Like many other United fans, I’d laughed off rumours linking Wayne Rooney with a move away from the club. Granted, it was odd that he had claimed that he’d never been injured, contrary to what Sir Alex Ferguson had said in the press, particularly because we all saw him icing his injury after coming off with an hour played against Bolton, but nothing too out of the ordinary and certainly not a cause for concern.
When United conceded a two goal advantage at home to West Brom, the Stretford End started chanting for Rooney to come on. Despite only scoring one goal by that point, a penalty back in August, there was the belief that he could come on and change the game. That belief was misguided though, Rooney played as he had all season and United drew 2-2.
Still, we all knew it was a long season and that he’d been struggling with injuries, regardless of what he claimed, and we hoped we’d see him at his best again soon.
I was out of the country when Ferguson then announced that Rooney did not want to sign a new contract and was planning to leave the club. In hindsight, it was probably for the best, as the thought of him leaving was doing my head in. I didn’t adore him the way I did before learning about him regularly sleeping with a prostitute behind his pregnant wife’s back but I still loved him as a United player and couldn’t believe he wanted out.
He had worn that ‘once a blue, always a blue’ shirt in Everton’s youth team but I hadn’t seen his departure from them as a complete betrayal. He wasn’t getting along with the manager, Everton were fighting relegation and he knew he had the ability to be playing for a club that was competing for league titles and European Cups. Maybe the right and fair thing to do would have been to stay there a bit longer but his agent, Paul Stretford, will have been bending the teenager’s ear, telling him that opportunities to play for club like Manchester United don’t come around too often, so he left. His decision was vindicated with all the medals he’s won since, not just as a part of the team, but a driving force behind the success.
All fans want to believe their players feel a connection with the club and fans. Despite being a scouser, Rooney seemed to genuinely get what was special about United. He kissed our badge, claimed he wanted to see out his career with us, that Sir Alex was the greatest manager and that he wanted to be regarded a United legend like Ryan Giggs and David Beckham. Foolishly we believed all of that. He had played the loyalty card at Everton before ditching them, so should we have been surprised he was doing it to us too?
As well as utter disappointment and extreme anger, it was hard to escape the embarrassment of the whole situation.
“There’s been no falling out,” Ferguson said. “That’s why we need to clarify the situation now for our fans. Because what we saw on Saturday was unacceptable. When we were at 2-2 and the fans were chanting for Wayne Rooney, it put pressure on the players and it didn’t do any good for the team.”
Cringe. There were our fans, chanting Rooney’s name, urging him to come off the bench and save the day, when behind the scenes he had told our manager he wanted to leave the club. Deeper than this, we’d all made our love for him well known, returning the strong feeling he’d lead us to believe he felt for our club, and to now know we’d been taken for mugs was just totally embarrassing.
“He said he wanted to stay for life,” Ferguson continued. “We were honouring that request from Wayne to stay at the club, at the club he loved. He said the best thing he’d ever done was to sign for Manchester United.”
The more cynical amongst us might claim it was an Oscar winning performance from the manager, but at the time it was painful to watch. He looked a broken man, confused by what was going on, feeling betrayed and disillusioned with the direction football was heading in. Maybe it was a bit of both, with the manager thinking carefully before hand exactly how this announcement needed to come across, whilst not being able to disguise the genuine feelings of hurt and disappointment.
But more to the confusion, which I think was entirely genuine, with the manager having gotten wind of the tapping up by Manchester City.
“We don’t understand it,” he said. “I can’t answer any questions about why he is doing it. We can speculate. We can have opinions. It won’t matter a dickie-bird, simply because the player is adamant he wants to leave. I was dumbfounded, I couldn’t understand it at all because only months before he’d said he was at the biggest club in the world and he wanted to stay for life. We just don’t know what’s changed the boy’s mind. I was shocked.”
Rooney’s image has always been of a street footballer, who loved the game, who would play for free, who was only happy when he was on the football pitch banging in goals. I’m not suggesting Rooney doesn’t love the game, course he does, but we were beginning to see the side of Rooney that wasn’t dissimilar to pretty much every footballer these days. Of course he wants to play and score goals, but money is the priority. It turns out he wasn’t special and he wasn’t a rare breed of footballer. The picture we’d had painted of Rooney and the character we had all believed in turned out to be just a myth.
Still, in Rooney’s statement, he insisted it was nothing to do with money, rather trophies. Just five months earlier, United had finished the season just one point away from winning a record four titles in a row, as well as lifting the League Cup. Was it inconceivable to think that winning trophies was still very much a likelihood at Manchester United under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson?
“For me its all about winning trophies – as the club has always done under Sir Alex,” Rooney said. “Because of that I think the questions I was asking were justified.”
It all felt like a bad dream and when news emerged that City were his club of choice, things couldn’t get any worse. The mind spiralled, thinking to the future, imagine the stick he’d get from our fans in their shirt and in turn, he’d kiss their badge to rile us, just as he had done to Everton. Thinking of all the mocking City fans as Rooney guided them to their first trophy in over three decades, celebrating with Carlos Tevez, with a chorus of “once a blue, always a blue” ringing in our ears. It was unbearable.
Just as we’ve seen with Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres in recent weeks, footballers seemingly have an inability to be honest with the fans, the mugs who pay their wages. Even after Carroll had signed for Liverpool, he was trying to con the Geordies in to thinking if it had been down to him, he would have stayed.
“I was in talks about a new contract and talking to the gaffer about that,” said Carroll. “He told me that they are now not going to give me a contract. So I asked why and he said his hands were tied. He said it wasn’t up to him. Then a £35m bid got accepted. And then I was allowed to talk to Liverpool. So being shown I’m not wanted I said OK I will talk to them. Then suddenly the bid was rejected. And then Derek asked me to hand in a transfer request. So I was pushed into a corner and had no choice.”
There are a few things that don’t add up though. Carroll signed a new five year deal just three months ago, so why was he talking to Pardew about a new contract? Also, if you don’t want to leave the club, why hand in a transfer request just because you’re asked to?
Pardew shed light on the situation, answering these questions. “There was an offer refused in the morning and then we received a second improved offer,” he explained. “Myself, Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias were having a discussion when Andy Carroll poked his head around the door and said he wanted to see me. I had the conversation with Andy. He said he wanted a new contract now that would make him the highest paid player at the club. This from a guy who had signed a new deal just a few months ago. We had a conversation about him wanting a new contract, even though he signed on in October, and (he said) if he didn’t get that contract, he wanted to go. We didn’t force anybody to leave. I disagree with that point. He had a contract here for five years, and at some point it would get renewed, but for him to sign in October and it get renewed in January – where would it stop? Personally, I’m disappointed. He’s a lovely lad, and I really like him, but it was his decision, and you can’t change that.”
Just like Carroll wanted the fans to believe it wasn’t his own greed, rather what was going on behind the scenes that meant he had to leave, Rooney tried a similar trick. Pretending that Sir Alex had just fabricated Rooney’s injury indicated there had been some falling out. In his statement to the press when he confirmed he wanted to leave, he reinforced this lie.
“Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me from the day he signed me.”
Like Pardew with Carroll, Ferguson was able to shed light on the situation and help explain why Rooney said what he did. “Why he was saying he wasn’t injured, you can only guess yourself. It’s disappointing,” Ferguson said. “We’ve never had any argument, not a bit. I think you have to understand the mechanics of these situations when people want to leave the club. It’s an easy one to say he’s fallen out with the manager, a very easy one to say.”
What changed his mind? We can only speculate. Maybe it was the angry mob showing up at his doorstep letting him know what he could expect if he signed for City. Maybe it was the improved contract. Maybe it was because being exposed as a money-hungry traitor was too big a hit for Brand Rooney to sustain so soon after the prostitute story. Who knows?
Now all of that sets the scene for the past few months, where Rooney has failed to live up to the expectation he created for himself. To claim a club like Manchester United doesn’t match his ambition indicates he is the dog’s bollocks. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is some kind of footballing freak/robot, Rooney put himself out there as a player who deserved to be the best paid in the league and certainly the top earner at United. If you do that, you have to come up with the goods.
Whilst Rooney has 10 assists to his name in the 16 league games he’s played, he has only scored 4 goals (one of those a penalty as well as missing a penalty against Arsenal). There have been some games when he’s been pushed out to the left and others where he has put in a really good shift, despite not getting a goal.
Whilst of course assists are an important part of the game and his vision and selflessness should be praised, the fairly awful Andrey Arshavin has assisted more goals than Rooney this season whilst West Brom’s Chris Brunt has assisted just as many. Whilst we can be glad he’s playing some role in our success, it’s hard to argue assisting goals but hardly scoring is the performance level you’d expect of someone earning £180k a week. The top salaries are reserved for the best players, the ones who can grab a game by the nuts and turn it in to a victory, who can drag an under-performing team over the finish line for the three points. Has Rooney been doing that this season?
I don’t believe in needless criticism of our players and I have been called a hypocrite for giving Rooney a hard time when I have been so staunch in my defence of Dimitar Berbatov over the years. There are several striking differences between the two situations.
Firstly, Berbatov has never endured such a goal drought in all of his seasons at the club. In his first season, Berbatov had scored 6 goals in the league by February (as well as 4 goals in the Champions League and 1 in the FA Cup against Spurs). In his second season, he had scored 8 goals in the league by February. Rooney has scored 3 goals from opening play and a penalty (as well as a penalty in the Champions League).
Secondly, Berbatov never asked for the pressure of a £30m price tag, he simply wanted to play for Manchester United. In contrast, Rooney has brought the pressure of ‘value for money’ on himself by holding the club to ransom over his £180k a week pay rise. If you are going to back the club in to a corner over your salary, you have to deliver.
Thirdly, Berbatov was given the option of earning more money at Manchester City but he didn’t even bother to meet with them. Even if he had no intention of signing for them, just having a word with Mark Hughes would have put pressure on United to up their offer. He wasn’t interested though. In contrast, whether you believe City were Rooney’s club of choice or not, what cannot be denied is the fact he was in talks with at least one other club behind United’s back. You don’t announce in October that you want to leave unless you’ve agreed a deal elsewhere. If you are going to fuck the club over, it stands to reason the fans should expect you to do something to make things right.
If you are going to behave the way Rooney has, treating the fans and club in the manner he has, then you have to do the business on the pitch to make amends and earn the top contract you’ve forced the club in to offering. I’ll never feel about him the way I did but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be over the moon if he’d banged in 30 goals this season. For as long as he’s a United player, I want him to do well, as it would be madness to wish for anything else. But he’s not doing it on the pitch and he deserves the criticism for that. Had he not revealed to the world he wanted to leave the club, this barren patch would be frustrating and would have brought about some criticism, but the defence fans gave him would be more justified. But how can anyone claim he doesn’t deserve to be criticised after trying to leave the United, agreeing a deal with another club, holding United to ransom over a massive salary, and then only scoring 4 goals by February?! 4 goals?? Marlon Harewood, Robert Huth, Kenwyne Jones and Craig Gardner are amongst the players in our league to better that this season, whilst Jermaine Beckford, Joey Barton, Dirk Kuyt and Kieran Richardson have all scored as many goals as him. Whatever you want to say about him not always playing in his favoured position, 3 goals from open play and 1 penalty is not anywhere near the standards he lead us to believe we should expect for £180k a week. He’s had close to £3m in wages alone since penning that deal.
United lost on Saturday and I’m not putting this at Rooney’s doorstep. As we have been saying all season, our midfield just isn’t strong enough. We’re of course held back by the absence of Antonio Valencia and Ji-Sung Park, as well as the long term absence of Owen Hargreaves, but Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick just haven’t been pulling their weight, Darron Gibson is struggling to prove he is anything like United quality, Paul Scholes has yet to reach top gear since returning from his lengthy spell out with injury, with Anderson the only positive, although still some way off what we would hope to expect he could be like at his best. Every away game we’re getting battered in the centre of the park and struggling to get the ball to our strikers. Rooney’s all round game wasn’t great against Wolves but whose was, and how can we expect him to score if the midfield can’t get the ball to him? But like Ronaldo between 2007 and 2009, we should be entitled to expect Rooney to help get us points even when we don’t deserve them. When the rest of the team is having an off day, as our star man, he should be raising the performance level. Has he done that since signing his new contract?
For the past few weeks, every misplaced pass of his or off target attempt has resulted in the Stretford End chanting Rooney’s name. When Rooney has been involved in the build up of a goal, fans are singing for him instead of the goalscorer. I can’t be alone in thinking this is utterly bizarre behaviour. Why on earth is he deserving of more support than any of our other players? I’m not saying boo him, I’m not saying get on his case every time he passes to the opposition or shoots wildly over the bar, but when the likes of Berbatov and Nani are scoring and assisting goals every week and get very little recognition, it becomes fairly ridiculous.
We’ve got three months until the end of the season and the team closest to us is four points behind. Obviously that makes us favourites but it doesn’t mean it’s in the bag. Saturday was a brilliant opportunity for us to stretch our lead at the top and we blew it. The games are only going to get more difficult and we need our players to step up to the plate. As a team, we need that desire and grit, but we need our special individuals in particular to shine. Now is the time, at long last, for Rooney to show that our club was right to bend over backwards and beg him not to leave us. We want that 19th title and Rooney owes it us to be driving force behind that, not just a well paid passenger.
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Scott – in summary, well balanced article. You started off a bit like a broken record, but the last 3 paragraphs made absolute sense. I for one, would be willing to forget (maybe not forgive, but forget) the past if he started to show some form. And I dont understand the fans’ disproportionate adulation for rooney, to the disadvantage of berba and nani. I doubt that it makes a big difference to them, but still, it would be good to see credit going where its due.
We have to believe in SAF , He thinks he will come good, he is usually right. I also think if there was a good time to loose if might have been Saturday , it’s off are back now and they know the have to beat City. There would of been extra incentive for City to win , to be the first team to beat us ect . There is no better place for Rooney to shine than Saturday let hope he does.
pheeewww….what a long read. But i do agree with the points being mentioned here….rooney doesn’t deserve 180K per week if he cant come up with the goods…i bet he will be sold this summer.
Spot on. I’m turning against him now.
I think most united fans think the same as you do.
Although I don’t know how we should be handling this as a club. To me it seems that letting him sit on the bench might work. The game after he was subbed off for Hernandez he scored 2, so I’m guessing it might have an effect on him if he believes he wont be getting games.
But it seems like the boss is now playing him to justify the money he’s getting.
Paddy Evra doesn’t even have his own chant while Mr. Ambition’s name is sung thrice a game after doing fuck all the entire season. Disappointing.
Well said Scott, my thoughts exactly.
It still annoys me that he is cheered more than Berbatov, who truly believes he is at the pinnacle of football at our great club. Rooney on the other hand treated us like shit.
Onwards to City anyway, looking forward is the only way.
totally agree, I will never sing his name again, EVER. I will cheer any goal he scores of course but fort he team, not him. Why does he get so many chants when we seem to have none for Evra and Hernandez?! Those two need good chants asap!
Sell him in the Summer while we could still get good coin for him. Send a proper message out.
2-0 down to Blackpool, sub Rooney off for Hernandez and the flood gates open.
1-0 to Wolves, sub off Berbatov for Hernandez and we don’t get a single shot on or off target for remainder of game.
Agree totally. Look forward to Rooneys hat-trick on Saturday to banish all the negative thoughts associated with the past year. ‘They have got Curly Watts as a celebrity fan’……
Fuck me Scott that was a long read, I agree with Jeet the last 3 paragraphs held the message, my fear is I don’t always see a player who wants to stay, on occasion he can be dazzling he was mighty against Villa and has been ok in other games however against Blackpool and then Wolves he played with the same body language as Torres did before he got his move, not scientific I agree but I don’t like what I see.
The recent signing of a new deal could easily have been as result of the night time visit and if so that doesn’t mean he wants to stay, it means he’s scared to move! I hope I’m worng but what is the point of keeping a player however good who doesn’t what to be here and who’s head is all over the place.
Another issue maybe and again this is total guess work, do you remember how the pressure of the prozzie story breaking got too him, well there are rumours of another unamed UTD international involved in a similar scenario, could it be him again with just more stories coming out of the woodwork.
All of the above I admit could completely wrong but something is definatley still wrong with him.
Regarding Rooney, I think we have ourselves to blame. Conduct all the analysis we want into his psyche, but the fact remains – we begged him to stay and bribed him with a massive package. He owes United a debt of honour, no doubt, but who is going to whip him into shape? You must admit that Rooney does not fear SAF anymore, when he knows full well that SAF was the first to blink in the standoff.
I know it’s sacrilege to say so here, but one must admire the hated scousers for what they have done with Torres. No player should be bigger than the club. There will be plenty of talented strikers who would give an arm to play for United.
mattbw7 – Agree totally with your assessemnt. Rooney should be happy and blazing goals left right and centre. There is something off with him and, if we are stuck with him, the gaffer needs to find out what’s the root of the bother.
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Rooney wasnt there on Saturday ,why Berba was subbed rather than Rooney ill never know ? Rooney is our very own ” Roy of the Rovers ” player when his head and fittness are together . He hasnt won me back over . Both he and his carpet Bagger , vacum salesman agent . Can take themselves off elsewhere when they are ready. Im convinced Fergie has players in the wings who are not available yet (cup tied etc) Thats the reason we have stood by him . As your headline suggests if he expects the Mega bucks then he should deliver the goods ! A final thought i do not believe he has total respect from the dressing room . He will never be Cantona , Giggs etc just a scouse who played for us in a mercenary capacity.
Hernandez should be the one earning what Rooney is earning. He should be starting ahead of him too. The guy is in a tight corner after holding the club to ransom for increased wages. Prove it Ogre!
