-20940
Haven’t had chance to read all the posts. So I’ll just say this: Berba needs to be our main man, but he needs support too. I am a huge fan of Chicharito but right now, I think he’s better coming off the bench than starting. As for Rooney, like Giles Oakley said on a different thread, I would play Rooney center but back behind Berba, dropping back into midfield when there’s a battle going on there (giving us 5 in the middle), moving forward in attack to give us two strikers there. And whatever I think about Rooney’s fucking greed over the contract, there’s no doubt he has genuine, natural talent. I don ‘t recall people coming on here last year saying he was a useless cunt. So he’s not scoring goals? So fucking what? (Having spent so much time on here defending berba when most people were against him, I am now prepared to extend the same “courtesy” to Rooney in his barren spell. Maybe he’s a money-grabbing cunt. I won’t argue with that. Maybe, though, he’s just another dumb fuck who was born, not real smart, but with a gift for football … so maybe he was just led astray by a greedy agent and a massive offer. I don’t know, but now that I’ve cooled down a bit, I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.)
The reason I say Berba needs support is that when he plays by himself, it reduces his options. Berba is lethal because he can kill you himself, but he can also set up someone else to kill you on his behalf. That really fucks with the defense, fucks with their heads. It allows him to sow doubt and uncertainty into their play, which he then takes advantage of. When he plays by himself, those options are reduced, which makes it easier for the defense. Which is not what we want!
If it was up to me, we would play Berbatov front and center, with Rooney starting in the role I just outlined. Get Rooney running at the defense to shake them up, get Berba fucking with their heads, and then, late in the game when they’ve been out-run and out-thought and are tired and confused, bring on Chicharito to spear them through the heart.
Just my take on it, you understand…
@Chino and MG … good points, both of you. I totally agree that morally, Rooney is bankrupt. But if we going to judge players “morally”, where exactly do we draw the line? I think we all agree that his behavior has been morally reprehensible, but is either of you prepared to write a definition of what’s “morally acceptable” and what’s not? I don’t think there’s a clear answer. I can illustrate that with two examples: George Best and (for those who know something about American NFL) Micheal Vick. Both are/were great players. Would you have kicked Best out of the team because he was a party animal and a womanizer? Probably not. But what about Vick? if it was up to me, that cunt would never have been allowed back into the NFL, but he was. To me, “screwing around” is less of a crime than what Vick did with the dog-fighting shit, but as we all know, that’s a personal call. The point being, that no-one can define it.
Right now, Rooney is playing for us. If he leaves, I won’t shed a tear. Might even have a beer on the strength of it. But for now, he’s ours, and so it’s up to us to figure out how to make the best use of him. I know many of us think the best way to use Rooney is to have warm the bench, but to me, that’s silly. Because even when he’s not scoring goals, what Rooney brings is a different dimension to our play. Stylistically, Rooney, Berba and Chicharito are all very different types of players. The question is how to make maximum of those styles. For me, having Berba front-and-center is the right thing to do, but putting Rooney out wide-left is a waste. I’d rather have him running in from behind. I think that’s a tactic which really worry even the best defenses. And I think it’s a tactic which would allow Berbatov to wreak havoc–even if Rooney never scores, we would get more out of our “Bulgarian bag of tricks”. But in that set-up, Chicharito would not be a good replacement for Rooney; he’s a different style again.
Anyway, enough already…
Scott, I think if you add in minutes per goal or assist it would be a really interesting comparison. Roney has 9 I think, Van Persie has 4, Berbatov has 2, Tevez has 5
It will give a clearer picture of the complete player
As usual fergie will be justified and rooney will come good and people will eat their words. Anyone doubting if he cares watch his reaction after the winner. He leapfrogs three chairs over the bench. He is still a red. Yes he fucked up but I will still be behind him I don’t chant his name like some at ot but all those slagging him off will soon chane if he bangs ina winner against city dippers or rentboys and arsenal. Rollins. Hope you read this. Sorry mate I really am. I thought it was like I say my short term memory aint the best. Apologies mate. Mg. Almeria were like a championship side. Its embarrassing is la liga. pathetic infact.
Anything above 40m (which nobody would ever pay) would be amazing money for Rooney. Honestly, flog him to City for 70-80m. It would be totally worth it. He is a good player, on his day a great player, but he has always been too inconsistent to depend upon season after season. Last year was his only year if scoring game after game for a long period of time. Before that it was always in bursts.
StatesideAussie – Spot on mate (as always
)…. I was discussing abt united with my friend here and not able to believe I almost wrote the same as you did here…
Will we EVER get any credit this season???? I find it fucking hilarious now that NO paper,tv station or radio station will ever give us any credit.
FUCK em
We’ll never die
@jespermoses
If we finish the season as champs, then we will get credit, if we finish unbeaten, then we will get credit + shut all those arsenal fans up.
@stateside aussie..Belter of a post mate..Playing Rooney behind Berba is the way to go..Not really sure why SAF insists on playing him wide where he is not as effective..