Rooney has just lost all his aggression – if a defender goes through him he almost shakes his hand WTF – its like he’s on Prozac or something
He should have been taken off at half time against Wolves – why? Berbatov gave him a slide rule pass and he was through on goal and fucking blew it – no bottled it – all he had to do was control the ball and bang – no composure
to take Berbatov off and leave that mercenary Scouse twat on was unbelievable – Fergie’s idea of giving him a lift no doubt – well it backfired badly
Jesus Wept
Im a fan of Manchester United, NOT a fan of individual players. They come and go, some legends who get idolized and some mercenaries. Im a fan of Scholes, Neville and Giggs as they have proved themselves as loyal servants of the club. Rooney is a mercenary. Yes he has/had qualities and is a half decent player BUT hes bleeding what transfer kitty we have dry with his ridiculous wages and because of what were paying him he has to play even if hes shite.
Fergussons hands are tied and United is a merchandise selling entity. Maybe the board room realised that if Rooney left we would be reliant on selling shirts with the names Berbatov (not popular at the beginning of the year), Giggs (leaving in near future), Scholes (leaving in near future), Rio (not popular at the beginning of the year, Neville (coming close to the end of career), VDS (coming close to the end of his career), Nani (not popular at years beginning), Valencia (never smiles and noone know whats happening or if he even likes being in Manchester)………… Rooney is our shirt seller. We didint know how it would turn out with Chico and weve been blessed with good form from Berba and Nani. Maybe now Fergies hands are no longer tied he can drop players that are not good enough and completely under performing. It certainly helps that Valencia and Park are back and that Owens been fit for a while. With Valencia and Park back Giggs can play in the center again and even Hargo looks like hes got an off chance of coming back.
I say put Rooney on the bench for the next 5 matches. We need to stop the rot because Arsenal have a string of games youd expect maximum points for quite a while. We cannot carry any passengers.
I’ll tell you one thing goat, I’ll bet a months salary that Rooney isn’t our shirt seller, not a chance, I agree with your other comments but on this one I think you’re wrong.
An excellent write up Scott, Im always brought back to Rooney kissing the badge on his chest in front of the Everton fans to loud chants of “Once a blue always a red” and just been full of praise for Rooney and been proud of seen him then subbed off incase his passion for playing for United boiled over and he got a second yellow,
But now I think it was part one of the Wayne Rooney show that Ronaldo got blasted for when it was made all about him, Rooney wasnt kissing the United badge at that point , he was making a disrespectful gesture to Everton fans kissing a badge that wasnt theres. And the more I think about it- if he had of went to City I wouldnt be surprised if he did the same to UNited fans.
Berbatov is Uniteds best Midfielder this season ,Never mind his strike rate because of the amount of work he is putting in the last 5/6 months- Always loved Berbatov, but alot wanted him out and have changed their tune this season. Which is allowed I wasnt a Nani fan and hated seeing Darren Fletcher playing Champions League football in 2005 . BUt I believe Berbatovs main problem was he had signed for the great Manchester United, He wasnt the best player for his country that has had a handful of greats , he was the most expencive player of a team who have had enough world class great players to split into teams and set up the greatest league ever seen. The pressure was on Berbatov and he seems to have fully shook that off him this term but Rooney seems to have off field problems that he built a bad attitude up against because of the shot on his ego/manhood and his shit painting up as a wanker of a husband to a beautiful childhood sweetheart wife carrying their first child and turned it against me and every other manchester united fan, It was our fault its the clubs fault the managers fault the owners fault his team mates fault but not his own, he has a bad of sour chips on his shoulders that he put there himself andnow put the Berbatov pressure of the money there aswell.
now cue Chicharito, a boy who plays like an 18 year old Micheal Owen with the heading ability of Denis Law and not only that after Rooney embarrassed United fans and now copped what he did and he maybe trying to rebuild the love from the fans , this mexican ,who in wazzas eyes is no replacment for Tevez, Has taking the love once owned by wayne himself. No one wanted Rooney to leave-but in the back of the minds of United fans, He had already been replaced by Hernandez. One shit flop of a striker is the top goal scorer in the league another nobody special striker is lighting up the imagination of the united fans and is scoring as many goals,from the bench,lying on his back this season as Wayne hisself has scored from open play.
The “Mistake” Sir Alex made against wolves was bringing Chicharito on from Berbatov instead of Rooney, But I would rather take the hit and lose than win ,like at Blackpool, but lose any hope of Rooney no being in his Manchester United mind set. I want Rooney to play up, I want hi to perform and I want him to push this great club I love so much on to number 19 . 18 is such an amazing historic amount of titles to hole, But 19 has United standing alone and Wayne Rooney can play such a big part in that between now and May, after that I dont know and Im now worried ,Id love nothiong more than the Rooney of last season back but if it came down to it Id rather Chicharito Dimitar and Last seasons Fletcher in my team.
or last seasons rooney, tiny tears
Rooney should have been sold when he threw his toys out of the pram and I, for one, really hope he is gone in the summer. Wanker.
On current form, he doesn’t deserve to be starting every game….simple as that.
What he’s earning and how much he was bought for and all that is of no consequence if he performs..but the OH FUCK IT….who am I trying to kid..
This granny shagger is an absolute prick who has disgraced our club with his absolutely vile and disgusting behaviour both on and off the pitch…what kind of guy sleeps around with whores when his wife is pregnant…
I cant ever feel the same way about him as a person and professional, but if he starts scoring for fun it’ll at least make it easier for me to tolerate him every time he puts on that shirt and goes out on that hallowed pitch at Old Trafford..
Fantastic Article Scott….you just keep outdoing yourself again and again…
Great article.
I agree totally.
I really don’t know why he took Berbatov off as i think Hernandez links better with Berbatov than with Rooney. A strange decision.
I think the team were poor, overall, but, i’m hoping it’s the kick in the arse needed for the run-in. We’ll have toigher games than that ahead.
If pains me to say this but i was impressed with the work-rate of Liverpool yesterday. I can’t remember the last time our midfield worked that hard.
Fletch has been poor this year and i don’t feel Carrick deserves his place in the team. He simply doesn’t work hard enough and looks like he doesn’t want the ball half the time. When he does get it he gets rid of it as soon as he can. A really bad sign for a central midfielder.
We can’t expect Giggsy to do it every week at his age and Scholes is coming back from injury. Gibson isn’t good enough and for some reason Fergie won’t start Anderson ahead of Carrick so it’s stop start for him and he can’t get going, understandably.
We don’t have any creativity in the middle and we don’t have the balance of having a left footed winger.
We need a Silva/ Kaka/ Iniesta/Van Der Vaart/Nasri/Fabregas who can play a killer ball or work a bit of magic for the forwards.
I’m praying Fergie is allowed bu ta star or star in the making in this position, come the summer.
We pretty much got away with it this weekend but there are enough games left to balls this up. That chelsea victory at Old Trafford still sticks in the mind from last season and i’m afraid if it happening again this year.
no money no rooney
mattbw7
I dont earn a monthly wage so there wouldnt be much return for you. I said at the beginning of the season Rooney would have been the shirt seller. Nearly all United shirts sold in sweden are pre printed with Rooney and i would have thought that that is the same for alot of the exported shirts. Im sure in England its much the same for sports shops not in Manchester. Pretty much all kids clothing with United logos have Rooney on them too. Im not saying its the case now because like I said Nani, Berba and Chico are exciting the fans but when the decision was made I believe there wasnt much choice.
Ok I may get to hear that United fans dont buy shirts because they dont want to fund the Glazers but I can tell you there isnt much of a tail off of purchases outside of the inner circle of fans.
GHTT – good to see a welcome post from yourself
mattbw – I think Goat makes a fair point that at the start of the season Rooney was undoubtedly our biggest star and shirt seller – I would *like to think* he isn’t any more, but as Scott mentions in his article there are morons who chant his name after any time he does something nearly good at OT.
Rooney was rubbish at Wolves and I’m a bit shocked he stayed on while Berbatov had to make way, but who knows what difference that would have really made. As Scott said, I can’t remember the last time that Rooney grabbed a game and won it for us – which he should be doing as our top earner. Based on this season there are at least 11 players I’d say have played better than him and for a “superstar” like him that just shouldn’t be the case.
Sadly I think despite all this shite, if Rooney wants to be remembered as a United legend “like Beckham” he may well get his wish. He doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Sir Ryan though.
Occasionally,the decisions that the gaffer takes might make the hairs on one’s neck stand up and tingle. As far as this season is concerned,Berbatov has been deserving of a bigger pay pack than mercenary Rooney,but i doubt he’s gonna get that due to his nature. :/ Rooney has been found out,and i personally think there’s no doubt that he’s a very good footballer,(not really great as being hyped),but you can’t expect less hype from the english media as we’ve seen in others also like that midget Wilshere. Rooney might still come good,but at the end of the day,i just can’t wait for us to get rid of another Judas.
We’re always better off without them. Liverpool have shown they are..and we can surely do better than the scousers.
We all hear about how well the Glazers are bringing in new avenues of revenue but maybe someone should take to the board or marketing department and ask why, despite a fantastic last season, so much merchandise was pre ordered with Rooneys name emblazened across it whilst a contract negotiation was about to start. United probably ordered 10′s of millions on merchandise with his name on it expecting Rooney to come back from the world cup a hero and after a great season. It was just an opertunity for him to hold us to ransom. What were we going to do just through it away. Better to pay his wages then sell him afterwards. Unfortunately, before the world cup Rooneys value was arguably 70 million quid. Now we have to ask if Chelsea have another 50 million as they seem to be the only fools to spend money on twats whos minds are elsewhere.
He will be gone in the summer, bridges are burnt.
I wont personally chant his name at the games but i do think its what he needs to get himself going again, its a difficult situation for the fans.
It will never be the same, he needs to be sold while we can get good money, but not in the premier league, fuck him off abroad.
Viva Ronaldo.
Good point well made. I was worried last season that he’d turn into a massive ego along the lines of Gerrard that put personal glory ahead of the team. Looks like Fergie’s use of him this season (basically putting him where Berbatov was last year or on the left) has given him a reality check. Whether he takes it on board or not is another matter. Hopefully when Park and Valencia get back he’ll be on the bench more often than not.
great article scott.but i doubt he’ll deliver anything more than he’s doing right now.rooney feels his presence alone is priceless.he is not a humble guy like scholes or giggsy who have shown how far they can go n still maintain that same down to earth stature.rooney’s career started nicely and was full of potential which we knew will be well handled by the master himself SAF.last season,in the absence of ronaldo he shined and knew that he had finally taken the mantle from the portuguese who had overshadowed him in the previous seasons.his injury against bayern resulted in united being thrown out of CL and finally losing the EPL title to chelsea by a point.
‘the team cant do without me’ thought got into this guys head,and assisted by the greedy agents, the talk of wanting to leave unfolded with speed as the season kicked off.fergie is not getting any younger and with the glazers milking the ‘cow’ dry ,these events took fergie by surprise and the only star he is counting on to take this club forward is now armtwisting him!.fergie knew if rooney goes,it will be hard signing other players as ronaldo n tevez had already gone the previous season, and the glazers too will be unwilling to part with high price tags on other stars!
as we all know how it ended, the real winner is rooney,who will not tire himself, if we still maintain the current ineffective midfield.n why should he?,he is getting what he wanted in terms of money and if we feel he is not delivering n want him out,he would be more than happy to be going to city,where he thinks are meeting his ambitions!
I think he deserves what he earns. He’s playing a supportive role in a squad that is either getting old or is full of mediocrity in the midfield. Did you watch Fletcher and Carrick spray balls aimlessly, albeit in the wind against Wolves?
It was hopeless. He played a striker role and couldn’t get ANY service. We need to upgrade our midfield. Desperately. Fletcher doesn’t cut it and never has unless he had Scholes alongside him.
You think he desrves £180,000 a week ?
Idiotic thing to say.
Vika09
Decent point but if we have little money (who really knows) maybe we should do what Kenny Dalglish did at Liverpool and realised that maybe when a player is out of form but worth so much then you should trade him in and buy two with the same money. Get rid of Rooney and we have the forwards of Berbatov, Chico, Owen, Macheda and Wellbeck. Thats good enough isnt it especially as we often play with the single forward.
How about cashing in 50 million and signing players like Schneider and Rodwell. I think the only winners would be United.
it about time
It times past we’ve always had players ( I shouldn’t need to list them) that purely by thier presence on the pitch they lifted us, the nearest we have to that now is Rooney, last year he was such a talisman but thats all gone now, I’m telling you theres still something wrong in his head.
Goat, not trying to pick a fight re merchandise and I agree at the beginning of the season you where no doubt correct however the present is much altered, I can’t see him being the merchandising cash cow going forward, so his value to the club on that side is diminished.
I will be more surprised if he stays than if he goes.
To be honest It kinda seems to me that Rooney is just NOT happy at United. If he had the cajones to leave the club, he would have left and I absolutely agree that he does NOT deserve that salary- £180k a week. Also, I would like to say that I always sensed~ a greedy/dishonest vibe about him but I always brushed it off! and well It turned out that I was right. Like I said and I’ll say it again Rooney is not happy at United, he does not have that passion to play for United like he did before, his performances speak for themselves, he’s doing all the talking on the pitch, my fellow reds. I’m not all bitterness, I really want Rooney to gain his form back and start contributing with his brilliant goals (that’s what we need from him) that is what is expected of him! and I don’t support him anymore, because he’s NOT a true red
If United wins the 19th title, I would like to hope he’ll be a major key in it. I really do.
@Scott The Red: Fergie was not a broken man in that press conference,very upset,angry but bloody determined to set things straight. I am not being picky,just that it will take a lot more than that to break Fergie.
I Beleive Manutd did not bend over backwards for Rooney,they forced him into a corner and made him decide. Also the figures like 110 sound right ,keeping more of yr image rights but not from Manutd coffers,they will not break the salary structure for anyone.
From thier comments the deal they offered him was what was prepared earlier for him. He was forced to make a choice,he did ,he signed.
Now I am not going to defend his actions,but this young man screwed up again and again for a period of time. Now he seems to be working towards getting his life in order, I beleive all this rubbish is more his agent and Rooneys stupid decision making.
As for his performances ,ranging from high and lows,he shud have been taken off against wolves,not berba. Whatever the calculation was by the boss it did not work.
Like I have said before only time will tell if this kid will stay ,help us win trophys or just fade away.
Agree with the rest of yr article Scott,great work.
Like to add ,Evans,Fletcher are among those at the receiving end of many supporters,they too are not doing the job for us at the moment, ease off ,dont bury them in hate or haste.
They will come good,I promise.
@manc_sam – Viva Ronaldo? Don’t get that at all….
Viva Tim Howard
Just so people understand where I am on this, Id rather have a fit and committed Rooney even he is a mercenary than what we have at the moment, a mercenary that just isnt getting anywhere near his form of last year.
The games I have seen this season he looks like he is huffing around the pitch, and not 100% up for it.
Should have gone in Jan for £40, £50 whatever, and I would not be sorry to see him go this summer, the problem is the new financial fair play rule comes in. So who can spend that amount going forward??
Then any money we get in needs to be spent on the midfield, fuck value, spend the fucking money.
Would be happy with the forwards in place, at least chico, berb look like they want to be there.
Considering the SHEER lack of creativity in midfield. Yes he does. Sell Rooney and get whom?
Sneijder? He’s going to cost a lot more than we presume him to be considering he just signed a brand spanking new contract and that the Inter team pivots on his creativity like we do on… wait.. that’s right. NO-ONE.
Even if we magically get decide to sell Rooney; going by the attitude here it will take a foolish team like Chelsea to buy him right now. And I am sure they will not make that mistake. Who are we going to get for 50 million who can solve the MULTITUDE of problems we will have in midfield (and potentially defense) in the near future?
Will we even GET any of that 50 million?
It’s VERY VERY easy for us to throw numbers and sales around; consider this – the club is nowhere near as transparent with it’s finances as it should be. Any sale we make will probably be gobbled up by the yank enterprise.
We’re better off paying mindblowing sums on a single player who does contribute (at the least) to the team (not the club, but the team). Giggs isn’t getting any younger and seems to be getting a bit too confident with this sudden rise in form (did you see him trying to do flicks and step overs and then get shot down by the worst defenders in the league?) It was horrific to watch (and really quite sad).
Let him stay. I am surprised people still have this aged view of loyalty to the club and love for the fans. It’s dead. LONG dead. It died every since transfers hit unimaginable amounts and salaries that could support a town in a third world country for a year.
And put it this way; his effect in the team atleast for now is far more positive than that of Gibson, Evans (who earns a staggering 40K a week for a player who is effectively the reason we have two loses this season) and Fletcher (who has suddenly lost all form and determination).
Just let him stay. He’s a lot better than what we have. And the last thing we want is a team starved of any creativity on an already barren midfield.
This hatred of Rooney is still based on the superficial. Now. If he doesn’t have ANY impact for the rest of the season; ironically we will want to sell him but his value will be pitiful.
A simple lesson. We hang onto Rooney no matter what. Unless SAF gets an AFFIRMED (i.e. 1000000000%) backing to spend in the summer and hopefully he finds “VALUE IN THE MARKET”. Which is a joke in the first place.
@Bigphil Ha i just wrote it, it had nothing to do with my initial point!!
He’s still taking the piss out the fans fans. To hear Old Trafford erupt in a chorus of “Rooney” after he blazed the penalty over against Arsenal was embarrassing.
For the past few weeks, every misplaced pass of his or off target attempt has resulted in the Stretford End chanting Rooney’s name. When Rooney has been involved in the build up of a goal, fans are singing for him instead of the goalscorer. I can’t be alone in thinking this is utterly bizarre behaviour. Why on earth is he deserving of more support than any of our other players?
This!
Time for Sir Alex to treat him like any other player that’s not playing to the best of his capabilities me says. It won’t do him any good if he feels that his place is never threatened. Among our 4 strikers he is the 3rd highest goalscorer(and he is above Owen due to his 2 penalties), yet he was the only one that played 90 mins at Molineux. That’s unfair to the 3 other strikers and it doesn’t help him either.