VDS
RAFAEL RIO VIDIC EVRA
NANI ANDO SCHOLES GIGGS
ROONEY
BERBA
4-4-1-1 when we have the ball and 4-5-1 when we lose possession..
Berba and Hernandez deserve a run in the side. The Mexican’s pace gives us a new dimension.
Rooney should no longer be played on the left – it does not work and barely ever has. It is a defensive move aimed to get him helping out Evra rather than using him at the right end of the pitch
SMartaex – wrong guy mate. but it thrills me you care enough to vent. now go think about me some more. gutted
BERBATOV-TOV-TOV HE TOLD CITY TO FUCK OFF!
@chino – I assume that reply was to me? If so, here’s my reply… this is also to others who replied and just some general ramblings…
On the issues with the club, we know probably less than half the entire story, at least for now, though I’m sure somebody’s biography will detail it out point by point. Whether it was Wayne on his own, or his agent, or both, he managed to secure himself very high wages with the threat of leaving the club. Did I like it at the time? Absolutely not. I felt embarrassed about it, like a lot of fans.
Reading between the lines however, there were a few things about it that were “strange”. For example, Ferguson came out and publicly announced that Wayne didn’t sign a new contract and said he wanted to leave. Why did he do that? When Tevez was out running his mouth about how Ferguson did this and that to him, Fergie more or less kept his mouth shut and just let him speak. But with Wayne, Fergie decided to go to the people he HATES… the media.
Why? To me, it felt like Fergie wanted to put pressure on Wayne himself. I think that Wayne was standing behind his agent for so long in this situation that Fergie wanted to drag him right into the center of it. Then, when they finally got Wayne to sign a new five year deal, Ferguson has many times since had jabs here and there at Stretford and at agents in general for what they do to players and clubs. Clearly, Fergie puts the vast majority of blame on the agent, not the player. This is a man, who, if the best player in the world ever stepped out of line, he wouldn’t mind offloading him to another club and cashing in. He has done. Look at Beckham, we all love Beckham, but as soon as the boss and Beckham were at odds, it was over, it didn’t matter to Fergie what the millions of fans felt about it. Ruud is another example. Yet somehow, Fergie isn’t giving the same treatment to Wayne, not even near it. That speaks a lot.
A player holding out for a higher paying contract is hardly anything new. Remember Rio? However, these are different days. Players of Rooney’s class (form is temporary, class is permanent) can make a lot of money nowadays playing for teams that don’t mind breaking the bank. As I said in my post (and that nobody has seemed to try to debunk yet), Wayne could have made a metric ton of cash if he decided to cross to City. Not only would he be entitled to a giant cut of his transfer fee, he’d also be in a position to negotiation a multi-million signing-on fee and also get probably even more money than United are paying him right now every week. So if this was all about money, why didn’t he go to City???
Here’s a fact. Manchester United is a massive global brand, a billion-dollar entity that reaches all parts of the world. Why? Well there’s history of success, current success (or chance of success) and most importantly… individuals that are the face for the club. Players like Giggsy and Scholes are known everywhere and past greats like Best and Cantona are stuff of legend. Whether you like Wayne or not is irrelevant, he’s big business for Manchester United. Just his presence in the team is guaranteed revenue… guaranteed riches… for the owners of the club. Hundreds of millions in revenue go through Brand United every single year, and players like Wayne are to thank for that continued lifeblood to the giant. So do I think he was out of his rights to demand higher wages? Absolutely not. I do agree with you that how the situation was handled was less than helpful, but then his agent is known for creating trouble and even Fergie himself brought it public.
I’ll just say again that we just don’t know all the details. All we have is one report at a time citing different sources everywhere and we’ve heard it all, but we don’t know what really happened, only a handful of people do.
Now on his private life. Yes he cheated on his wife. What’s it to you? That’s between Wayne and Coleen. A lot of genuinely good people have cheated on spouses, it doesn’t make them demons. He was incredibly stupid if he ever thought he would get away with it, but then again footballers aren’t exactly known for being intelligent. I see people talking about him being morally bankrupt… if you do that, please come on down off your high horse and admit you know nothing about him and his wife, about their relationship and their history. I always see men loving to tout out “I would never do that to my wife… I would never cheat on my girlfriend…” and yada yada yada (make sure you say it loud enough for her to hear now…). It’s incredibly easy to say for a person living a more or less normal/average life, with a normal job, normal wage, normal family. You know… where women aren’t constantly trying to fuck you?
Whereas if you were known since you were a young teen as a shit hot striker and your whole life delved into the football scene from the pitch to the press, you’re not living that life. (I’m reminded of the Tiger Woods episode of South Park where the whole country of men, right up to the President, played dumb about rich successful men having affairs, eventually coming to the conclusion it was sex addiction brought on by aliens, instead of just admitting the obvious. They do it because they can.).
Also, Wayne was clearly targeted by these whores for fame (and why is it that we’ve forgotten about their part btw?). I’m not making excuses for the guy (it’s not even my place to anyway), I’m just sick of the constant judgment being passed on him by fans everywhere over something they shouldn’t be concerning themselves with, because it is literally none of their business what he does in his private life as long as it doesn’t harm you.
Also, how is being a fan superior to being a player anyway? Why is it that Wayne has to prove _everything_ to us? Why do people keep on spewing out sentimental tripe about the one-million-and-one things that have to be adhered to for a player to be accepted as a United player? The guy is contracted to kick a ball into the back of a net as often as possible, he didn’t actually marry any of us. Football is his job, he’s lucky enough to be able to make a living for his wife and kid (and his and her whole families) by playing football. But some of you guys seem to think it is necessary for him to literally be IN LOVE with United… like the pecking order is…. “United… Coleen… Kai….” …. like he must have this crazy rock hard erection for the badge on his chest before he’s good enough for YOU… then and only then will you respect him. The guy grew up an Everton fan, still describes himself as Evertonian and said his son will be no different…. sorry.
He’s also from Liverpool… that’s _LIVERPOOL_… scouseland. Yet that also only became something he was chided for by fans after this stuff happened. I mean, to the fans who chanted “you scouse bastard” when all of this news broke… who is really being two-faced? Whose disloyal now? Luckily, Wayne seems to have the support of the vast (that’s _VAST_) majority of the OT faithful. And he’s not going anywhere. So you might as well get used to it or write Manchester United a strongly worded letter.
Look, I could be wrong about this guy.. but the truth is… I only care about his football. His private life is not really my concern. Even with his football, whether he stays or leaves United is not something I’m ever going to be able to affect anyway. That’s the decision of two men… Wayne and Sir Alex.
I do think he does love playing for United and that’s just from all the moments I’ve seen him ecstatic on the pitch, and all the ten million times he has spoken fondly of United (compared to the one time he mentioned he had concerns over “ambition” and everyone had a shit attack… despite the fact that fans protest the Glazer ownership because of lack of investment… which is also a concern of ambition…). I could be wrong about that but at least I’ll admit it and admit pure ignorance to what’s going on in the land of Rooney.
Either way. He’s a Man Utd player. I’m a Man Utd fan and I have seen what this guy is capable of so I’m going to get behind him and let bygones be bygones and let him entertain me. Because really, that’s all he’s asked to do. He’s just a normal man. He’s not King Rooney.
Sorry for the length of post guys…. I write for a living so I tend to write a lot…. and I don’t mean to offend people, this is just how I feel about it. Oh and for the record, this comment is a response to comments, I’m not responding to his inclusion in the list above in the blog. Stats like that are important to have.
@timbo —
“@Dela. Funny how often people trundle out a million and one excuses for Rooney, but never gave Berba the slightest break until his recent purple patch finally managed to win over many of the doubters.”
Hey man you get no argument from me on that point. That’s entirely true. If Wayne hadn’t had the contract dispute but was still not scoring goals, he would have nowhere near the criticism Berba has gotten over the past couple of years.
I think there’s a mistake, how can both Robin van Persie and Salomon Kalou be ranked 22nd, one has 110.3 minutes per goal, the other has 179.4.
Robin van Persie(Arsenal)
Minutes: 882
Goals: 8
Minutes per goal: 110.3
League ranking: 22nd
Salomon Kalou (Chelsea)
Minutes: 1435
Goals: 8
Minutes per goal: 179.4
League ranking: 22nd
How long before the table reads:
1st Tevez
2nd Dzeko
3rd Balotelli
4th Silva
5th Yaya
6th Berbatov
2056 Rooney !!!!!!!!!! (The liability your stuck with thanks to the frightning K.I.B.’s Kids in Black). long live your KIB’s
the futures BLUE
Scott, you being the stat meister. Much critisism concerning Berbatov was his work rate, tackling and defensive runs.
If we look at Berbatov before the Liverpool game and after the Liverpool game, are there any differences in:
1) meters run during a game
2) Tackles won on opositions half (and therby counter attacks started)
3) Time on the ball (meaning shorter time on the ball, quicker passes and thereby quicker attacks)
4) Placing on the field
5) Number of defensive runs.
It seems to me that Berbatov now feels the United way of playing. It seems to me that he passes the ball faster, tackles more, runs more and is more central on the field (in more scring positions)
But I might be wrong.
Mr Mancini,
How about in a million years?
@Mr Mancini : If you havent noticed, the table actually reads something like this:
Manchester Utd. – Played 23; pts – 51
Aresenal – Played 23; pts – 46
City – Played 24; pts – 45
Come back when tt reads the other way. But, but if you keep trolling around on our blogs before that time comes, one day we are gonna pump so many holes in you, you wont know which one’s for speaking and which one’s for farting.
ohh wait…you talk outta your ass anyway!
Ohh hell, pardon my insensitivity, Mr. Mancini, I hadnt noticed you were asking us a question – “How long before the table reads…”
We actually got a banner at our stadium that gives you the answer….funny thing is it keeps changing every year
…Or you could take 42 as the answer
Mr Mancini’s making an ass out of himself again. Dzeko overtaking Berbatov? What an idiot.