I don’t see this as Rooney having to earn his money, just like I didn’t feel the same about Berbatov’s transfer fee. We have a lot of players that are having an inconsistent season and one could argue that they are not earning their money either. What matters, is that we find the correct balance in the side that will guarantee that we play our strongest team week in week out.
Okay Rooney wasn’t firing against Wolves, but nobody was. He did play well in the game before.
Are we going to question him every time he has an off day?
The situation with Rooney was badly managed by himself and his agent. It is in the past tense now. If some fans want to complain about his pay packet then let them. He is our marquee player and he collects the biggest payslip…………whine….whine….complain….complain….bitch….bitch.
I have seen glimpses that he is close to returning to form. I know what an in form Rooney can do for my club…..and damn right I WILL CHANT his name because I KNOW that when Rooney hits his straps we will be charging.
I’m looking at the big picture.
Nice article.cant say more dan dat
You will all be praising him when he scores next saturday!!
50 Million + Rooney = Ronaldo return to silverware!
Unless the scouse bastard scores at least 12 goals this season ( which means +8 from now, all from open play ) he must be sold. It’s not the fact that he is proper shite, hey, a lot of our player are equally shite this season but at least they seem as they want to do something in our shirt and none of them wears the burden of MONEY on his shoulders as him. So I’m not suggesting that maybe he should be sold only because he is rubbish but because he is a waste of money and more so a traitor – liar. But we would be happy to get 30+ mil. now for him. Maybe only Shitty will give us that much just for the reason to stick it in our faces that he wears their faggy blue. I hate his guts for what he has done for our club but I also appreciate all the good that he has done. But crossing the red line is what he did and that’s the point of no return so he should had been sold. We are not short of attacking talent, remember Welbeck and Macheda and Owen still does his best when available so he should be retained for one more year. The we have Cleverley who is an AM and even then we could have had bought someone with the money from his transfer.
I will enjoy it if he starts banging in goals for fun and plays a big part in our, hopefully, trophy winning season, but he doesn’t look like that one so if any team is mad to pay 40+ for ‘em than sell that wanker.
NO ONE IS BIGGER THAN MANCHESTER UNITED !!!!!!
I have recovered from my anger and disapointment over the wolves game.
Been looking at the things that did go our way or is helpful to us.
1) This media driven unbeaten run thingy is over.The record is a good one but just glad thats over.
Our players being asked by every reporter and on and on,glad thats done.
Fresh start for us starting this weekend.
2)Our Players are clearly upset and angry at themselves for what happened. Fergie will use that wisely ,we always respond to adversity as Fergie teaches us. So if this time it works again ,Manutd will be winners this weekend.
3)Chelsea with their new toys ,actually have added imense pressure on themselves,thanks to liverpool win over chelsea they fucked torres good and helped us preserve our 10 point lead.
4)Thanks to the newcastles revival to the tune of padre pardew in the second half,they have damaged the arses,and they did not use condoms or lube me thinks.
5)Only shitty and spurs have gained ,include livers coming into the top 6. Its getting tight and interesting. We must retaken those 3 points from shitty and leave someone else to help with spurs.
6) We need to raise our performances especially the midfield cos we will be playing the other top sides now mostly away.
7) We have put ourselves in a good position in all 3 competitions ,now we need to be better ,a whole lot better to win.
Great article Scott, exact same views.
Once again, for those who may misunderstand this (oh what a shocker!) Scott ISN’T blaming him for the loss at Wolves, as clearly stated in the article. The defeat is the entire team’s fault.Okay to topic now- I am en route to losing my patience with him. Why in the world would Chico not start? I don’t know. Berbatov is a OBVIOUS starter, he is definitely one of the best of our best player so far this season. And Chico, that boy can score even if you think the chance is really slim, he makes the impossible possible. 5 scrappy chances, and he’s bound to score at least 1.
Glimpses of Rooney’s old form isn’t enough. The fact that we’re questioning and saying that he should start to earn his money, is basically because he acted like an absolute total idiot. Absolute idiot. In all honesty, i feel like puking when i see his face. Many United fans are still pissed and should be. I don’t care how good a player you are, but as long as you don’t respect the team, you deserve all the hate and resentment. I’d rather have 10 Nevilles than 1 Rooney.
Dave Malaysia .very positive , I like it
Fans need to be realistic and realise that players only kiss the badge to appease fans, fans demand a lot from players, you expect them to kiss the badge and pledge they will never leave a club for another. When they are honest they get vilified an example of this is Cristiano Ronaldo but it turns out he has left the club with more honesty than the recent players coming out. When he said he didn’t know if he would stay or not fans had a go at him but at least he was honest. Most fans diminished Ronaldo’s accomplishment with us and said Wayne Rooney did all the work and Ronaldo just benefited, well 67 goals in 70 games for Real Madrid tells a different story.
We all claimed Rooney as our star man and he even declared that he wanted to stay at the club forever. Low and behold a few months later he does not sign a new contract and tells us he wants to leave but he kissed the badge and said he wanted to remain at United till the end and we all lapped it up like the poor saps we are. We fault he would be loyal to us forever but something changed his mind and I have no doubt about it that it was money. He got a taster of what would happen if he went to Manchester City and that along with his salary is why he signed.
Darren Bent,Torres, Fabregas and Rooney’s body language suggested they do not want to be where they are. Bent and Torres have now left their clubs and everybody knows Fabregas wants to go back to Barcelona so I won’t be surprised if Rooney decides to leave he does not look happy at all and when a player is not happy they do not perform well.
However loyalty is a two way street when a club no longer wants a player the club get rid of him and often times the fans don’t bat an eyelid. This has happened many times, this happened with Defoe at Tottenham who did not want to leave, Ibra at Barcelona although he had a decent record, the worse was the treatment of Eto’o who was treated like absolute rubbish after he helped the club to the treble, Alonso at Liverpool was going to be used as bargaining chip to lure Ronaldo, Robben, Sneidjer, Van der Vaart and Ruud were shipped out although they wanted to stay. This doesn’t just stop with players managers are dismissed very quickly Chris Hughton, Alladyce, Hodgson(although I do understand why Liverpool got rid of him) Mourinho at Chelsea after his first sign of a bad run, Del Bosque and so on. So it is no wonder players do what is best for them because when a club feels that they don’t need you anymore they discard you like rubbish.
What I do love about Ferguson which not a lot of managers do is that although you may be having a bad run of form, because of his belief in you he will keep most of the players until their contract has expired unless you are a complete flop.
ill never forgive rooney.. call me a bitter cunt, i dont care. it was the biggest kick in the face of all the united fans, the players and the management. and he certainly hasn’t pulled anywhere near his weight this season.
manc_sam – fair enough mate, just wasn’t sure what you were getting at!
I’m a fan Manchester United, NOT a fan of individual players. Spot on Goat. When we talk of Rooney and his on/off form, we have to differentiate the current Rooney, from the Rooney that played with Ronaldo. They’re two different players. I was shocked by Rooneys performance on Saturday. Were was the hunger, the desire and his insane ability? He’s lost all that, and that is very worrying. My theory is, he knows he fucked up in October. And, he was a fan himself, so he knows how fans think and that has added pressure on his game. What happened to the match winner, he used to be? He’s far too inconsistent atm, which just isn’t good enough. The derby on Saturday is the perfect chance for him to prove himself and step up to the plate for United. If he can’t get himself pumped up for that game, then the abuse he’ll probably get, will be fully justified.
Scott what you are referring to regarding the unexplainable chanting of Rooney is the fickleness of the football fan. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t get behind him and encourage him to do well, I’m saying that the whole thing seems to have been forgotton far too quickly for my liking.
Berbatov and Nani, hell even Hernandez, are all doing the business for United. Rooney you wanted the big bucks, it’s about time you started delivering.
4 goals so far this season!!!!! rooney, not fucking good enought!!
I hope he reads this site……………..time to deliver!!!
open my mind about what was happening…….great article!!!!!!
lets cut the bullshit about rooney and the short saga wanting to leave, performence wise he has been nothing short of craptaculer. He looks very pridictable, he is missing the service of valencia and his other weapons are just not there. He aint shooting from distance, he aint adding assists and he seems to have gone slower. When has rooney put defences to the sword and started driving at the centre halfs and getting into the box and getting teh end of things nothing. He also looks unfit and from march to october has all caught up with the guy. I see a better wayne rooney necxt season, but this you need miracles from rooney now
FITB, i really do see him gone from OT in the summer, so he might be better next season, I just dont see it with us.
nice novel, scott. … all points backed up by facts and quotes – well done.
If this inconsistent form, his him wanting out of United, then sell him. I just think he’s playing poorly atm, time will tell though.
I think Rooney’s problems are all in his head. He’s clearly suffering from a combination of depression and lack of self-belief. Dont know what the causes are. But let’s hope somebody helps him recover from all that.
I was as angry at Rooney during the contract negotiation saga as the next United fan… The anger since has been replaced with disappointment. Yes there has been glimpses of form in the past few weeks, a few assists, a few good passes which for a player of his known ability is simply not good enough. Some say he has missed the services of Valencia, I do not buy into that. Some have mentioned his shots from distance which are missing and I agree he also seems to run out of ideas when he gets the ball in or around the penalty area. I also agree with some calling for him to sit on the bench and not take his starting place for granted. I do hope for the team’s sake he finds his form and help us to number 19.
Finally and most of all I hope we get rid of this Jekyll and Hyde thing when we play at home vs playing away
I think that Rooney still has problems with his wife, she cant forgive that easy and this is affecting his game you can clearly see his not happy. They might be staying under one roof for the sake of their child.
Rooneys personal from, is mirroring Uniteds home and away form. Also, people comparing the Rooney situation, to the Torres situation, are way of. Rooney only had year and a half on his contract to go. Torres on the other hand, had only recently signed a new deal. Liverpool could hold put for more money, were Rooney could’ve seen out his contract, and then left for nothing.
mattbw7 – no you just want him gone. It wont happen, you got to add berbatovs age and we do not know in a couple of years time of chico will stay here, has we have seen latin players wanting to play in spain. Rooney knows he has made a big era and its eating at him, rooney is the future of united, we all make mistakes he is trying to put it straight but he is just not playing well
The comparison to Torres Willie is that both wanted out.
We still do not know what his peronal life is like, has we do not always get the full picture of a footie’s privatre life. Look at tiger woods in gold, it took like 60 women for the story to explode out. Rooney will be back but at the minute it is just not happening. and if PPL think chico and berbatov is enough to get through the season next year then you will find out just like 2009/10, that 2 and half strikers aint enough. Owen will probably be gone, and berbs may not repeat this seasons form so do not asume rooney is gone
mattbw7 – no rooney did but he changed his mind because he was knows he made a grave era, torres never changed his mind and he was determined to leave. Rooney is no different to the stevie me U turn
Matt – I’m talking about their contract situations, not about them wanting out. Rooney had United over a barrel. Liverpool could have told Chelsea to fuck off.
@CedarsDevil – I agree with you that the calls of him missing Valencia’s service is way off the mark. Nani’s crossing has improved remarkably this season and there’s a reason why he has the most assists in the league. Berbatov and Hernandez certainly aren’t complaining about service!
In looking up Nani’s stats I found an interesting point – his goal at Wolves means that he’s now scored more goals in the league this season alone, than he had in his previous three seasons combined.
Rooney Was absolutely our worst player on the pitch last Saturday. I was gutted that Berba got subbed rather then Roone. With Berba on the pitch we would have had more chance of stealing at least a point!
Rooney should have really taken one of the two chances that he had at 1:0 and put the game to bed. I am not sure we can expect much from him this season. As it is Fergie should start Chicharito against Shitty!
firstly don’t think sir alex is playing rooney to justify the big contract,he’s getting played because sir alex like alot of fans expect the real rooney to show up sooner or later.after the aston villa game sir alex mentioned something to that fact after the 2 goals he’ll now kick on and the real rooney will show up.
last year rooney mentioned he was very content and happy,went home to his wife and kid and was in bed by 10.00pm don’t think he was lying there and it showed in his play.this year he’s got so many more negative distractions,just because he’s back together doesn’t mean its a happy marriage,her family really slagged him off on twitter and facebook so we know at the very least he has a strained realtionship with the in laws.alot of players were pissed at his ambition comment and i have to wonder rooney getting the new deal is why evra is unsettled,there could be a different in attitude towards rooney in the changing room.
then take money owed to his last agency i see today the company can now go after rooney for 4.3mill legal problems take there toll on anyone,finally sir alex pretty well called rooney’s agent a scumbag and suggested rooney dump him but that never happened,so rooney still has someone poisonous in his ear.think all these add up to poor form on the pitch.
@ willierednut
What I have noticed about Wayne this season after the whole ambition bullshit is that he is not half as fit and sharp as he was this time last season. Even while running 20 yards, he lacks the spring in his step. It feels as though he is laboring around the whole place!!!
See videos of him this time last year and see how fit he is in contrast to this season. On the other hand, the same videos will show that Berb looks far fitter than last season…. This fact combined with him being played out of position and the threat of Hernandez waiting to grab his place are what is messing with his head!!!
Smartalex -if you happen to read this, long answer to you in the previous thread – cheers mate!
Whatever is wrong with him, he needs to snap out of It asap. It is similar to Ronnies last season, difference being, Ronaldo was still scoring goals for fun. Time for the real Wayne Rooney to stand the fuck up!
Hernandez needs to get some starts so Rooney wakes the fuck up.
Forever United.
http://hdfootballwallpaper.com/
what an article!! one of the best i have read in ages!!
its so true.. i cant believe he is on £180,000 a week and hasnt done anything this season… (i thought he was on £160,000 a week and so that extra £20,000 made me even more frustrated with him)
i for one loved Rooney (as a player) and was totally disappointed with him after the stories where he went messing around with a prostitute behind his pregnant wife’s back..
then i just felt betrayed by Rooney when stories came out that he didnt want to sign a new contract and actually wanted to leave…
I dont get what it could be apart from money.. if money wasnt the issue why demand so much?? and if you want to win trophies so bad how come you can barely string a couple of good performances together.. i know that Rooney has been played out on the left a few times but he has beaten players before so why cant he now??
i also dont get like you said in the article how no one chants Berbatov’s name and why rooney gets so many chants..
i wont mind us selling him in the summer but i wish him well as long as he is a united player… he surely wont ever win me back and but i guess i would respect him if he takes his finger out of his butt and starts to perform..
The solution is simple.
Play Berbatov upfront with Pea Jnr.
Drop Rooney back into midfield with Ando. He might be firing blanks but his engine and short passing is still relatively decent.
Solves the midfield problem and still fixes midfield and gets all 3 in the game with Owen still available as impact sub if need be.
Manchuchu
Not a bad idea trying Rooney in midfield, BUT with him and Ando in there as you suggest who will be the holding player helping out the defence? With such a line up we would be exposed all the way to the scrap yard!
This Rooney situation grates on my nerves. If he was an attacking midfielder then id say his performances this season have been grate. But Monsieur Ambition made united cough up more money for wot we thought was a high scoring top player. IM SURE HE GOT BANG FOR BUCK WITH JENNIFER THOMPSON SO GIVE US VALUE FOR OUR MONEY.
I know im being a bit harsh. but i was a big fan of his in a former life
@Manchuchu
Agree. Even if his shooting is dire at the moment, he is still the best passer in our side after Scholes. He could quite easily play in the centre, with Ando doing the dirty work for him.
Whether his mammoth ego will allow him to settle for a place in the midfield is another question though.
@Cedars
Ando has occasionally shown some bit in the midfield. Either that or if we could get Fletch back to the imperious form he showed last season, our midfield should be just fine. I am tempted to mention the possibility of a Hargo return, but let’s not go down that lane now, shall we?
No further comment
If willierednut is shocked with Rooney I will personally leave it there.
With Rooney our destiny is easier – without it’s harder
Either way we have to do this and either way it’s up to Wayne what he wants to do.
No more time for passengers.
The pitch was a disgrace, you could hardly see any grass in the midfield area. For that reason, I don’t blame the midfield in this instance because passing/ one touch was out of the question. Its games like this where you need a set piece threat and we have amongst the worst set piece takers and routines in the league. It infuriates me that sides like Stoke, Blackburn, Blackpool and many others can whip in wicked balls of immense quality whilst our technically superior players put in this floating rubbish or scuffed shot that often fails to beat the first man.
He’s not playing well enough, for him to drop into midfield. I don’t see him in that position. He plays up front, or he drops to the bench. I remember Fergie tried Scholes just off the striker, when he was trying to accommodate Veron. It never worked.
dela
I am all for trying Rooney in the middle, might even work who knows… But the club needs his goals and runs behind defenders…. As for Hargo, ah well
Willie
Funny you should mention Scholes, just saw highlights from 94 when we thrashed shitty 5 nil at OT… Scholes comes on for Giggs and the commentator (John Champion I think) refers to him as Sholes…
rooney is a thick twat and fergie effed up royally by prostrating himself on the floor for roonie and giving him this huge pay increase while at the same time harping on about how he had shown that as manager he had weilded supreme power. utter bollocks. probably for the first time in fergie’s tenure he let a player shite all over him. had he sold rooney back then, he probably could have gotten 60-80 million. his current value? can you think of may clubs that would pay $30 mill for him? I cant. and with ever week, a couple of mill get knocked off his value. even of the 4 goals he has managed this season, only one goal, the one he scored last week against villa was a top class strike. the other 3 were just bread and butter striker goals. so fergie, u effed up big by letting rooney shit all over this great club. the sooner fergie sends him packing, the better. hernandez has scored 3 times as many goals as rooney and should start every game. even owen’s strike rate is a zillion times better than rooney and he should also start ahead of rooney. i hate to say, but rooney is done. he peaked last year (and it wasnt a spectacular peak either- all his goals were tap ins).
yes fergie is god, but even fergie has effed up a whole bunch of times.
selling stam
selling tevez
selling ruud
not giving forlan a proper chance
playing fletcher, gibson and evans week after week when they are just crap
ditto with butt for about 10 years before he was finnaly sold.
Great read.