Mark 7:51
The ranking is on number of goals scored and not the stat, both mentioned have 8 goals each, hence they have the same rank…..
Costas
I think he then woke up after writing that! lol
Mr Mancini probably gets bored as shitty not playing in midweek and on top of that he saw united winning again. What else can we expect from him.
Mr Mancini – With all the fighting going on at City I be surprised if anyone of the Man City players EVER get the golden boot.
They literally are all selfish and greedy. Those are qualities a striker needs sometimes but they have to be respected by their team mates. Berbatov is respected because of his effort and his persona. Not one of those players you mentioned are playing for City, they are playing for the money and what future club they’ll get transferred to.
Dimi wants to finish his career at United, I can’t see any of the players you just mentioned WANTING to finish their career at city, why would they? Seriously, fuck off you mug!
james
Hi mate, he is really not worth the effort you put in… He is just a wind up merchant.
2 words are usually enough for him, or better still is to ignore him
@Cedars
He has wet dreams then. I feel sorry for the teddy bear he sleeps with…
@MrMancini
Wishfull thinking. First things first, start by trying to beat teams like Villa and going to the Emirates playing for a point. (Then celebrating it!) It’s obvious United are getting to you lot again, as soon as we get a few points clear your on a United blog spouting off wishful stats and talking bollocks. When you finally come down off your crack pipe in your council house in Gorton you may then admit to yourself that it’s YOU who is worried and then understand the future is RED…..
@Dela at 7:39
Exactly. I said the same last night.
What a difference a couple months have been.
I ran through the Berba’s old articles and I wonder where these ‘United Loving’ fans are now ?
———————————
truereddevil says:
Scott,
After seeing Berb’s performance against Bolton a few games ago I said “wow – he is finally playing like a 30 million player.” However looking at every other performance apart from that – today included – I can’t see why you defend him so much.
I do not agree with our fans insulting him – not at all – however I equally disagree with you repeatedly defending him.
Despite all the presented statistics, Berb has been a waste of 30million. I truly hope Fergie gets rid of him this summer.
——————————-
weston24 says:
I became very frustrated with Tevez last season and was happy to see him go for the obvious reasons.
BUT, Tevez could always get IMPORTANT goals. He scored quite a few of them. Don’t think I can remember Berbs popping up with many? He had his chance to in massive games, where we really needed him to prove himself over the last 8 days but yet again he bottled it.
So many times we need late goals, we get into bad positions, to be a United striker you need to be able to keep going and have the belief that you can get the late, important goals. This is where Berbatov fails.
———————————
weston24 says:
I don’t agree with the booing however. He tries, it’s not his fault he just hasn’t got the right character to be a success at United.
——————————–
Unitedrock says:
Well, with the kind of form Tevez has been in and keep aside the behaviour of the fans and tevez during the last couple of months of previous season, wouldn’t we be inclined to say that Fergie made a wrong choice between Berba and Tevez? Wouldnt tevez have been a better backup to Roon than Berba?? I still think Berba is a great player but just not for United. United are too fast and pacy maybe and maybe tevez fitted that more than berba?
———————
The Shankill Skinhead says:
Totally concur with some of the comments above. Berbatov total waste of money and not up to it at all. But never ever go to a football match to watch manchester united and do that.
———————-
Isaidso says:
I wouldn’t say Berbatov deserved booing by the United faithful, but to be honest the Berbatov performances are embarrassing. He can’t seem to stay on his feet anymore, and especially at vital times in the area. The Blackburn fans were taking the piss out of him for a good part of the game, and the great man hiimself Sir Fergie is showing a lack of confidence in Berba unless he has to play him because there’s nobody else. He is left out of the big games, and I don’t buy this ‘Oh that’s because we are playing one striker on his own up front’. Berbatov has proved a talented player for other clubs he played for, but he doesn’t fit into our playing system really, and is somewhat of a square peg/round hole syndrome. While I don’t think it is fair to blame him alone for United’s end of season seemingly going TITS UP, he has hardly , even in the games he did score, covered himself in glory really. I don’t feel sorry for him though, because the person I feel sorry for Is Wayne Rooney, who played his arse off to keep us in all 3 competitions. In Rooney’s best season ever, he is likely to miss out on PL trophy as well as CL. We all saw how gutted Rooney was when we went out of CL on away goals rule!
——————–
I started following RoM actively only a couple months back but I’ve always have this soft spot for Berba. My friends (read: Chelski and Pool) were mocking how lucky United was to have some sort of primadona in time where we were deprived off world class stars (read: The Bitter twat and CR9). I swallowed it all, he didn’t score that much, but there was something about his touches, assists and all that, that wasn’t really tangible. He’s that kind of guy-before-the-assist-guy type.
Takes no genius to figure out why he wasn’t properly recognized.
But some of the commentators above, despite their so called justified opinions – Oh I love the guy bla bla bla but he’s just..
1. Waste of the 30 millions
2. Tevez gets IMPORTANT goals – Berba didn’t.
3. Doesn’t have the right character to succeed here.
4. This, my favourite – DIDN’T FERGIE MADE THE WRONG CHOICE BETWEEN HIM AND THE BITTER TWAT ?
5. Berba’s performances are EMBRASSING. I feel for Rooney who’s playing his arse off. We all saw how gutted Rooney was when we went out of CL on away goals rule!
My, my, my how a coupla months have brought a whole new twist (read: Bitter Twat, Roo and Berba’s form) and I just wish the guys above are still here and taking a look at their irking comments.
Who’s smiling now ? At least I know I have been one of his fan from the day he arrived.
Raizzen
That is some bloody fucking research mate! Well DONE!
I will be calling into a talk show today and my best buddy Andy (aka cunt) Townsend will be a guest…
Can you guys help me in getting a brief list of decisions that have gone AGAINST us this season?
Come on guys let me rub shit in his face……….
Costas, over to you mate
@Cedars
A penalty for Jonny Evans against Liverpool in the 2nd half of the cup game.
Rafael red at Spurs.
Bowyer’s goal at Birmingham.
Arsenal finishing the game at OT with 11 men.
Can’t think of any others, lol.
@Costas
That is more than enough my genius Greek stat friend…. They would probably cut me off half way through that list anyway! lol
Many thanks mate
@Cedars
No problem. The first 3 are stone wall. The 4th one is a bit debatable, but truth is that they escaped quite a few yellows. But then they might point at Rio’s kick at Sagna, so better ignore the last, lol.
Does it have to be from this season? We could always point to the Chelsea games. Those were some major decisions…
@Costas
It does not have to be from this season, but those idiots have such short memories when it comes to United….lol… If I highlight the Chelsea ones from last season they might accuse me of being a sore loser, so best ignore that
I will take your advice and stick with the first three…..
Raizzen – You fucking star mate! hhmm Strange where are they now? To be fair I think Shankhill skinhead held his hands up!
Good luck CedarsDevil. Give ‘em hell!
smartalex
You bet I will mate, thanks
Raizzen and King Eric … yeah, skankhill skinhead did hold his hand up. So did several others who weren’t mentioned in raizzen’s post. But still, as a general observation, raizzen is spot on.
Timbo – Stop be a condescending prick mate. People on here never give Berbatov a break? Absolute nonsense. I think if you look at old threads, you’ll see there were people on here, like Costas, KE, Sanj, Fze123, NRD, RedScot, Park life, GHTT, AIG, Kings, myself and of course, STR. I’m sure there’s many more, but I can’t remember at this time. Rooney was our best player last season, no doubt about that. He’s had a nightmare since the Bayern Munich game, with one disaster after another, but you trying to dismiss the lad, as if he’s never mattered that much, is not on mate.
Just got the new Fifa 12, it’s soo realistic!
When my wife picks up the controller Andy Gray tells her to ‘Get back in the fucking kitchen!!’
Willie
I cannot believe I have read 5 lines or so from you mate! Yet no mention of myself…. I am sad
Well said though
@Park Life
Hahahaha!
Yeah, willie wrote more than 4 lines. What’s up with that?
Just kidding.
CedarsDevil – I meant at the height of the Berba bashing, last year. The Blackburn game was the pinnacle of the hate directed at Berbatov, now he’s making fans, like CROoney change their opinions on him.
Hush Willie, seems like Timbo knows everything…
Rooney bossed some games this season. some amazing passing & assists aplenty too. Don’t shit on him 4 a poor game.. Fair enough he’s paid for goals blah blah.. but that’s what people used to say about Berba when he was top for assists and look at him now!
What is with Football pundits/fans not recognizing the importance of assists??? I swear Opta only started counting them a couple of years ago!?
Who would Michael Jordan be without Scottie Pippen?? Carl Malone without John Stockton?? Shit, I am Old!!haha
willie – Go on son, you tell him. He only comes on here to slag Wayne.
Willie
You owed me no explanation mate, I was only being sarcastic as usual…. Thanks for the post, I really appreciate it my friend
Hakeem Olajuwon without Sam Cassell…
Park Life – Ha. Comedy gold.
Mr Mancini – Fuck off you bitter cunt. Why are you incessantly on here? Prick. Six points clear with a game in hand and when we smash your defensive shite at OT on 12 Feb thats TWELVE points clear son. Do one .
King Eric – I don’t his logic mate. On the one hand, he’s saying fans never Berbatov a break. But, with the other hand, he’s laying into Rooney lol. Don’t get me wrong, Wayne hasn’t helped himself, with the contract nonsense, but he’ll come good and the same fans that are castigating him now, will be hailing him once again.
Mr Mancini is probably more bitter than usual because they realize that they can’t show the league table after their games at the Wastelands anymore. It was nice while it lasted. Just like every delusion…
@willie
I always try to defend our players, but part of timbo’s post isn’t wrong. If Rooney hadn’t pulled his crap last fall, you wouldn’t find so much critisism for his poor form in here..