We should have sold him back when Sir Alex gave that interview. I don’t know why we keep persisting with him. He is on 180k per week but I swear a lad on 18 quid per week could control a ball better than him. Hopefully SAF will sell the wanker in the summer and strengthen our midfield. TBH I cant stand the sight of him in our club colours. No one is bigger than UNITED. Hopefuuly he pulls his weight from now on and is off in the summer.
CedarsDevil – It’s a nice thought mate, but he isn’t disciplined enough for that position. He has got Scholesy football brain for that role? I don’t think so mate. His role changed last season. He became our fox in the box, which resulted in him scoring 34 goals. If anyone is to play in that position, then it has to be Anderson. Buy a ball winning CM in the summer and let Ando play in that role.
Sorry but I don’t care that he has had to deal with media scrutiny that was his own doing if he did not want the negative press he should not of cheated on his wife this goes for any other player that does the same thing. Do not pretend to be the devoted family man you claim to be so that you can sell your image and you will have no problem. If he was honest their would be no scandal but he portrayed himself as something else.
Beckham and Ronaldo had to deal with a lot worse, house broken into, threatened with not only death threats to them but also their family, they have also had to deal with their sexuality called into question which I see some of the United fans like doing regarding Torres booed by most of the team fans, unfairly targeted by newspapers especially David Beckham and what did both these player do they turned those negatives into positive and began to have their best performances for United. Ashley Cole gets a lot worse stick than Rooney has ever had but he still performs well for Chelsea and England.
Rooney has no excuse this is all his own making, no one else but him.
Ryan Giggs said in an earlier interview that he was surprised at the mention of City in the Rooney transfer saga . How other players in the dressing room would put him straight . Point being that clearly Giggsy did not want to get involved . That speaks volumes to me of the way Ryan Giggs really thinks of Rooney !!!
Another spot on article Scot! Wayne needs to get his game together ASAP
On a side note, the recent chanting for Ronaldo? Is there any particular reason behind it?
What i’d give for his return..
@ bryanrobson’s my hereo
What a load of bollocks there mate…
You say Sir Alex let Rooney shite over the club, yet in the next few lines you say he fluffed up by selling Tevez, Ruud and Stam when they had questioned his authority and the team spirit and unity of the dressing room….
You mean he should have also allowed those people to shite on the club?
Also I can understand some of the bile for Rooney, Gibson, etc but for Nicky Butt??
Are you even serious mate….that guy was a proper player and a fantastic talent and great presence in the dressing room. Even Sir Alex has admitted selling them was a wrench…Butt was the one who took over from Paul Ince and judging by all the trophies we won in that time, I think he didn’t do too bad…..
You’re a fucking WUM mate….one of the things that plagues ROM after a defeat…
What I wholeheartedly and utterly agree with is your point on the stupidly disproportionate adulation Rooney gets from fans. Since the whole contract debacle I’ve been cold towards him, never chanted his name, I’ll cheer him if he scores, but 4 fucking goals isn’t good enough and frankly I was pissed off with his reaction to scoring two against Aston Villa. Looked like he didn’t give one fucking toss about the fans. He used to be a hero of mine, anytime I met a Chelsea or Arsenal or Liverpool fan I’d say “We’ve got Rooney, he’s special”. How wrong I was, he is a cunt. Personally if he doesn’t get his goalscoring form back I’d rather we sold him to the virus (definitely not the bitters) and reinvested the money on a creative midfielder who can do what rooney has been doing, but in midfield instead of wasting a starting spot up front. At the end of the day strikers are judged on goals, people used that argument on Berba but out of context as he scored a decent amount and his overall play was brilliant, whereas Rooney has been playing well but 4 goals is nowhere near enough, nowhere near. Since he signed his new contract each of his goals have cost 1.5 million. Worth it? No fucking way. Fallen hero, never forgive, maybe forget.
should sold him and brought Ruud in on loan in Winter, ah a dream situation Ruud and Berba wow, but anyways i use to love Rooney more than any current United player and wow how far he has fallen so now he owes me a personal blood debt he MUST carry his 180k/week and give us 30goals and 15assists a game and win us the games we have no business winning
Awesome article Scott. I am never tired reading this blog everyday.
Stam was a SAF mistake SAF has admitted
Tevez? Fuck off the bastard wanted to go and had been for a while – money talks bullshit walks – wasn’t the fucker disillusioned before christmas at the wastelands?
Of course he was Arab dollars and millions more put paid to that – whore of the highest kind
Ruud? Sulking fucking fool who could not accept a challenge from SAF – has now admitted how stupid he was and how great SAF was with him compared to everything he has experienced outside Manchester United.
Forlan? Unlucky wanted to go because was not given game time – fair enough made a name for himself when given time.
Nicky Butt? Fuck off – Nicky Butt had heart and soul – never gave up for the club
You know who you are – fuck off.
Just climbed off my Sunday night “red-eye” to the East coast … read the article, which was excellent, but only seen a few of the comments. Here’s my take (totally random points)…
1. SAF doesn’t suffer fools or greed-heads lightly. Further, he must have felt personally betrayed by what Rooney did — the dishonesty, the duplicity, all of it — yet he saw fit to “go the extra mile” to keep Rooney here. Was SAF satisfied that Rooney had been “played” into that saga by his agent? Or, was he satisfied that Rooney’s talents were so great, they earned him a “free pass” that one time? Whatever the reason, he saw fit to keep Rooney on. I think that says something (though I’m not totally sure what!)
2. It’s going to be very interesting to see what SAF does when the CL resumes (and for some of the upcoming big domestic matches). Will he stick with his usual CL arrangement of 4-5-1, and if he does, will he play Rooney or Berbatov up-front? I think many of us agree that Berbatov isn’t best suited to the lone-striker role, but if he has midfielders running off him (including the wide men), then I think he can do it. As always, I will trust in SAF’s judgment. But for mine, it would be a kick in the teeth for Berbatov is Rooney starts those matches as the lone striker. Frankly, if SAF doesn’t have confidence that Berba can do this, then I would rather give Chicharito a shot up front by himself, rather than Rooney. Not because of what I think about Rooney as a man (which is not much), but because Chicharito is on the boil and Rooney is not. But hopefully, he will find a set-up that allows Berbatov to play by providing support (when I say that Berba needs support, that’s not a criticism. It’s just that I’ve long been convinced that one of the things that makes Berba so deadly is his ability to play the “options”. Meaning, he can score himself, or he can bring others in, and he uses that to confuse the defense.)
3. The idea of playing Rooney in the middle has been floated before. I’m in two minds about it, honestly. I think it’s worth a shot. It might work. It might fail. I wouldn’t be surprised either way. Trouble is, in order to give it a decent shot, it would have to be tried over a few matches. I’m not sure we want to be experimenting like that now, as we approach the “business end” of the season.
@bryanrobsons hero
really just really??? nicky butt wtf??? messed up selling Tevez are you shitting me?? your out of your mind sir out of your goddamn mind
Nikcy Butt should have been sold ten years ago? Are you a Liverpool fan in disguise?
And don’t even get me started on Tevez and Ruud.
@jay thank you for pointing out that Becks and Ronnie had way worse personal hell to live through and became respective legends (becks isn’t a legend since he left the club imo, neither is ronnie quite a legend but he is special) and played unbelievable football. It puts it all in perspective when you saw Ronaldo score 23 goals and assist 19 goals in a season where he was vilified by the rest of the league, and then to go even further with next seasons 42 goals…compare that to Rooney.
It is time for Rooney to earn his money. And as the greatest manager in Football is putting his faith in Wayne doing just that, I believe it will happen.
It was also time for Scott to clearly explain his feelings about the Rooney saga, and how StR reached his opinions. This article is articulate, accurate, informed and balanced. Well done Scott!
SAF should fine the little shit if he keeps playing like a turd!! Im not one for carrying on about the contract and him leaving and all the other shite coz I think we should move on from it all. BUT when one of our players (and I mean any) and as Scott stated ‘our star man’ in particular isnt performing or at times even looking interested then it feels like they are taking the piss!! So Fletch, Carrick, Rooney should get fucking fined if they dont get their shit together.
Fletch is possibly more disappointing as I really felt he had sorted his game out over the last few seasons and was about to become our new Robbo or Keano but its looking like he’s going backwards for fuck sake!! As for Gibson he has no right even being in the reserves let alone the first team. I dont care what anybody says Gibson is NOT nor EVER will be Utd quality and should be sold this summer!!
I despise ‘bryanrobson’s my hereo’
You show total disrespect for our manager.
You then call him god.
‘bryanrobson’s my hereo’ is a total cunt. You are a piece of shit. I despise you.
You tell him off smartalex… lol
Rooney bang in form, you might have had an argument for Rooney playing in the attacking midfield role. The way he’s playing atm, there’s no chance IMO. Rooneys struggling for form, period. Another thing that surprised me against Wolves, he pullled out of a few challenges. He’s never been anything, than fully committed to United in the past. That wasn’t the real Wayne Rooney on the pitch on Saturday.
Willie
Agreed about Ando mate and I am not a fan for playing Rooney in midfield but was merely replying to a poster on how he and Ando will never work there together
“bryanrobson’s my hero, but I myself am a zero”
Copying StatesideAussie’s idea
‘bryanrobson’s my hero, but I myself am a dipper with a blue heart’
bigphil2003 @ 11:20: “As Scott said, I can’t remember the last time that Rooney grabbed a game and won it for us – which he should be doing as our top earner”
Errr – Aston Villa a few days ago ? But, let’s not let the facts get in the way of reasonable analysis.
How many goals would Wayne have to score against city on saturday for you to love him?
One word answers only. Just the number, please! Address to Earn-your-keep on this thread.
@Earn-your-keep
Zero
Try as I might I just cannot stop loving him.
Unlike Wayne Rooney, I am unable to turn love on and off at will.
Old boys club? lol.
@Earn-your-keep
Own goal
play him 45 mins / first half everygame and chicharito the 2nd half – he deserves it. Would hate to see lil pea turning away b/c of rooney. sell rooney for 50m end of season, buy some ctr midfielders
Xyth @ 13:51: “Rooney Was absolutely our worst player on the pitch last Saturday.”
I saw it differently – to me, the worst player on the pitch against Wolves was SirRyanGiggs; next was the GingerNinja, who should have been red-carded and sent off for that ridiculous volleyball swat. Nemanja Vidic and Edwin were no great shakes, either. It happens. They’re not perfect.
Look at the bright side – still FIRST, four points ahead of TheArse with a better goal difference. THAT don’t suck..
@bryanrobson’s my hero
What dio you mean Give Forlan a chance? Did forlan not play / start / score for united
Did he not start with a huge dry spell that the manager stood by
and did Diego sister not get very very sick that he wanted to move to a team in spain to be close to where she was living??
And And And Anyone who think Sir Alex Sold Tevez is a knob, Tevez wasnt a united player was offered a contract to be one but chose Uniteds closest rivals to go to for money, so acting like he was sold like Chris Eagles paints you out to be a no nothing who thinks hes a no it all and just cause yo spout “bryanrobson’s my hero” as a user name doesnt mean you know much,
Continuing with StatesideAussie and CedarsDevil’s idea…
…don’t add me to the credits, I’m shy.
‘bryanrobsonHatesMe, for using his name’
Giggsy is 37 mate.
planetx6 – shut up christ. chico I guarentee will not be here by the time he is 26 because like all latin playersd they want 2 play in spain
Manchuchu @ 14:17: “Drop Rooney back into midfield with Ando. He might be firing blanks but his engine and short passing is still relatively decent.”
That’s what I would have done a while back – when it became evident that there was no hope of signing Schweinsteiger and when Chicharito proved that he should be getting lots and lots of playing time. You’re right – get the best attacking players on the pitch together (WayneRooney, Anderson, Nani, DimitarBerbatov and Chicharito with someone like MichaelCarrick or DarrenFletcherinho to provide a defensive shield) and stop tinkering, chopping-and-changing.
But that’s not SAF’s plan – he wants to play a “squad-game”. He’s the manager and he has his own plan which has worked well for a long, long time.
I notice that SAF’s stubborn insistence on playing without a set first-team is at odds with what Guardiola does at Barcelona and Mourinho did at Inter Milan. Those are the last two CL winners. Who’s right ? We’ll soon see but in those really big matches TheLads will only be able to put eleven men out on the pitch.
denton davey – it is like alan smith, rooney will become a worser player. add the fact rooney long range passing is not in the same league has scholes
rooney is a striker at most you play him the hole but not the engine room
The BIGGEST fcukup this club has EVER made. Worse than the Stam affair, Worse than Forlan affair, Worse than Ruud affair, cos unlike them, we actually got better. On the basis that no player is bigger than the club. In the Rooney affair it has proved otherwise. Buying backing down to Rooney with that five year contract and doubling of his ‘wages’, SAF broke the fckin mold and has come a right cropper. The fat tawt is now just a super rich passenger and should be fcuked off in the summer asap to any club willing to pay . Do a Liverpool and capitalise on him whilst we can.after all, he is only getting worse as he gets older and fatter.
It’s not his plan, because Rooney hasn’t and never will be an attacking CM. He’s never tried Rooney in that position, I don’t think he’ll try It now. Play Anderson in that role, he was bought as an attacking CM after all.
Im pretty sure there is already a ‘Ronaldo’ agreement in place. Rooney stays for now but he is off at the end of the season.
Off topic – how many trophyless seasons can Ronaldo take? Where else but United can he go?
@willie
Rooney has played in that position for England and done fairly well. It was against ordinary opposition, I admit, but it still might be worth a try.
if he’s not playing that well in a position he’s been playing all his life don’t see why he’d all of a sudden turn it around in a role thats alien to him,think berba would be more suited to that role than rooney.
wayne – you summed it up 2 end the rooney positional debate, apart from berbs there
In a friendly was It? Says it all. He’s a striker, or just off the striker.
FITB …. well, just to play devil’s advocate for a minute, you say Rooney’s long range passing isn’t the same league as the Ginger Ninja’s … well, that’s true, but then again, can you name anyone who’s long passing game is in that league? I guess the point I’m trying to make is that when Scholes retires, that aspect of our game will be lost (or greatly diminished).
Back to that clown bryanrobson’s-my-hero … my understanding is that Tevez was not “sold” because, in fact, he was not ours to sell. We had been renting the little whore out for two years, and we had an agreement to make that permanent with a “first option” (or right of first refusal, or some such nonsense) for a pre-agreed amount, but that when it came time to waltz up the aisle, the dirty rotten slut saw there was more money available from the bitters and then did everything in his power to slither out of the agreement and stiff us stupid. It beggars belief that there are still people who come on here wishing that little cunt still played for us. It’s even worse when those people don’t get their facts straight AND THEN use their ignorance of the facts to besmirch the good name of Sir Alex Ferguson.
james
Not a far fetched idea mate…. SAF had to act and he did, otherwise we would have lost Rooney for nothing. People say that Rooney twisted the manager’s arm but what SAF did is have all have all the cards in his hands. If we sell him in the summer it will be for major money.
james – well he made his bed now he has to live with it. Like they say becareful what you wish for you just get it
@james city wouldn’t even think twice about paying 100mill+ for ronaldo if chelsea are prepared to pay 50mill for torress again 100mill would not be out of the question. the only way ronaldo comes back to utd is if he runs the madrid contract out and comes on a free,
Another thing, if he plays in midfield, you won’t need two of best DM beside him, to do all the dirty work. He wonders all over pitch, not disciplined enough. It just sounds like, square pegs, in round holes.
StateSideAussie @ 15:11: ” Was SAF satisfied that Rooney had been “played” into that saga by his agent? Or, was he satisfied that Rooney’s talents were so great, they earned him a “free pass” that one time?”
OR did they stump up the cash to maintain UTD’s interest in his value ? Letting his contract wind down would surely diminish his value very substantially. Paying him off would give UTD flexibility in determining what to do from a position of strength.
We’ll never know the exact reasoning of these decisions until SAF publishes a very candid autobiography covering them.
I’m not with you, though, about the dangers of “experimenting” with WayneRooney in midfield – he seems to spend a lot of time back there already foraging for the ball. The up-side of such an “experiment” is that it would allow the best attacking players (Anderson (! yes !), Nani, Chicharito, DimitarBerbatov and WayneRooney) to be on the field at the same time; obviously, the down-side would be that there’s only one ball and they might not be able to share or to dovetail their talents.
The reason why I would prefer such an “experiment” is that the alternative has already been tried and found to be wanting – in far too many matches this season UTD’s attack has been sterile. Sure, Blackburn and Aston Villa and Birmingham were tonked at OT but far-too-often the attack has been far less than the sum of its parts.
Another reason to “experiment” was evident from yesterday’s match in which LiverPoo caught the RentBoyz flat-footed by changing their formation. An element of surprise was of crucial importance – as was the dire display by Essien(how old is this guy ? I mean, reallly ?) and Fwank and Nicola and “Dids” which must have made the LadyBoy feel an eery sense of deja vue, all over again. Whatever, eh ? “King Kenny” pulled a magical rabbit out of his hat and that rabbit shat all over the RomanLegioin.
Look people
(for redscott…or scottthe red…)
Giggs, Scholes are big players becuase they played for nothing. They started to play becuase they love this game, they love this club. I dont expect today players to thnik that way, because when you show 18 years old guy a millions on his accounts, the only thing he thinks is how to get more money. Even i would like that to be different, but obviously it is to much to ask that from young players. Managers teaching them to look only theirselfs. Money makeing people bad. And beings are perishable goods.
Giggs and Co. dont care about miil or 2, because they know they can t take that in grave, but this young kids they live just for today.
I feel sorry for that, feel like a football lost his soul….
For example, Kaka and Messi never was looking for bigger contract, they just played…The club gave them a better salary, becuase they felt, they have a duty to pay them more, becuase they play with a heart.