Costas – Yeah, but we’ve had this discussion before. Your status within the team, sometimes dictates this. I understand fans are pissed off with Rooney, but Timbo seems to be dismissing Rooneys overall contribution to Unites success. I’m not gonna apologize to anyone for being a Rooney fan, that’s just not gonna happen mate. At the same time, I’m also a Berbatov fan. We should try and get behind all our players. If the boss and the player have forgiven Rooney, why can’t we?
Costas – Ha. They will show the league table from third place down now!!
@willie
I think Berbatov should have also been given the benefit of the doubt more often because he needed time to adjust. He never got that. Fans aren’t always fair and if Rooney is judged based on what happened last fall, that’s not fair either. Like you, I want to get behind all of our players.
@KIng Eric
Doen’t surprise me. Their website does such a thing anyway!
I do try at times… Slow day at work!! woohoo!!
All the more time to read comments from some of my favourite people on this planet! and cuss a bitter for the fuck of it!
FUCK OFF MANCINI!!!haha Dzeko is Peter Crouch’s somewhat over-developed twin brother! with LESS skill!!haha gimme a break! and BallyTelly… Bitch please is all I can muster..
You can tell he ws one of the cunts with abuse at the ready until Berba scored our winner..hahahahaha
That is how it feels to be shitty!!! hahaha
@ Costas, Sam Cassell?? Wooahh!! You are goin OL SKOOOOL my friend!!
Btw, off topic, anyone here on Fifa 11 (PS3)???
baggsy being United!lol
Costas – As you know, I never judged the Berb on his goals. As I’ve said a million times, he’s much more than a goal scorer mate. If other fans judged him on goals, that’s there personal opinion.
@Park Life
Following your lead.
@willie
I know. I wasn’t talking about you in particular. Just about the mood of sections of the blog in regards to him.
@ FletchTHEMAN
First of all, please guys, stop call Berbratov ‘mitkA’… MitkO is the correct spelling. In bulgarian, MitkA is a female version of his name (I know you probably didnt know that, but thats the truth, lol).
But regarding Tevez, your arguments are spot on (of course). I wonder how is it possible one not to understand the importance of the player’s attitude?!? Tevez is a textbook example for a money-grabbing, self-obsessed egomaniac (latino version – perfectly
). And thats exactly the opposite to Fergie’s philosophy.
Martin Tyler:
“I looked at Dimitar Berbatov’s record against the top teams, he has netted at least once against each of them in the Premier League, at an average of 0.27 goals per game.
v Arsenal: 1 goal in 7 games
v Chelsea: 2 goals in 7 games
v Liverpool: 3 goals in 7 games
v Man Utd: 1 goal in 3 games
v Tottenham: 1 goal in 6 games
Overall, he has now faced 28 teams in the Premier League and excluding the five mentioned above he has managed 57 goals in his 123 appearances against the other teams. That’s a strike rate of 0.46 goals per game, which is much higher than against the so-called “big clubs”.
Overall, he averages 0.42 goals per game, but perhaps it is no surprise that this figure drops in the tougher fixtures.”
smartalex – His record against the better teams, when he was at Spurs was very good. His goal scoring isn’t that shabby, for someone who’s not deemed a goal scorer.
willierednut – Agreed. And it seems that his goal scoring ratio is on the up.
It compares well with Eric Cantona (similar striker?) 0.44 average (64 in 143)
Well done to Berba and Chico but Rooneys stats are terrible. I hate to see the abuse Berba would get if he’d been having a season like him.
What’s really annoying me about this Rooney issue is the amount of people backing him. Dont get me wrong I normally never criticise any player that pulls on the shirt like a lot of people do with Gibson, O’shea etc.. which I disagree with but Rooney doesn’t deserve to be at the club full stop.
Let’s face it, the previous 2 seasons when Berba wasn’t exactly hitting the heights he is now he got slaughtered let right and centre, despite the fact his contribution was more and still is more than a goal scorer. We where told with Berba assists aren’t enough and he doesn’t warrant a position at the club. Let me ask this then, why is assists enough for Rooney in that case?
It goes deeper than that obviously, IMO he could score 40 goals and get 40 assists a season and still hate him for what he done to the club. Can’t ever forgot the look on Fergies face when he had to take that press conference after the ambition shite Rooney was spouting.
A lot of people are chosing to blame his agent and ‘modern day footballers’ for all that happening which we all like to have a moan about but ffs, how can you complain about these things and still chant his name, back him when he doesn’t justify his salary (maybe to the Glazers for commercial value but not on the field), it’s hyprocracy of the highest order.
I for one want to see him gone in the summer, he’s scouse, he cheats on his wife and kids with whores, he drags the club through the dirt (our own mini John Terry) then he has to cheek not to justify his wage.
In short, i’m not interested in seeing Rooney play on the left, right, centre, Spain would be more interesting and dont let the door hit your arse on the way out.