StatesideAussie – I agree which is harse on rooney. The only player with the same quality of passing is xavi and he aint coming here ever. But for me rooney has not got the discipline to play that role, rooney is not like scholes he cant domminate games because that is not his game. Also scholes was turned into a CM at a much younger age, rooney is 25 now, and it is to late to then convert rooney into a CM. Rooney will be back and I guarentee rooney will outlast chico and berbs in a united shirt
One last thing – anyone else see the Guardian “Rumour” that SAF is creaming-his-jeans over the Newcastle defensive midfielder Cheikh Tiote ? How come SecondChoiceSteve didn’t recommend this guy to UTD ?
Tiote’s volley against TheArse was fucking awesome – best goal of the season – so far.
fergie is the boss @ 16:15: “scholes was turned into a CM at a much younger age, rooney is 25 now, and it is to late to then convert rooney into a CM.”
FFS, it’s footie – not rocket science !
Well done Scott. A very good article in my opinion.
I think i am one of the most vocal critique of Rooney’s form here. You can trace my posts back, i believe Rooney is one of the main problem for us right now. We are lucky to have Berbatov, a player who works hard to improve despite his already very good record seasons after seasons. My point on Rooney has been his virtually no-goal season, compared to 30+ goals in the previous season. To go from 30+ to just 4, is sort of a regress. Or deteriorate.
But Scott has pointed out another argument that i have never thought of – Rooney is a 180k per week player, our highest paid, and one of the highest paid in the league. His wage alone can pay the wages of all Blackpool players combined (i read that in Soccernet), and we drew 2-2 with them, with Rooney on the field.
To say Rooney got no service when he plays up front is a clueless statement, when even Sir Alex rued our missed chances against Wolves. Nani sent in balls after balls into the box but no one was able to get to it, partly because of poor positioning from our forwards. We had our chances, we just didnt take them.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/876784/sir-alex-ferguson-rues-manchester-united's-missed-opportunity?cc=4716
has anyone else, in the match against Villa where Rooney scored two, have a thought like me that if that was Hernandez playing instead of Rooney, he would have scored a hattrick? I have refrained myself from saying that because i didnt want to spoil our joy.
@willie, yeah, you’re right. It’s odd: his energy would be a good thing, but his tendency to wander around would be bad. As you pointed out (I think it was you, anyway), he lacks the discipline. I honestly don’t see why he can’t play in the hole, running through in support of Berbatov when the ball goes in the box (even as a decoy), dropping back to help out in the central mid when the fight is raging there. But without positional discipline, it’s still a big risk. The other day against Wolves, I seem to recall him losing the ball when we were in attack, then chasing the Wolves player all the way down field. Good commitment, applaud the energy. But again, better if he didn’t give the ball away in the first place, and granted that he did, maybe not the best thing to be running that far out of position in pursuit.
It’s all right playing all these attacking players, who’s gonna help the defense out? Our midfield is the weakest, I’ve ever known it to be in all my years watching United. We need fresh impetuous in CM.
denton davey – rooney is not a midfielder it is very simple, yea footbal is simple while we are at it lets put ferdinand back in midfield that wa sa smart move want it. Oh yea rooney was put in CM 5 years ago and it was a disaster.
tell me what the score was when rooney was put into midfield 5 years ago, oh yea we lost 4 3 to blackburn, we were 4 1 down at one point in the game
Wholeheartedly agree…..
i suggest the club sticks with him – and then decide at the end of the season. Other than berbatov and hernandez , we don’t have any established strikers (i can’t see owen playing frequently) at the moment.
The midfield is still an urgent issue needing fast addressing.
i’m not going to berate him, the wages he has, or his personal life or whatever that has happened. It’ll be an endless cycle of debate on his off field debacles, his wages, his relationships, his agent, and it still wont change anything. i just think that it should be the first and the last time that the club should be held hostage by a player in such an unruly manner.
Frankly, to me the only thing that should matter is when a player pulls on the Manchester united shirt, he plays like one.
Right now he isn’t.
To me, his body language speaks of a player knowing he is in trouble- all sorts of trouble.
i will continue to support him, right up to the end of the season. i will not condone his terrible performances, but will also not condemn him as long as he puts everything he has into playing.because we need him, and we need him at his absolute best.
p.s berbatov reminds me every time he plays on why we all fall in love with this sport.
@Denton … the argument that SAF signed Rooney in order to protect/boost his market value is a good one, and it may well be the truth. But as you say, we may never know. As for Rooney-as-a-midfielder, I really am in two minds. There are aspects of Rooney’s play/style that I think would really benefit us in the midfield, but I also can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t work. As for the merits of experimenting, I merely meant that in order to give that idea a fair shake, you would have to persist with it — even if it obviously didn’t work for the first few games. Yet from now to the end of the season, every match is significant. To me, it’s something I would prefer to try in pre-season matches, or early in the season anyway. I dunno, think I’m just gonna butt out of that debate. The only thing I will say is that SAF has to do one of two things with Rooney: either find a way to get value out of him, or sell him.
off topic just for a laugh tevez saying he never talks to the press much and no one loves the city shirt more than him,fucking guy comes right out of a comic book
@ian … “berbatov reminds me every time he plays on why we all fall in love with this sport.” great comment. Cheers!
“It beggars belief that there are still people who come on here wishing that little cunt still played for us. It’s even worse when those people don’t get their facts straight AND THEN use their ignorance of the facts to besmirch the good name of Sir Alex Ferguson”
Hear! Hear! StatesideAussie calls it correctly.
rooney will not be put in midfield so the decision has to be made,do you drop him or persevere with him,the way owen looked the other night feel he deserves a chance think king eric said all he does is score goals when plays,same as little pea.think we have to realise the team would be better off if someone else was given a chance,can’t keep playing rooney on the ‘what if’ chance
SatesideAussie – He could play in the hole mate. I really can’t see an argument for Rooney playing in CM. No doubt he can see a pass and spray a 40 yard ball out to the wings, but It takes more than that, to play in that position. I remember a similar discussion about Rio playing in midfield, a few years ago. It never happened. He can bring the ball out of defense and is comfortable on the ball, but to play in there permanently? Not gonna happen.
i for one sure as hell hope Wayne himself comes on here and reads this, it may open his eyes to a point of view he doesnt know. could spark the intent ive wanted to see from him all season.
its the home stretch now and we need to play better as a team, including the “star” himself.
Do you think we could swap Ronaldo for Rooney.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1354558/Steve-McClaren-fines-Diego-midfielders-penalty-blunder.html
Maybe we should implement this with Wayne Rooney actually why stop there we should implement this in the Premier League.
Did I read someone take a dig at SAF’s “no value in the market”? You saying SAF is wrong, or covering for the club’s finances? Is Andy Carroll at 35mP fair value? What’s Hernandez at 6-7mP then?
Sorry mate, but Hernandez personifies the phrase “value in the market”.
And please don’t get started on a player who goes by the initials VdV. Whoever thinks United could’ve bought him for 8mP doesn’t think much obviously.
Some fellas have such a warped view of the transfer market you’d think they get those amounts in pocket money every week… rattling off numbers like 15/20/25/30/40/50mP like it’s loose change in their pocket.
@jay in your dreams mate
Steve McClaren has been sacked Jay.
I believe that EVERY decision that Sir Alex has made since losing the prem last year has been directly related to winning the 19th this year. He knows that he has an excellent chance, with not a lot of time. Who can know how many more years he will be able to lead us?
I also believe that every option that is considered on RoM is apparent to Sir Alex.
We bask in his brilliance, wondering what logic he could and should apply.
Only God knows, and on RoM we gleefully take our chance to play God.
The way the season has gone, Rooney’s simply not concentrating on the pitch. Maybe even disinterested. It’s like he goes “oh bugger” when the ball bounces off his shin, or “here’s a chance, just swing my foot and maybe it’ll go in” kind of mentality.
Recently… I’ve noticed the only things when the name “Rooney” escapes my lips, is always the latter word behind the prefixes “Oh”, or “Damn”, or “Bloody”. Or it would form part of a question, like “What’s it going to take for you to score, [name]?” or “What in the world are you doing, [name]?”
I’ve said it before and got a bollocking from some in RoM, but I still think the same – he’s got 11 games to prove his future worth to the team. Even with Giggs and Scholes, we have seen fairly regular glimpses of what they can continue to offer. Rooney’s taking 75% of a season. As one of the best paid in the club. Sorry, it doesn’t sound right to me. And they definitely have never shown the kind of attitude on the pitch which Rooney has exhibited this season.
I would sell Rooney for big money like Liverpool sold Torres, and buy new players, gooooood players, so we dot have to take money from the Glazers pocket. I mean we should sell him for 60-80 mill to Real, and take another 20 mill and buy 3-4 good players. I think we can do that.
@YorYor i agree mate, its not just the transfer fee its the wages that go along with it,i’m sure aswell because the british tax is higher than europe especially spain which as far as i know is 25% compared to 50% the clubs probably have to compensate some of the taxs aswell.
just step back and look at all the clubs that have spent millions on players,excluding barcelona who also have a large % of home grown its still a struggle for those teams.it might produce short term success[chelsea] but sooner or later the money tree has to run dry.spending millions and millions on rentboys Is not the answer and will sooner or later catch up to all those teams.
We aint gonna get that much (60-80 mill) for Rooney, only as a shirt seller maybe, he’s been shown up for what he is by Hernandez, fraid he has just ‘gone’ now and is a laughing stock. Dont think even Citeh would have him except as a wind up. Lets see what position he plays , IF he plays, for England eh?
@mara don’t think real is a option his wife doesn’t want to leave the country also there was rumors that rooney’s agent had approached real but his demands were to high,think thats were rooney wanted to go.
@Williered Yep, just read it myself.
Steve McClaren sacked by Wolfsburg. Guardian and ESPN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/07/steve-mcclaren-sacked
I contributed to the early part of this debate and from reading the subsequent posts I can see the arguments are more or less the same, so I have a question can a player who said he wanted to go then stays ever really to trusted in that every time he has a poor game we are going to question his loyalty to the club and his team mates.
My opinion is no he can’t have a future longterm, the amount of negative comments about him (mine included) indicate he will never be trusted to be one of us again and if we don’t trust him, do the players? Fergie keeps him till the end of the season to stop him going to our rivals and ensures the 19th then sells him and we deal with the fallout.
YorYor
Same sort of questions my wife asks everyday mate! lol
Matt – Come the summer, we’ll find out mate. I can’t work out, if he’s not interested, or just inconsistent. The little pea is a serious threat though, we’ll find out soon.
fucking TOP article.
SORT YOURSELF OUT YOU FAT TWAT AND STOP COSTING US POINTS
Good article that was, i agree with some of the points, Nani and Berbatov need far more recognition
than they get, Nani never gets his name sung, no matter what he does.
I think that Wayne was badly advised, only through his peformances on the pitch will he get
all the fans back onside, while he wears the shirt i will continue to support him, but i totally
see why other reds dont like him anymore.
Always makes me laugh when people say the solution to all our problems is to put Rooney or Berbatov in central midfield. Just cos it works in Fifa doesn’t mean it will work in real life. But of course you must know better than Fergie.
DentonDavey wrt the Aston Villa game, he didn’t exactly drag a win out of us when nothing looked like happening. He got a good early goal, then Nani put one on a plate for him. When we’re in desperate need of someone making something happen where has he been? Scoring a penalty against Rangers after doing sweet FA doesn’t count.
I do hope he gets back to his best and stays…. even though I will never feel the same way about him…. kind of deja vu with Ronaldo the season after he wanted to leave….cheered his goals….but I didn’t sing Viva Ronaldo with the same passion and affection of the years before……at least Ronaldo managed 26 goals that season…..
Anyway the reason I was on here is we need a song/chant for Nani and Evra… ffs we had one for Possebon ha…
Any suggestions? ha
thank you scott for telling some people on here that our midfield has been poor this yr. they just have to get going we have a monstrous schedule from now till may. for us to win ANYTHING that midfield must improve. and as for Rooney , i wouldn’t sell him just yet. the reason is because of the potential he has when he is on form. he is a human wrecking ball when on form so i wouldn’t sell him. but i honestly think hernandez should get way more playing time. the boy is too good for just 15 mins every game. my opinion.
As I wrote on here last week Rooney on current form should be the fourth choice striker. The reasons for this are simple and obvious. Berbatov, Hernandez and Owen are all in far better form than Rooney. These three also show a far more positive attitude for me. There were some who claimed that Rooney was just lacking confidence and that was the reason for his goal drought. Personally I very much doubted this excuse and I have been proved correct. The reason I say this is if Rooney had lacked confidence those two goals against Villa would have had any striker champing at the bit to go out and score again. He would have pushed on from that. However he has lapsed into his usual poor effort. As I pointed out last week there is no incentive for Rooney to improve his game at all as he knows he can never be dropped because Fergie is very clearly giving him preferential treatment over all the other players. This is wrong Fergie is so fond of telling us that football is a squad game it seems to me he needs to practice what he preaches.
Personally I feel sorry for Berbatov, Hernandez and Owen as they are not being treated fairly in fact Owen is being completely wasted. It seems to me Rooney threw his toys out of the pram got a massive pay increase and is quite content to collect his pay cheque and contribute nothing to the cause. Quite frankly he just disgusts me as he had the bare faced cheek to infer the other players were not good enough to play with him. Actually on current form he is not good enough to play with any of the other three strikers. By rights he should be dropped down to the reserves and see if that would improve his attitude. Sadly Fergie hasn’t the guts to do that.
The Prince, formerly known as Wayne, was a big tool. But we need to move on.
*Probably had his agent, the jerk Paul Stretford, saying that he could get in some fantastic deal at the virus. But after SAFs interview, WR10 was tainted goods. Virus pulled out and the only other option with more money than sense was Shitty.
Late night visits by dull-witted brain addeled elements of the United Liberation Front (not my idea of United pride) convince the prince that Shitty is never going to be an option in this lifetime.
Thence, only god knows for certain.
* Complete speculation and utter nonsense made up to fit with the general line of drivel that this thread is generating.
@bigphil2003
Exactly. Unless Rooney can intercept the ball with ease or dictate the pace of a game, I don’t see how he is our missing link in midfield. Ferguson just has to come up with the right solution there.
To be fair, Berbatov has played the majority games this season.
Also, dropping Rooney to the reserves, isn’t a viable option IMO. He plays, or he gets benched.
and also i was just wondering when we go to play chelsea and liverpool away , we will most likely use a 4-5-1 formation to add an extra body in midfield. who would start then upfront? rooney or berbatov?
my god, its time 2 get behind utd, every player equally, nt fn heap presure on the lad . move on n stop wit this shite
RyanDunny, good evening. There has been call for a video reel of Gary Neville’s celebrations and side-line shenanigans. I wondered if that is a task you would relish and respect.
I dont why you lot are getting your knickers in a twist just because i politely state my opinion, which you apparently all vehemently disagree with.
Gotta- yes, I did incorrectly say we sold tevez instead of saying we didnt take up the opportunity to make the loan permanent. That doesnt make me an ignorant- it was just a hastely written post.
next to the poster who said I’m one of those fans that just likes to gripe when we lose- that is incorrect. I started to support man utd in 1985, when i was 5- and aside for an FA cup win that year, we won nothing for the next 5 years, and I gladly and loyally continued going to every single home game because im a united fan to the core and will always be.
Just because I voice opinions that I disagree with, i dont see why many of you are making out that I must not be a true utd fan. does every utd fan have to think the exact same way?
I totally stand by my comments about Butt. he was a decent tackler like fletcher but once he got the ball, he was absoletely clueless what to do with it. I also stand by my comments about Tevez. I understand why he felt pissed off. He wanted to play on a regular basis and he wasnt getting that at ud. i dont think he left to get a pay raise. he has gone on to play incredibly well and get a ton of goals for city this season, and i think over the next 3 years, he will score loads more goals for city than rooney will for utd. obviously, i hope im completely wrong, but i dont think i will be, and certainly thats the way its going to end this season. To the extent tevez acted inappropriately at utd, i certainly dont think he acted any worse than rooney, and i happen to think he is a far better player than rooney.
red devil- stam and nistelroy didnt cause a fraction of the bother rooney or ronaldo caused and the manager was plain wrong to sell them. nistelroy would have continued to score a ton of goals for us, as he has done for every team he has joined since, and stam would have continued to be a monster defender for us.
forlan was not given anywhere near long enough to settle down and he has showed since leaving utd what an immense player he is.
so i believe ferguson was wrong with all those decisions. why cant i voice that opinion. of course i think he is the most incredible manager in the history of football- i just think he got those particular decisions wrong.
you want to call me names or doubt my loyalty to utd because of it, go ahead- that makes you ignorant- not me.
What the specualtion that the best English player has been nowhere near what is expected of him, no speculation there Fletchtheman he isnt contributing enough, do two goals against Villa make up for Blackpool and Wolves, does it fuck. At Blackpool he was as bad as Gibson but didn’t get as much abuse.
To be honest I wouldn’t shed a tear if he never played for us again, two reasons one, he hasn’t been playing that well that the team would miss him and two I’m just more and more fed up at his attitude when he’s not playing well, wheres the rampaging Rooney that would when things wheren’t going well turn up in the full backs position to win the ball back, I know some will say that ain’t his job and I might agree but my argument is that Rooney showed desire when the chips where down, this one doesn’t.
bryanrobson’s my hero welcome to my world. i admire your courage standing up to them you have the right to voice your opinion.
Bromance!
bryanrobson’s my hereo
So your Dad was a supporter?
” I started to support man utd in 1985, when i was 5- and aside for an FA cup win that year, we won nothing for the next 5 years, and I gladly and loyally continued going to every single home game because im a united fan to the core”
Hardcore from the age of 5 until 10 years old. Did you sleep in the rain too? Were you afraid of the dark, or creatures under the bed? I guess not. Maybe you should apply to be Bryan Robson’s hero.
And what happened to the hardcore 10 year old, Is he the one that comes on RoM under the name “bryanrobson’s my hereo”
fergie is the boss @ 16:23: “tell me what the score was when rooney was put into midfield 5 years ago, oh yea we lost 4 3 to blackburn, we were 4 1 down at one point in the game”
So, let’s see if I understand the logic of your comment – four goals were scored against UTD because WayneRooney was in midfield ? And, i guess, the three goals UTD scored were of no consequence and un-related to WayneRooney’s presence.
The point is if you have your best attacking players on the field – and a “shielding midfielder” then perhaps – PERHAPS ! – these lethargic displays might be put in the past.
One thing everyone – EVERY ONE OF US – agrees on is that this UTD team is not playing consistently well. Indeed, it’s not playing consistently. Some of us think that the problem is due to personal issues; others think it’s the product of personnel issues; and some believe that this inconsistency is related to strategy/formations. BUT NO ONE thinks that playing these stuttering, inconsistent style is a recipe for success.
Some people don’t want to change or “experiment” in mid-season – I get that; BUT this is not a case of the team’s “ain’t broke so why fix it ?” Being brutally honest, UTD have stumbled – rather gormlessly, too – into a position of quite amazing strength in the EPL standings.
My suggested “experiment” is based on a belief that the gormless stumbling might not be enough. AND, I’m not of the opinion that the problems are either personal or personnel – I think the inconsistency relates to strategy/formations. That’s why I was such a huge – and disappointed – booster of breaking the bank for Schweini; and why I’d “experiment” with WayneRooney to get him off the schneid.
Makes me want to cry willie.
Spot on, Scott! You know what I hated absolutely about the whole Rooney affair. Not that he wanted to leave the world’s biggest club, not that he had hurt the greatest manager in the world and not that he was talking to City behind our backs – it was the fact that some shithead fans (both here and elsewhere) actually believed him when he said it was only about success. They said, “Oh yeah, Rooney’s right. Look what SAF has brought in Smalling and Hernandez, what good are they?”. Some of them even turned against SAF and the Glazers.
That is what I hated most and just like Tevez when he turned the fans against the club, I wanted Rooney to leave because he had done that. I also think the gaffer’s reaction was 30% drama and 70% pain. He was clearly pained and hurt, but he decided to use that to his advantage and bring down Rooney in that interview which he did as only he can do.
As for the present situation, Rooney had one good game against Villa last week where he was arguably MOM. But most other games, he looks plain lost. He has no idea what kind of runs he should be making or how he should link up to Berba. And his old vigor has also gone down and sometimes when he loses the ball he just stands there like Ronaldo. I still love his energy and all that, but as you (and Starcraft II, of course) said, “Hell! It’s about time!”. He has to start firing on all cylinders soon and what better game to do it in that against the club he was rumored to join.
Trust me, if Rooney performs against City, then 95% of the population of United, will 100% get behind his back. Of that, there can be no doubt.
Brad Bellick in Sona, welcoming the ‘unclean.’
denton davey – Then why hasn’t SAF tried Rooney in that position? Is It because, he’s not a CM? Square pegs in round holes. We don’t have the midfield, to gamble with Rooney in that role. Why not Ando, wouldn’t he be more suited, than Rooney? If it happens I’ll hold my hands up, but don’t put money on It.
bryanrobson’s my hereo, fair enough retort in my view.
As to the lads you mention that could have stayed for a few more years, I produced a list very similar to yours a couple of days ago and didn’t get much of a response. I added Pique. Don’t agree on Tevez who I thought lacked certain essential United qualities, but mostly lacked any brain for personal advisers. Class player on his day, but not a United player for me. Just couldn’t shut his yap and always confronting he manager, just not my tea. But that is only my opinion and I take your points in support of yours.
Go figure. People are just very sensitive today becaue, well WR10 will do that to fans these days and well, we got handed our hats by foo#kin Wovles…….Jesus Wept.
Sad truth, or possibly ancient fackt…….Irregular posters sometimes get slagged because the lads on ROM don’t know where they are coming from. Fair to follow with an expansion of your views.
‘Them’ Who are they?
he is just a fat granny shaggggggeeeeeerrrr maaaaateeeee.
i am pissed at rooney, i dont care what anyone else thinks, i disslike him, a lot. he has not proven his worth, he has fucked SAF over, his name is chanted so loud when he does play well. i’ll never forgive, and i’ll never forget. ship him off to real madrid in the summer, where his big ambitions matches the big ambition club.
I’ve got It? Play Evra up front. Piss take.
I don’t think Rooney was headed for City, I think he was headed for Chelsea. I think the £50m and 175k p/w that Chelsea spent on Torres was on the table for Rooney first. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the numbers floating around were similar, but it just seems more likely. Chelsea have done that sort of thing in the past.
If ur a Manutd fan,at some point u probaly have shouted at Fergie about something.
But very soon it blows over.
U never forget the genius that he is and what he has done for us.
And if he makes a mistake he does something about it,for me watching and learning from him is like having an open university course on life.
So if u say ur a Manutd fan ,rant if u want but please dont go over board ,not good. If u do then dont pretend to be innocent when the regulars go for your jugular. Expect it .
Football is after all an emotional thing ,innit?
i don’t get why everyone was still chanting his name on the terraces when he signed that contract? the fat c*nt didn’t care for United and was ready to leave. he hasn’t proven anything this season, other than the fact he’s unmotivated, lazy, fat, and cares about money. he has proved nothing so far and is hurting the team. some of you say he’s world class talent but is it far to include him with the likes of ronaldo, messi, and zlatan? he’s overrated by a lot of us and its what he feeds off of in the media, “england’s savior.” he needs to get into shape, shut his mouth, and work hard
United is a club that doesn’t ask what you have done for me, but what are you doing for me and someone like Rooney doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt when there are so many youngsters like Chicarito who are so eager to prove their worth. if he doesn’t like being in red, then send him over to spain so he can wear white.
I feel like vomiting,Tevez is all over the media,”no one loves shit as mauch as me ”
are this guys stupid or is there a PR person holding cards for them to read.
bryanrobson’s my hereo says “I dont why you lot are getting your knickers in a twist just because i politely state my opinion”
Liar.
What you said was: “fergie effed up royally by prostrating himself on the floor for roonie… harping on about how he had shown that as manager he had weilded supreme power. utter bollocks…he let a player shite all over him… so fergie, u effed up big…”
Sad excuse of a fan, you are an impolite knickertwisting twat.
Brilliant post.
There is nothing much we can do really. Let’s just pray that he finds his form soon go back to the old Rooney we’ve always known
Couldnt agree more with everything in this article! When our fans start chanting his name, it fucks me off so much. Why does he deserve any sort of respect from our fans?
‘I want him dead, his family dead, I want his house burned to the ground than I want to piss on the ashes’
Good article, I feel the same.
I know I will never feel the same about Rooney anymore, I haven’t called him “Wazza” ever since the prostitute story broke but, business in business, and he needs to step up.
Not having a good run of form or a good run of goals since March 2010 is a disgraceful run of form.
I’ll probably be shot down for saying so but in my opinion the ideal scenario would be he finds his form and goals for the last 3 months of the season helping us to number 19 and that’ll inflate his transfer fee so we can get rid in the summer for a tidy sum. I cannot warm to Rooney wearing our shirt ever again.
@CedarsDevil: That better be a qoute from a movie or sumthing dude
That should be easy to work out Dave.
Can’t touch this topic.
@willierednut – alright mate, that would actually be a better shout than the Rooney one because Evra played up front when he was young!haha
Excellent work as per usual Scott, I totally agree with all your points raised and I must say that it boils my piss when “Mr Ambition” gets his name chanted!? It winds me up just thinking about it Argghhhh when still only a fraction of the crowd sings for Berba? Even after hes banged one in??
bigphill03 – Not bad mate. I forgot he played up front, in his younger days. Maybe that is an option lol.
denton davey – ferguson learnt a big lesson from alan smith never try and convert a player who is a striker into a midfielder. The blackburn game 5 years ago was a complete experiment failiure, the boss tried rooney in midfield then, it never worked and fergie never tried it again since.
But some of the comments get rid of rooney make me laugh. He aint leaving the club in the summer and everyone is acting like a bunch of women who cannot even get behind every player. Yea sell rooney and keep owen who is on his last legs, berbs is coming into his 30′s and he cannot play every game, and chico wont be here long has he will play for one of the big 2 in spain in about 2 to 3 years time. It will cost the club more to sell rooney and replace him with a player not better than rooney, next season he will be back fresher better than ever
WillieRedNut @ 18:00 “Then why hasn’t SAF tried Rooney in that position? Is It because, he’s not a CM? Square pegs in round holes. We don’t have the midfield, to gamble with Rooney in that role.”
That’s a possible answer but it’s not the only one. Maybe SAF has “experimented” in the way I’ve suggested because he’s stubborn and wants to force the WayneRooneySquarePeg into the RoundHole of this particular group of players ? Maybe he’s hoping that – somehow and, seemingly, against all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding – WayneRooney can re-capture last-year’s form ? Maybe SAF thinks that Scholes, Carrick, Anderson, Fletcherinho are good enough to cover the midfled ?
All I can say in answer to those questions is that the situation looks different to me. Now I know that my opinion isn’t worth three-quarters of sweet-fuck-all but the beauty of this blog is that at least it provides a forum for voicing that opinion (as opposed to taling with the spirt of my dead dog).
and how is selling rooney in the summer a good idea if he does not have a good season. That is not gonna hike his transfer fee. He has got to play well to be a valuble asset, what if rooney is sold in the summer has an amazing season next season like tevez and we sold him on the cheap out of spite. That will not benifit the club long term for success and financial gain
@bryanrobson’s my hereo
I totally agree with you about tevez and SAF. What makes me angry that you cant say anything against SAF, becuase than you are enemy. He made mistakes, that is obvious. He is still the best, but it doesnt make this things not mistakes. It is much easier to say Forlan, Rossi…didnt fit in sistem, than say that SAf was wrong, didn t give them a real chance. I think that Rooney get a lot of credit for not scoreing by SAF, more than he deserve. SAF spoiled him…and after all he gave to him, Rooney say: I want to go! – go to hell….
I think he gave Rooney more money to extend a contract to take more money in transfer. And that is goood desicion.
Best piece on Rooney I’ve seen for ages. Stop playing with your Wizza, Wazza, time to deliver!
“next season he will be back fresher better than ever”
That’s what I keep thinking pal, “he’ll be better soon” “his form will return soon” “he’ll start scoring regularly soon” but we’ve been waiting nearly a year for it to return!
mara – yea tell me what happpened next after we sold forlan and rossi, oh yea we won 3 league titles and euopean cup, a world club cup a couple of carling cups. Yea the boss is retarded. Tevez was asking for the imposssible, fergie had to buy a striker ronaldo was half assed, rooney picked up allot of injurys and tevez had a terrible season with 5 goals in the prem, and tevez played more games than rooney.
fergie is the boss says:
and how is selling rooney in the summer a good idea if he does not have a good season. That is not gonna hike his transfer fee. He has got to play well to be a valuble asset, what if rooney is sold in the summer has an amazing season next season like tevez and we sold him on the cheap out of spite. That will not benifit the club long term for success and financial gain
Its the reverse, we sell cos its not a good idea to keep him, whether he plays better elsewhere is not my concern
bchilds – it took berbatov to get going into his 3rd season at the club. It took ronaldo his 4th season to get going, fletcher did not get going until his 4th season. So rooney may need next season to really shine, every player has a bad time even long term class will always rises to the top. Rooney is having a really bad patch of form, he needs a fresh season a pre season no world cup and he will be back. But which united player away from home has played well, fletcher carrick nani giggs berbatov none of them have imposed their will and dominance into games away from home. The whole united squad has been overrun away from home not just rooney.
denton davey – Yeah, he is stubborn, but that is SAF. He hasn’t let us fans too much, has he? Sorry to hear about your dog. I’m like a dog with a bone on this one though, if you get my drift.
rooney has been playing shite all season, I honestly believe that some other club has got to him,
fergie has done a deal with just like ronaldo to stay at united till the end of the season.
but unlike ronnie he is not doing it on the pitch where it matters.
his body language is all wrong for someone who is content with his lot in life.
I say bench him for the shity game, lets give the little pea a run in the team, its got to be better then someone who heart is not at the club.
fuck wayne rooney sell him, I for one have had my fill the scouse cunt.
it will never be the same with rooney and fans no matter what he does, no one is bigger then the club.
mattbw7 – well get the memo he aint leaving in the summer
Costas says:
Makes me want to cry willie.
Allright Costas mate not here. Just tuck yourself up with a box of kleenex and put on the wizard of oz and they’ll be oozing out of the bloody woodwork. There seems to be one every few yards and play your cards right you can spend all day tommorrow buying fabric and shit instead of gafawing on here.
“your old man was like dad to me” he single handed hunted down the New England crew” brought the war to them up there”
God, this article really digs up alot of what I’ve been trying to ignore since the early parts of the season. I’m a bit disgusted. I hope mr. Rooney reads this. Maybe we could send him an open letter? He’s fucking conned the club and all it’s supporters who pay his huge salary.
As long as Wayne pulls his finger out and puts in a shift till May I will be ok with him. Cannot sing his name anymore but a fully fit and firing Rooney is someone we NEED, He looks to have the weight of the world on his shoulders at the minute. Come on Wayne bang a brace on Saturday.
Seems the bitters are getting cocky and think because of one slip up they will do us. Err have you seen our home form average Milner? Fucking Leeds scum cunt:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1354461/Manchester-City-star-James-Milner-insists-win-United-spur-title.html
All these saying Fergie made a mistake selling Rossi need to wake up. Did he fuck, he was never gonna make it in Ingerlund.
Also on an Arsenal website they have set up a conspiracy theory that the fa do not want the gooners winning the title. Fucking ponces.
@Goat
Haha. No need to put on the Wizard or any other movie, mate. Saturday’s performance is all I need.
Lets hammer City. Please.
mara Of course Fergie makes mistakes, he is only human but he has done more good than make mistakes. Selling Tevez well not even selling him, was NOT a mistake . The man is a first class cunt who does nowt but cause trouble. Why do people STILL want this cunt at United.
If Rooney IS gonna go in the summer then where? He won’t go Citeh, the Rentboys or dippers. The fascists want a tall target man. He won’t go Barca. Inter are after Tevez. Where does that leave him then?
Saturday will the perfect opportunity for him to go some way to redeeming himself, especially if he nicks the winner.
I have no doubt in the City match we will ride all over them. In a way, losing that bloody match against Wolves has lifted that bloody pointless but heavy millstone from around our necks (unbeaten record). I hope Scholes kicks that cunt Tevez up the arse and Rafael follows through on him. Tell you the truth I really dont care what type of follow through that actually becomes, lol.
Disagree he is looking fat. I thought he is actually looking thinner especially in the face. All of this is just conjecture.Not ONE of us knows whats really going on.
As for the lad slagging Butty just ask Keano what he thought of Butty. He fucking loved playing alonside him especially in the scouse games. Butty was a great player.
@Goat
I wasn’t here over the weekend, but I said the same thing elsewhere. In a way, I am glad the unbeaten run is over. It becomes a burden after a while and you start caring about not losing more than winning.
How we beat the bitters I do not really care but if I was to be greedy then it would be more special for another injury time winner, makes it sweeter and more hurtful
Rooney has actually played in the centre ,right and left of midfeild for Manutd.
Played a deep role as striker and leading the line upfront.
In training goalkeeper and defender.
Fergie trusts him as left midfeild but prefers him in the striker positions.
Hopefully u guys remember the few games he did cameos in the midfeild centre.
Dave Malaysia
What on earth are you still doing up mate? Oh and yes that was a movie quote! lol
Cameos? come on.
@King Eric
I agree, especially when he returned from Nike HQ he looked thinner than I have seen him since he joined United.
Scott, stop trying to justify your constant rants against Rooney, we get it, you don’t like him.
The fact that you didn’t write any “Quick Reaction” to the Aston Villa game where he scored twice after such a long drought confirmed for me anyway that you are not going to treat Rooney the same as you treat Berbatov (another player I love btw before anyone attacks).
If Berba had scored the two goals against VIlla instead of Rooney, you’d have pointed it out and don’t say thats not true because you never fail to.
Stop lying, you said he was a fat cunt bchilds lol.
@CedarsDevil: Shift work dude,just back,going to sleep like a baby soon. Hey, I need to do operation remote on saturday,cos its an early kickoff.
Tell me do u like this early kickoffs?
for the guys talking about alan smith,Fergie and quieroz tried him in that position cos we did not have someone at that time doing it,they wanted to use his tenacity in a roy keane kinda role,he did ok ,but better upfront, i.e our game against roma.
that game had carrick/fletcher running the midfeild and smithy upfront and he score a beauty.
@willierednut
Damn it! I’m sure I didn’t say fat but can’t deny the latter may have been mentioned
aiyy willie u red nut, cameos as in he spent some part of the game in the centre as Fergie rejigged the team to win.
wei willie and bchilds, ever wonder what an actual fat cunt looks like,does it have bumper stickers?
“I hear Ginny Sack’s getting a ninety five pound mole taken off her ass.”
Dave Malaysia
I do not mind an early kick off, my time zone is only 2 hours ahead of the UK so mid day, afternoon or even evening matches are fine with me
too much talk bout baby shrek,now me go sleep,dream baby shrek score hattrick for Manutd this Saturday battle.
then see STR smile ,do jig,write nice article. all happy .
just make sure colleen give baby TLC all week so he no go play in other cribs.
no poke wrong hole,just toe poke 3 times on saturday battle.
ugah uagah uagah!!!
good night Cedars,smoke signals tomolo.
don’t think rooney is going anywere as some lads mentioned no options,chelsea has just shot their load on tranny boy,not moving out of england unless he’s leaving his wife,gunners don’t spend that much on players,he’d never go to the dippers + they’ve just got two strikers,so it only leaves city.so we all may aswell get used to it and hope he comes good.
wayne – the ronaldo situation is totaly different from the rooney situation. I think rooney is just living in complete guilt that he messed his whole carear and family life in a year. If it was up to him I think he would go back in change it. I have always said this, rooney will outlast chico and berbs in a united shirt for different reasons I mentioned
funny article on torres here boys.. Very witty..
http://www.eplupdate.com/2011/02/torres-feeling-little-blue.html
@fergie is the boss agree mate i wrote in a earlier comment alot of negatives effecting his play all in his head,he’s having a shit year on a personal level from the world cup onwards.
excerpt from today’s Ryan Giggs 90 sec interview:
Who’s the worst dancer?