@kylelaw84 … I get where you’re coming from, and agree with many of the points you raise. But on the other side of it, SAF could just have told Rooney to fuck off right then and there. And with most players, he might just have done that, purely on principle. He could have let Rooney go to shitty (or wherever), and could have milked shitty of their unearned money, and that would more than have paid for a high-profile replacement. But for whatever reason, he fought and haggled to keep Rooney at the club. If SAF thinks it was worth it, that means something. Doesn’t it?
As for the apparent double-standard of some fans over Berbatov’s form in his first two years, and Rooney’s form now, I’m with you on that all the way. But for those of us who supported Berbatov and stood up for him right through it all, I think there are two ways we can approach this.
One is to say: After all the shit Berba copped, it’s only fair to dump on Rooney now.
The other is to say: I stood up for Berbatov, now I’m going to give Rooney the same leeway.
I prefer the second approach. You clearly prefer the first — and that’s OK, each to his own.
I despise Rooney for what he did, to us, to his family, all of it. He’s a mean, greedy, despicable man, and not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, either. But he’s also a superbly talented (naturally talented) footballer with boundless enthusiasm and energy, and though he ain’t scoring goals now and hasn’t done for some time, we all know what he’s capable of — because we’ve all seen him do it. Not a question of “potential” or “promise”, but for real. And I do like the way he and Berbatov have been combining recently, and I do think that to get the best out of Berbatov, he needs a partner — even a partner who isn’t scoring himself. Berba + Chicha works well, but right at the minute, I reckon Chicha is better coming off the bench, when the defense is already tired. I dunno, I just feel that when I’ve seen him start, he tends to be less effective over 90 minutes than he is over 25. Berbatov + Rooney (with Rooney playing center and back from Berba), followed by Berba + Chicha, works for me.
StatesideAussie – took 5 weeks to get back to you, sorry.
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/stats-minutes-per-goal-for-rooney-carroll-berb-tevez-drogba-chicharito/
“The other is to say: I stood up for Berbatov, now I’m going to give Rooney the same leeway”.
Nail on the fucking head Stateside mate.
Alot of those slating Wayne assume we ALL slated Berbatov. Not true.
SmartAlex, mate, I’m not looking for a fight, and I do actually enjoy many of your posts, but I’m really not sure what you’re apologizing for or what point you’re trying to make. In that thread five weeks ago, I had to go at people who were still slagging Berbatov, even after he scored 5 goals in one match, because it seemed to me that many of the arguments people used were getting more and more fucking desperate … clutching at straws that ever more obscure. Then, in that thread, you made a post that seemed to be saying his stats weren’t that great, because “If Berbatov hadn’t scored 5…” his minutes per goal stat wouldn’t look so hot. I said then, and still think, that was one of the dumbest posts I’ve ever seen. But that’s OK, because we all say dumb things from time to time (I’ve made a few crackers myself), and part of the reason for coming to a forum like this (for me, anyway) is to share opinions and learn from what others think too.
But I don’t understand how you are getting back at me today. I haven’t said anything today, or ever, that contradicts what I said then. All I said today is that I’m prepared to give Rooney the same leeway that I gave Berbatov over the previous two years … which is that even he wasn’t scoring goals, I stuck up for him because I could see that (a) he had the talent and would eventually start scoring, and (b) that even when he wasn’t scoring enough, he was still making a valuable and important contribution to our team. And that’s what I’m saying about Rooney now, so I don’t know what you’re on about.
King Eric – Please don’t compare the two.
1. Berbatov scored LOADS more goals, even during his worst season, than Rooney has this season. Just 1 from open play. ONE GOAL?! Fucking hell. That is an absolutely woeful record.
2. Berbatov didn’t claim the club didn’t match his ambition, try and leave United for another club, then hold the club to ransom over his salary.
To say that Berbatov was worthy of the defence given to him, so Rooney is as well, isn’t strictly true. Defend Rooney all you like but he is far more deserving of criticism this season than Berbatov ever has been or will be.
oops … clutching at straws that *were* ever more obscure…
@Scott … in fairness to King Eric, he was quoting me. OK, he was agreeing with me too, but it was me who made the statement. As for his last sentence, it is true that “A lot of those slating Wayne assume we ALL slated Berbatov.”
All the points you made are also true. No arguments with what you said. Even in his worst season, Berbatov did score loads more goals than Rooney has this season. And right, Berbatov never tried to hold us to ransom. And as I said in my earlier, post I hate Rooney for all of that. And (just a guess) I bet SAF hated it all too … we all know SAF doesn’t suffer that sort of shit lightly. In fact, I am struggling to remember any other case where SAF hasn’t just fucked the player off over that sort of shit. So all I’m saying is that while I never again look at Rooney as I once did, as long as SAF thinks he should be in the club and in the team, because SAF obviously believes that is in the best interests of the team, then I am prepared to go along with that. I know others aren’t — and that’s fine too. It would be a pretty sad blog if we all just agreed with each other all the time.
StatesideAussie
Peace brother. I have total respect for who you are. Your points of view are always considered and supported. You are a true United fan, and mostly I agree totally with your posts.
It is odd of me to be referring to an article from weeks ago. There is no connection intended between that day and this.