Nev
Most intelligent?
Nev.
Biggest moaner?
It’s a hat-trick for Nev!
wayne – exactly glad there are a couple of fans who think with logic, even now I would rather wayne rooney than andy carrol or fernando torres. and they cost 35M to 50M. PPL also forget he had a fantastic season so that payrise alone is actually earned.
I ment to add wayne. How are united going to be stronger, we sell rooney in the summer VDS and neville already gone, most likely hargreaves will follow suit, you are stuck with berbs another year older chico will he have a second season hangover and struggles, then you have owen who is on hsi last legs may not even be here next year. And we add scholes and giggs another year older united will need all their big players. It is all and well saying chico should play every game when he has only been here 8 months, we have a balance of strikers where chico is effective has na sub.
smartalex
Read that earlier, think Pali might be giving him a call soon!
@fergie is the boss,you have doubts chico is going to stick around has he mentioned that he’s a real or barca fan?
Cedarsdevil I reckon you’re right, Pali will bring round his A game!
Another interesting manutd . com poll. 45% of 33 000 voted for Little Pea, will Sir Alex
notice or care? Also, remember Park won twice, I wonder if he’s up for saturday, as others are on international duty in the week.
2010/11 Players of the Month
August – Paul Scholes
September – Dimitar Berbatov
October – Javier Hernandez
November – Ji-sung Park
December – Ji-sung Park
January – Javier Hernandez
“Someones talking too much, and It’s costing me money”
Was talking to a few Watford fans…and they were full of praise for Tom Cleverley said he was was outstanding for them last season. I would have loved if he had stayed for the season….he gets a decent amount of goals from midfield..unlike Ando, Fletch, Carrick and Scholes in the last few years. Gibson has only scored the one goal also…
Hopefully he’ll get his chance next season with a few fresh faces around him!
@fergie is the boss
———–
“wayne – exactly glad there are a couple of fans who think with logic, even now I would rather wayne rooney than andy carrol or fernando torres. and they cost 35M to 50M. PPL also forget he had a fantastic season so that payrise alone is actually earned.”
———-
Agree man, really agree. Rooney > Torres, Carrol, Suarez, Villa, Tevez, Benzema and on and on…
Fair enough, that statement might only show to be true when Rooney hits top form but that’s not the point. I try to look at the bigger picture and not to rely on knee jerk reactions after every single game or every single story in the media. I follow United because I love football and United have always been my club in Europe… I care very little for the media drama that surrounds it in the UK however. I felt sorry for the Rooney family when he made his own personal mistakes in his private life, but I always maintained that was none of my business.
When the contract saga blew up like a storm, I didn’t like it and I felt shocked at the prospect of Rooney leaving… sick at the prospect of it being City. I even (if i remember correctly) posted some angry comments on this blog, the one time I gave in the the temptation to overreact. But when he signed a new five year deal I started to feel a lot better over the course of a few days when the initial shock left my system. Now, looking at the bigger picture, he’s too much of a great player to have been let go. And reading between the lines, I don’t see why the ambition comment is such a heresy when fans had the same question for the owners of the club in their anti-glazer protests. I also don’t care that he makes a lot of money… United makes boat loads from sales of merchandise based on his name alone so he’s only getting his fair share. Like it or not, United is a business, not a local team that plays for fun. If it wasn’t a big business, our success story of the past couple decades wouldn’t actually exist or at least it wouldn’t be nearly what it has been.
People need to get over it now. He scored two against Aston Villa and loads of comments praised him (but there were a lot of dumb comments too) and as I pointed out three times already now, there was no “Reaction to our win over Aston Villa” blog entry made. I found that to be very disappointing, considering all of Berbatov’s great performances have been met with unending praise on RoM this season. But the first time Rooney switched on and won us a game, RoM somehow “forgot” to point it out. Enough is enough. It’s all about the football remember? Let’s just get on with it and get behind our team ffs. We don’t need a scapegoat, whether its Berba, Rooney, Evans or Gibson as an excuse every time we drop points or perform badly in the toughest football league in the world.
smartalex
Thing is mate, as fans we all have our formations and team selections, we love playing the boss and that is a natural part of being fans….
SAF sees these players every day in training for hours and I am sure he picks the team on merit based on what he sees as well as what the next game requires tactically. Yes he does get it wrong sometimes even by his own admission but 9/10 times he gets it right.
Some here suggested that the boss picks Rooney because he feels he has to, I find that to be utter rubbish.
Very good read Scott. Not had chance to read all the comments yet but the ones I have appear to agree with you.
I worshipped him too until he broke my heart. Call me sensitive I call it Passion.
I now cheer his goals because they are working towards winning Utd the League and enjoy his assists.
I no longer Chant his name or join in with the Rooney songs and totally regret having his name on my shirt.
Rooney should have gone off against Wolves not the Great Berbatov.
If he does go at the end of the season I just hope he is replaced by a Top class player.
Off topic but just seen the Gary Neville interview on Sky Sports, I think it’s been up a while but haven’t got round to watching it yet:
http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,26691,16460_6724998,00.html
Him talking about Keano makes me miss him even more, a Keano is exactly what we’re missing in midfield and Gaz talking about him on the training ground makes me think how he would have reacted to the Rooney saga!
@Cedars Cheers, Agree. SAF has what he needs to pick a team, including the fact that he needs to bring on some of the entire squad to keep lads fresh. It is a point that the midfield is the weakest link, but that any midfield is going to be neutralized on a windswept narrow soggy wasteland on offer at Wolves. Get over it. We are lucky we got out with only one injury (Rio) and that Arsenal imploded (Hahaha …..)
Everyone has to play 38 games. Right now, things are looking good, could be loads better, but hey. Think any of us looking into the crystal ball on Dec 1 would have taken 4points clear in early Feb. Ya mate, I would have with glee.
@Dela, Completely agree. WR10 started coming good as shown by his continued assists rate, his improving coverage of the pitch, and then culminating in the Villa game. The boss likely also takes into consideration the cardio info that the lads produce in training due to the new outfits. Be you Owen and Chicho lag considerably behind the prince and Berba. Berba really is a credit to himself for getting his work rate up this year. With Uniteds formation, all of the forwards need to be fit to the extreeme. TBH, I really rated Owen in his last outing. Think he does himself credit as well.
CedarsDevil Sir Alex picks Wayne Rooney because he believes that it gives us the best chance of winning the League this year. He may be right. There are millions of other considerations that need to be attended simultaneously. But the League this year comes before all. Do people really think that anything could distract the gaffer?
Moving on…
Petr Cech said today “Now Manchester United have slipped up for the first time, we will see how they cope. We have a game in hand against Manchester United and then a replay of this encounter. If we win both, we will be within reach. I think the title race is still wide open.”
What game in hand? Dream on! Wide open? No, sorry for you!
“You know my feelings: every day is a gift. It’s just, does it have be a pair of socks?”
CedarsDevil you say that Fergie picks players on merit. Well I am sorry you clearly are not watching the same matches as most other people on here. If Fergie is picking players on merit please explain to me how Rooney warrants a starting place every week as surely you must see that Rooney’s form at the moment is dire and has been all season. The truth is fergie is picking on Rooney’s reputation alone form clearly doesn’t come into it. As has already pointed out on here Fergie makes mistakes too he is not nor ever will infallible. To suggest otherwise is I’m afraid rather short sighted. Fergie on his own admission got his tactics wrong against Southampton but he was also wrong with his substitutions on Saturday at Wolves.
FletchTHEMAN
I would have taken top on goal difference back at the start of Dec coming into mid Feb mate!
smartalex
He must have forgotten to refresh the page with the table after their game against the dippers! lol
CedarsDevil Petr forgot to check.
“you’re a bartender, you’re supposed to listen to my problems”
wruth03
I already mentioned that SAF makes mistakes and at times he admits it. However as I said earlier the manager sees a lot more of the players than we do.
If you feel he picks Rooney purely on reputation than that is your opinion, I on the other hand do not buy into that theory.
A BIT OF TOAST IS A BIT OF TOAST BUT IF YOU EAT IT WHAT IS IT THEN
or..
bend over ring rang fangety fung din dang doo….lol
you fuckers started being obtuse so cop these 2 fuckers
over and out….
ps is Muppet and MG lovers now….
“A lot of top guys have dark moods. That Winston Churchill drank a quart of brandy before breakfast. Napoleon, he was a moody fuck, too.”
If you eat your toast, it’s toast.
I’M getting a fucking dark mood with all these fucking oblique posts on here hahahahah
tskkk…. it becomes chewed up toast in your tummy …silly….. !!
O’tis time CedarsDevil to get yourself back in the lift, we need inside info!
TonyBee
What the fuck are you bustin my balls or are you bustin my balls
I am no friend of those who bring my words into disgraceful context
That applies to fellow reds more than non reds because I expect that from non reds.
Thats a lesson allright.
Winston and Napoleon …pair of pussies …. I could have taken both of them ….iffen I had had me toast…!!
fucking hell MG …DONT START ON ME ….LOL
“Loose lips sinks ships”
TonyBee is finished…. crossed the wrong red
smartalex
I only wish mate, another 2 minute conversation with him would be divine!
A pair of pussies to oblique your crumbed meatballs? Toasty!
just like I’ve red this post before.. but agree. Time to deliver, he better start come saturday
Tonybee thinking of running for cover……
Why did the chicken cross the red?
Answers on a postcard…
It was a Roo-ster!
Rooney is a red no bother ….just needs some more time thats all
Hardi- har har…pair of cunts lol
All this talk about Rooney, the Berb hasn’t scored a goal for two games, shocking.
TonyBee
“You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little fucked up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?”
God bless movie dialogue
(RIP Sir Bobby Robson)
‘When a player gets to 30, so does his body.’ – Glen Hoddle
‘I was a young lad when I was growing up.’ – David O’Leary
‘Home advantage gives you an advantage.’ – Bobby Robson
‘It’s the only way we can lose, irrespective of the result.’
- Graham Taylor
‘We must have had 99% of the game. It was the other three per cent that cost us the match.’ – Ruud Gullit
‘The philosophy of a lot of European teams, even in home matches, is not to give a goal away.’ – Alex Ferguson
‘In a year’s time, he’s a year older.’ – Bobby Robson
‘The first 90 minutes are the most important.’ – Bobby Robson
‘Shearer could be at 100% fitness, but not peak fitness.’
- Graham Taylor
‘As I’ve said before and I’ve said it in the past…’ – Kenny Dalglish
Why did the chicken cross the red?
It didn’t see the MG hurtling towards him.
only popped on here to say nightie nights and what do i get ….sniff ….grief…sniff….
see you lot tomozz
Cheers TonyBee!
Bobby Baccalieri: “To the victor belongs the spoils.”
Tony Soprano: “Why don’t you get the fuck out of here before I shove your quotation book up your fat fucking ass.”
TonyBee
“Who the fuck cares? I’ll dig the fuckin’ hole. I don’t give a fuck. What is it, the first hole I dug? Not the first time I dug a hole. I’ll fuckin’ dig a hole. Where are the shovels?”
smartalex
“You’re a funny guy!”
God bless Goodfellas
MG is the nicest person i have ever ever read …..he is handsome and intelligunt… not like us others on here……
phew…. do you think he believes me !!
nights………
TonyBee – Control your hormones and keep your drawers on!
‘He’s 31 this year: last year he was 30.’ – David Coleman
‘The ageless Dennis Wise, now in his thirties.’ – Martin Tyler
‘The Italians are hoping for an Italian victory.’ David Coleman
‘Peru score their third, and It’s 3-1 to Scotland.’ David Coleman
‘If that had gone in, it would have been a goal.’ – David Coleman
‘Ian Rush is deadly 10 times out of 10, but that wasn’t one of them.’ – Peter Jones
‘Neil Sullivan has stopped absolutely everything have thrown at him…Wimbledon 1, Manchester United 1.’ – Mike Ingham
‘Emile Zola has scored again for Chelsea.’ – Radio 5 live
‘This will be their 19th consecutive game without a win unless they can get an equaliser.’ – Alan Green
‘Martin O’Neill, standing, hands on hips, stroking his chin.’
- Mike Ingham
‘Such a positive move by Uruguay – bringing 2 players off and putting 2 players on.’ – John Helm
SCHOLES GIGGS NEVILLE
‘I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right.’ – Lee Hendrie
‘I couldn’t settle in Italy – it was like living in a foreign country.’
- Ian Rush
Interviewer: ‘Would it be fair to describe you as a volatile player?’
David Beckham: ‘Well, I can play in the centre, on the right and occasionally on the left side.’
‘If you’re 0-0 down, there’s no-one better to get you back on terms than Ian Wright.’ – Robbie Earle
‘Germany are a very difficult team to play…they had 11 internationals out there today.’ – Steve Lomas
‘I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock.’ – Barry Venison
‘I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don’t know into what religion yet.’ – David Beckham
‘The Brazilians were South America, and the Ukranians will be more European.’ – Phil Neville
‘All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed.’
- Mitchell Thomas
‘Alex Ferguson is the best manager I’ve ever had at this level. Well, he’s the only manager I’ve actually had at this level. But he’s the best manager I’ve ever had.’ – David Beckham
‘The opening ceremony was good, although I missed it.’
- Graeme Le Saux
‘One accusation you can’t throw at me is that I’ve always done my best.’
- Alan Shearer
David Beckham has been a laugh a minute. Remember when he drew the card on purpose. He was so innocent about it, he really thought he’d been clever and should let everyone know that he’s no fool!
@Dela (19:10) … “If Berba had scored the two goals against VIlla instead of Rooney, you’d have pointed it out and don’t say thats not true because you never fail to.” That may be true. But on the other hand, if Berbatov had scored what Rooney had scored this season, there would be a never-ending stream of fans on here calling for his scalp! I don’t think that can be denied — we all saw what happened over the previous two seasons.
I think it is possible for a striker to make a valuable, *worthy” contribution (to justify his existence and his enormous salary) without necessarily scoring a million goals. I said that previously about Berbatov, and I see no reason to hold Rooney to a different standard. I’ll also say this: if Rooney was scoring at anything like the rate and volume of goals that people expect, then I can almost guarantee that Berbatov would not be scoring as many as he has … for the simple reason that it’s unlikely both would score at a rate of 20+ goals per season at the same time. Right now, we have 55 goals in 25 games, a rate of 2.2 goals per game. If Rooney had matched Berba goal-for-goal, we would have 74 goals now, or almost bang on 3 per game, which would put us on target for 114 over the PL season. It doesn’t seem realistic. (For the record, though it pains me to say it: we have never scored 100 goals in a PL season, and the only time that was done was by the rent boys last year, with 103.)
But is Rooney making a big enough contribution, even without the goals? I thought Berba did in his first two years (though there were times that I almost despaired, too). But generally, I think Rooney has been very poor this year. But it’s just my opinion.
“Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? the strong silent type”
‘Poland nil, England nil, though England are now looking the better value for their nil.’ – Barry Davies
‘West Germany’s Briegel hasn’t been able to get past anyone yet – that’s his trademark.’ – John Helm
‘You don’t score 64 goals in 86 games without being able to score goals.’ – Alan Green
‘It’s headed away by John Clark, using his head.’ – Derek Rae
‘Celtic manager Davie Hay still has a fresh pair of legs up his sleeve.’
- John Greig
‘And with just 4 minutes gone, the score is already 0-0.’ – Ian Darke
‘The USA are a goal down, and if they don’t get a goal they’ll lose.’
- John Helm
‘I predicted in August that Celtic would reach the final. On the eve of that final I stand by that prediction.’ – Archie MacPherson
‘McCarthy shakes his head in agreement with the referee.’ – Martin Tyler
‘It was the game that put the Everton ship back on the road.’
- Alan Green
‘Lukic saved with his foot, which is all part of the goalkeeper’s arm.’
- Barry Davies
‘Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer.’ – David Acfield
‘Sporting Lisbon in their green and white hoops, looking like a team of zebras.’ – Peter Jones
‘Forest have now lost six matches without winning.’ – David Coleman
O’Neill must have had a goatee! Oops, what have I started?
Change the subject… Butt was well loved by… oh, my fuck!
Best I pipe down.
Hey Scott,
I agree that Rooney should be held accountable for his performance on the pitch. That is to be expected of United players by their fans. I think he has been under performing and the business he pulled has also disillusioned me to his charm.
One thing I would like to bring up and address though is the possibility that perhaps Rooney did feel as if the club was headed in the wrong direction. His own personal character traits aside. I think maybe he wanted to leave because there was a lot of rumour that Ferguson would be retiring at the end of the season going around and I think Rooney is competitive and has a thirst to win trophies now. I think he was disappointed in the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez and I get the feeling he and Berbatov just don’t have the chemistry that Tevez and he did. I think he gets overly frustrated by Berbatovs patchy stretches. I think he felt/thought wrongly that the club was not going to be buying any big names any time soon and childishly wanted to jump ship before it sunk (which is a whole other issue for fans to be upset about). Ultimately he did not have faith in his owners and management. You could see how scary this might be if Ferguson was indeed going to retire… I think a lot of United supporters are a bit worried of what will happen to the club when Fergie does retire. I of course personally believe that Ownership is going to have to pry Fergies cold dead hands from his desk to get him to retire. He breathes football. That being said. I think he agreed to a new contract and to stay because Ferguson probably gave him reassurances that he wasn’t retiring for a few more years yet and that they are in the market for transfers still if the right players are available and that unlike City and Chelsea the United way is not to just go out and buy championships but to develop the talent and fill gaps where needed to win them constantly.