I belatedly stumbled upon StR and your response to my post that day. Upon reviewing it I realized how stupidly I had made my semi-relevant point. I feel that my non-response to you and StR on the original day is ignoring the criticism that I welcome, even crave. Narcissistically believing that you have an opinion of me, I seek to amend it.
SmartAlex, no worries, I clearly misunderstood what you meant when you said it took five weeks to “get back” … I thought you meant you were getting back *at* me, and didn’t see how lol. I went back to that old post and can see your last updated response there … cheers.
Cheers StatesdeAussie!
‘No worries’ put me right back down under for a moment. I was lucky enough to spend 3 months on the East coast ten years ago. Loved it!
Smartalex is feeling sheepish.
Brilliant comment willierednut! Exactly!
On a new thread, ram being sheeps kin covers ewe.
Eh Scott mate I have NEVER slagged Berbatov as you know. I don’t slag any player that pulls on a red shirt. You know that pal.
Stateside – cheers fella.
Oh and Scott I agree mate. Rooney is FAR more deserving of stick. I will defend any player as you are well aware over the last 3 years or so .
@willie … just reading back through this thread … you made some great posts, really top stuff.
@timbo … I know you’re a Berba supporter, and that’s great. Me too, ever since he joined the club. I read that comment you refer to, about blinkered horses. According to you: “Berba was too polite to say so the other day, but his comment about ‘certain players’ playing like blinkered horses near goal was doubtless aimed at Rooney, as well as Nani.”
Listen, I love the guy as much as you do, really, but I think you’re twisting his words here. Because, first of all, he never used the expression “certain” players (which makes it sound like he was referring to a few specific, particular individuals), and secondly, he didn’t refer to them doing this specifically “near goal”, and thirdly, I don’t see anything in his comment to support your interpretation that he was making some sort of veiled reference to Rooney, Nani or anyone on our team. He was just talking in general, about types of players. For the record, here is his exact quote, cut and paste from the Independent:
“Sometimes you get players who are blinkered like horses, can only see straight ahead, and when they turn, their whole heads turn, but then there are other players who have [peripheral] vision. Without even looking left or right they know what to do, what to do with the ball. I try to be like that.”
As a former journalist and editor, I can’t see anything in his quote that supports your interpretation. If you choose to think that Rooney and Nani match the type of player he was talking about, that’s fine, you can say so. But the way you did it, was like you’re trying to make out that what’s Berbatov himself was actually hinting at: “nudge-nudge, wink-wink, and we all know who I’m talking about, don’t we?” It’s damn close to putting words into Berbatov’s mouth to support what *you* think, and I find that annoying.
StatesideAussie – Cheers mate. Rooney will produce the goods, he’s too good a player not to.
On the evening shift how are we all tonight ?
Remember a lot of you calling the Bulgarian chap a lazy tw*t not so long ago, and if he did half the running as young Wayne he would be twice the player, how times change !
Young Wayne is now a forgotton man struggling on by, his past a distant memory his future unclear but thanks to his fantastic agent and a manager terrified of loosing control, your left with a player that at this moment is a several miles away from where he was 12 months ago.
Off topic but how long does it take to get from Cambridge to Manchester ?
What ever happened to WAYNE ROONEY the national treasure ?
Serious Topic:
Will Wayne Rooney ever be any good again ?
Mr mancini. Why the fuck is it any concern of yours you cunt? Fuck off to a bitter blog.
A song by Mr Mancini: ….. (thanks to Chicago)
Many hours to contemplate
Many dreams I can’t recall
Many nights I’ve felt I was too small
Nothing more than a loser with a broken heart, yea
Nothing more than a loser with a broken heart, yea
It’s a hard and bitter world
When you face reality
And it’s hard to be who you want to be
Oh
Many miles of memories
Catch the wind and blow away
But I know that it’s over, over anyway
Oh
Nothing more than a loser with a broken heart, yea
Nothing more than a loser with a broken heart, yea
But tonight I sit and wonder why
I’m a loser
how long does it take to get to swindon lads ?
Mr Mancini probably didn’t have any customers tonight.
A headless chicken.
x
He is so exhausted from his job he can’t even write. Go to sleep. You have plenty of wet dreams awaiting you. Dzeko outscoring Berbatov and an 85000 empty seater stadium, lol.
Mr Mankini epitomizes Scott’s : This is how it feels to be City series – so desperate to smell the sweet scent of success, even hanging out in a United’s blog would do.
Cunt cunt cunt.
We’ll worry about Rooney. You go worry about.. Come to think of it, there’s no player you would be worrying about being snatched away from u – a bunch of highly paid/overrated wankers.
Just wait and see, Wayne will come good at the right time, just when United need it the most. Just wait and see. Save all the posts made by Mr. Mancini
I’ve been vaiting since 8:51. Vot is going on?
Shoulda swapped rooney for Carragher’s bit on the side, looks like he’s off to Chelski. We’ve seen the best of both “pwayers”but Torres has always been a much more natural finisher than the Ambitious Whore.
TWAT.