I can certainly say that Rooney has pissed me off this year though. He’s made me realise he’s a lying hypocrite. I just had recently read his book and was rather star struck by him and beginning to like him and defend him until this whole colleen business broke. What a shame.
All i can say is I hope he finds his form and just returns to playing football. If not united should sell him and find someone worth the money.
Cheers!
@CedarsDevil,
Things a bit to slow on here for your liking is it?
TonyBee
How am I meant to know you’re kidding? What you mean, you’re kidding? You breaking my fuckin’ balls?
CedarsDevil Thank you!
I have been laughing heartily at these commentators and Managers gaffes. Brilliant!
@Cedars, well, if you’re looking for dumb quotes by sports people, would find it hard to go past baseball great Yogi Berra (yeah, I know, I know, different sport and not football, but for sheer quality and volume, he was something special). To wit (including a few that have become common, like “It ain’t over til it’s over” and “it’s like deja vu all over again”):
A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.
Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.
Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.
He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.
I never said most of the things I said.
I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question.
If people don’t want to come out to the ball park, nobody’s gonna stop ‘em.
If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.
If you come to a fork in the road, take it.
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.
It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.
It’s like deja-vu, all over again.
Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.
The future ain’t what it used to be.
You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.
You can observe a lot by just watching.
You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.
FletchTHEMAN
Not really mate, lol. Just in the comedy mood and thought I would share…. Saturday is still a long way away!
StatesideAussie
Thanks mate, bloody hilarious!
Yogi Bear?
Very funny StatesideAussie! He’s either an idiot or a genious, or both.
Some more by players
‘I’ve never wanted to leave. I’m here for the rest of my life, and hopefully after that as well.’ – Alan Shearer
‘I’d like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona.’ – Mark Draper
Without being too harsh on David Beckham, he cost us the match.’
- Ian Wright
‘It was a big relief off my shoulder.’ – Paul Gascoigne
‘I’m as happy as I can be – but I have been happier.’ – Ugo Ehiogu
‘It took a lot of bottle for Tony (Adams) to own up.’ – Ian Wright
‘Leeds is a great club and it’s been my home for years, even though I live in Middlesbrough.’ – Jonathan Woodgate
‘I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.’ – Stuart Pearce
‘My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.’
- David Beckham
‘I was surprised, but I always say nothing surprises me in football.’
- Les Ferdinand
There’s no in between – you’re either good or bad. We were in between.’
- Gary Lineker
‘Winning doesn’t really matter as long as you win.’ – Vinny Jones
Or a genius…
@willie … yeah, great name: Yogi Berra. Cheers Cedars. SmartAlex: a bit of both, I reckon. Even though most of the quotes are really dumb, at another level, many of them are almost profound. Anyway, time to go grab a beer and a pizza. Bloody starving — reckon I’ll get them to cut into eight pieces, so I can fill my belly
Back to the derby, a few bitters calling in earlier saying that their motivation to beat us is so they can see the look on SAF’s face at the final whistle…..
Bring it on
C’MON UNITED lets keep them in their place
That’s typical. I never think of mancini’s face, I do love seeing Sir Alex happy!
The poor bitters are only concerned with us. Come on United!
Androidsummer. Good post pal. Yeah looks like fergie will be around for a few more years yet. He has lost none of the hunger and desire. Cedars. Evening mate. Some classic gaffs there. I miss david coleman. Some belters by becks as well and barry davies one of my favourite commentators along with brian moore. Anyway how come babel gets fined for his ref twatter shite yet fairy boy wilshire escapes punishment? Fucking wenger and his llittle ponces. I know we got beat but cannot believe media stilll think arsenal are title contenders. A title challenging team does not capitulate at four nil up. Utterly pathetic albeit dowd had a hand in their undoing. Fuck em. Can’t believe they have the gaul to say their is a conspiracy to prevent them winning the title. They will be their own undoing. Bottlers. Simple as.
“tell the midget, not to be shy with the whip” if only his mother had taken that advice”
@ fergi the boss and King Eric…
look, SAF is great……forlan and rossi are mistakes…ok we won everything….but guys are good.
King…my friend..kill me, but i like Tevez…he is my chico, comprende…you can think about him what ever you want, but i understand his type of personallity, i grow up with that kind of people…he is not mean, he is good man, with feelings. You have to understand that in his neigbourhooood respect is very important, he wanted that….and than he gets it back. For me Rooney also didnt show respect to no one. But to Rooney and Ronaldo SAF was looking thru fingers. They also didnt show respect. Forget what they say, it is all about what they do.
Tevez played for United with all his heart. You all respect Evra. If he says that Tevez is good, what else you want? He tells you from first hand…he knows him, he was there….
I think SAF didnt find good replacement for Giggs, Scholes, Nev..etc…i think it is not his fault, he has no money, what ever this manager cunts are saying, and to be honest there is not a lot of good players..maybe player is good, but dont want to come here, wants to go to Barca, RM…or he dont fit in our philosofy of game, or to old……and you alway have a pressure on result, trophys, simply sometimes you have to buy FEW players and then see who fits in, who is not, then sell…we have no money for that…we can t live like arsenal…they have time, they dont have to win anything
we can t give someone 100 chances…we have to win games…
King Eric. Ha ha ha , Conspiracy to “KEEP” arsenal from winning the league HA HA HA HA .
Wengerisms…..” We were winning the entire game, but we lost because they defended well.”
. . .”We didn’t deserve to loose”
. . .”I did not see it”
Willie lol
Since he is a money drinking whore; maybe this is worrying him:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12382640
If Tevez has feelings then I’m emotionally unstable
off Topic….
anyone remember our ‘transfer’ of John Obi Mikel?
Ha that’s one that got away innit?
“the disc is in there!
One thing to bear in mind – his marriage is a mess because he slept wih prostitutes – he is an emotional guy and young, having a relationship under strain every day is not easy for anyone, even if he created the situation himself.
Therefore, I am not sure if his head is not in playing for United or he is simply struggling with the humiliation and damage to his relationship. Apparently his in-laws can’t stand him. He has been an appalling example for his son, can you imagine growing up and reading that your father did that to your mother while she was pregnant with you? How would that feel.
Anyway, the point is his game – even at World Cup – going downhill coincided with all this coming to light. His head is not right. His agent is probably bigging him up and getting a lot of influence on him at a time when he is messed up. He needs a shrink. He needs to make peace with himself and start enjoung life and footbal again. Note he looked miserable at the world cup too. Maybe a change of scene is what he needs, better for him, better for United if he does not improve.
@Tony Yeah mate, Only thing I really noticed of him was the sending off a couple of years ago. Chelsie really know how to develop players HA HA HA HA
John Obi and Drogba are rummored to be out this summer. Interesting that both Drogs and WR10 have been crap since returning from the WC. Wonder if the prince has been checked for Malaria!
More like crabs.
“I wipe my ass with your feelings”
@ Scott
This is really well written, one the best you have produced.
Also I will add I did cringe when I saw SAF talk about Rooney leaving, he did seem shaken and I had not expected that. I will give Rooney till end of season also, time will tel what’s really going on here.
In the meantime maybe we can use motivational tool like putting a pie behind the goal when he plays. Unless someones gran is free.
happy are those who find fault with themsevles instead of finding fault with others
“All you guys, salute”
manchester police has asked city to tell tevez to keep his mouth shut leading up to the derby because of all the incendiary comments he made last year.thats priceless
Shouldn’t be too hard, he can’t speak English.
“With a gun barrel between your teeth, you speak only in vowels.”
high vowels i guess
“ai ae i e e, ai a a u” means ‘my name is tevez i am a cunt”
ticket 4 football website,cheapest for the derby 145pounds,most expensive 270,some season ticket holders cashing in instead of going.
I wonder if some season ticket holders cashing in instead of going claim green and gold blood? If a person can’t go, they should go anyway.
Last year in a certain game:
Gary Neville
You have such beautiful skin dear what is your preferred skin cream?
Carlos Tevez
What de fuck u say moverfucker – you talkin bout my family – fuck u red I am blue
Gary Neville
Come again dear
Tevez humour
http://www.studs-up.com/2011/01/quotable/?page=0
it could be the green and gold excuse to make money,it could be some can’t really afford the season ticket so they give up a few big games to cover the cost.one big game covers 4 others.
Whenever tevez opens his mouth I remember I left the seat up.
330 000 000 divided by 75 000 equals 4 400 games if each united fan saw 1 home game.
Take 40 home games a year, if the seats rotated among the fans, 110 years until you get to go again. Treasure your seat.
yeah the little twat takes ignorance to a new level
We’re having 2 conversations at once. Sometimes it gets crazy with so many having multiple conversations that it all blends into one!
Carlos Tevez sees his baby for the 1st time.
He says to his misses “It looks nothing like me”
She says “give me chance, i’v only just put the kettle on”
lol no shit.alot of lads who give up the tickets to try and stick it to the glaziers is in a way noble but pretty naive,just opens the door for scalpers etc doesn’t take many big games to turn a profit.thats a decent profit margin a 36pound ticket being turned over for 145.
I’ve just bought myself a Carlos Tevez face mask. I say face mask, it’s actually an iron on transfer.
@smartalex
Tevez is the man of the moment and we should keep him quite. the last time he played at OT he got 1(despite us won the game).
Carlos Tevez – Instant hero……….
Just add boiling water…………
Carlos Tevez……………………
Looks like his face has been on fire and someone’s put it out with a golf shoe
I heard Tevez’ missus had triplets, maternity ward had a whip round and bought
her a vegetable steamer.
Our midfield was shit for most of the season and as i saw against liverpool chelsea’s midfield was no different.
@Goatina thats cruel shit,mind you he does look a bit like freddy krueger
UNITED4life he is (almost) their only goal scorer this season. Thank god Foster isn’t eligible, no
matter what. Keeping the skulking pimplenecker quiet off the field is more difficult than on
when tevez sits on the beach cats try to bury him
@smartalex
i care less for what he says off the field as long as we keep him quite…any way i am not worried about our defence as it is the best in the world it is the midfield that gives me hard time..
when tevez was born the doctor took one look and slapped the parents.
Be cruel (to tevez) to be kind to yourself. Laughing is really good for a person, especially for a football fan. Which is why city have fuck all supporters. They haven’t had a reason to laugh or smile for so long that they’re doomed by the generation gap. No youngsters being born into their delusion.
When Tevez was born it was the HazMat team that slapped the parents.
UNITED4life we really have to beat them. I must say we have played well at home, and everyone will be driven to atone for the loss. We are the best, and we win.
city, well, the odd flash in the pan, small club, day in the sun, quaint really.
@Fergie is the boss:
“rooney will outlast chico and berbs in a united shirt for different reasons I mentioned”
That’s only because Rooney is getting so fat, they cannot get his shirt off… EVER!
@smartalex thats funny,yeah mate being a city fan in manchester must be like living in purgatory.all of a sudden the light at the end of the tunnel shows up in the form of a arab but he’s just the antichrist fucking with them.
The light at the end of the tunnel is an anal probe!
in a few more years of not winning anything the billionaire will get bored and turn off the light at the end of the tunnel,the tease will be over and back to purgatory the city fans will truge
Unitedfourlife. Our midfield three have shat on theirs every game we have played. The player I most feared was bellamy. He ran us ragged last season. Johnson is out. Cannot wait to see the little body big headed silva s fave when he walks out onto ot for a derby. Rabbit headlights caught the and in spring to mind. The next “top winger“ to be found in rafaels pocket. Vidic wil keep the judas quiet.
Chris: I forgot all about purgatory.
Paulie: Purgatory. A little detour on the way to paradise.
Chris: How long you think we gotta stay there?
Paulie: Now that’s different for everybody. You add up all your mortal sins and multiply that number by 50. Then you add up all your venial sins and multiply that by 25. You add it together. Then that’s your sentence. I figure i have to do about 6000 years before I get accepted into heaven. And 6000 years is nothing in eternity terms. I can do that standing on my head. It’s like a couple of days here.
with that I bid you adieu.
Top 5 Tips to get Rooney to Improve and Score:
1 – make payments to ladies of the night tax deductible
2 – chase him with a mirror
3 – flatten his ears to his forehead – this will make him more streamlined and twice as fast, he will outpace Usian Bolt
4 – put his favorite snacks behind the goal held by two grannies
5 – write his previous salary on the ball
mancini has been playing alot of games scared knowing his job is probably on the line but if city want to have any chance of the title they have to beat us so i’m really curious about the tatics of both managers,if sir alex figures the same way he might start a counter attacking line up.
rooney scored 5 goals againts city in last few years-berbatov 0, if next match berbatov scores and rooney plays like shit again…………i don’t know, i hope not, just dropped him to bench for the rest of season and chicharito will do the best for us
@smartalex a soprano’s moment for every occasion.funniest scene with those 2 when they shot the waiter.
@CedarsDevil, some great quotes there, thanks.
Extending from your comment regarding SAF picking Rooney not because he has to, or R’s reputation, and probably more on what he sees everyday/in training… what does it say if SAF thinks Rooney seems to be performing well and good during training, but R then gives the kind of performances he has been giving during the matches?
You may have to agree that something isn’t right there. Could R’s image rights/payments be related to the number of games he gets? Which means playing him is getting him more money, without it coming from the club’s coffers?
@King Eric
If we were the ones to draw 4-4 after being 4-0 up, we’d be lucky to be play in EL next season! Maybe even turn into League Two relegation fodder within 3 years!
I don’t think Rooney is doing badly, he is improving tremendously and I’m sure he will make sure we get the title. Think Scott is doing better an an anti-Rooney activist. some of these criticisms wont help
I still have a sneaky suspicion he signed that deal after a chat with SAF just to get United a nice big transfer fee when he goes to madrid this summer
for me the most embarrassing from this episode was when rooney clearly try to force SAF sell him through his “not injury” statement. why and what he try to gain by this stupid action is for everyone to guess. But when you contradict your boss in the public is big no no for me. btw is SAF really forget this episode and move on, only this summer we will know. until then please rooney…play like ronaldo in his final season with united and bring the 19th.
Pepe Reina is not ruling out a move to Manchester United!?;O
He is quoted saying “Van der Sar is retiring now, and i know they’ve been looking. Off course it would be tempting if Sir Alex came along…
… I don’t want to lie, I want to compete for titles and play in Champions League.”
CedarsDevil You say you don’t buy into the theory that Rooney is being picked on reputation. Well please explain to me and many others on here what Rooney is being picked on. Are you seriously trying to tell me Rooney is playing brilliantly and is therefore worthy of a starting place? If so I would have to question what games you have been watching. I watched him on Saturday and in most peoples opinion he was very poor. His scoring record for a striker this season is disgraceful. I am sorry CedarsDevil records do not lie the truth is he has scored just one more goal than Michael Owen but having massively more game time. That allied to his enormous wages I feel Scott is quite within his rights to question whether we are getting value for money. On his form thus far this season the answer to that has to be no.
@Max Rooney
I wouldn’t call it “improving tremendously”, it’s more like “starting to do what we know he is capable of”.
wruth03
Mate, the point you and I are discussing is the selection of Rooney, as far as his form be it last Saturday or most of the season then that is a given and I agree with you 100%.
I may be naive but knowing SAF as most of us do I could not comprehend the fact that he is selecting Rooney because he has to, I am sure it is not the case. What is his other choice? Starting with Berba and Hernandez may be, and I for one have been screaming to see that happen but then again you and I and all other fans only get to see the 90 minutes where by the boss sees far more then we do….
Just to end, we all agree that Rooney is on a poor run of form no arguments there….But I will not for a minute believe that SAF is being forced to pick him in anyway
Are You A Supporter Or A Fan?
http://www.theunitedreligion.com/2011/02/are-you-supporter-or-fan.html
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
http://www.theunitedreligion.com/2011/02/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it.html
hammons – Good questio pal, was thinking exactly the same since Saturday. A fan is probably someone who comes on here and dishes out nowt but bile a supporter is obviously someone who supports their team through good and bad times. A big difference in my opinion.
Good article – but we still need to address the team as a whole.
I can see Rooney maturing into a more midfield role and think that is where SAF sees his future. As long as we have a solid squad of players in the middle (Anderson/Park/Valencia/Nani/Fletcher/ Cleverley etc) we will be alright there. Up front also think we are fine.
Still leaves us shy at keeper and centre back – watched the Wolves goals from Saturday and we were fucking dreadful defending on two plays where there should have been no problem. Think this result was a blip but City on Saturday may tell the tale for the balance of the season.
UNITED 194 – 2011
torontored @ 14:06: “watched the Wolves goals from Saturday and we were fucking dreadful defending on two plays where there should have been no problem.”
The first goal by Elokobi was a “team error”; the second was the result of Vidic and Fletcherinho both being out of position and letting two (!) Wolves’ players get to the ball. I know that Jonny Evans get a lot of heat from fans but from what I saw he wasn’t to “blame” for either of those goals. On the other hand, Jonny didn’t do the best of jobs in controlling Kevin Doyle.
I’d like to believe that the Wolves’ fiasco will have no bearing on Saturday’s derby match but I’m not going to make any predictions – except that ThreeLungPark will play if he’s available.
@wruth03 and Cedars … yeah, I’m with Cedars on this one. I also cannot imagine that SAF is picking Rooney for any other reason than he thinks Rooney should play. I can’t imagine anyone forcing SAF to pick Rooney — I think SAF would quit if that happened. Nor can I imagine SAF has decided Rooney must play purely because of his reputation or his salary. I can’t imagine SAF doing anything except putting the good of the team first, foremost and ‘only’, to the exclusion of all other concerns, including egos (including his own ego, too). It’s just unthinkable. As for ‘why is still picking Rooney over Chicharito’, I don’t know. I’m not SAF. None of us are.
CedarsDevil the problem is Fergie is sacrificing the team for one player and it seems to me that as Scott pointed out Rooney needs to start repaying the faith Fergie is showing in him. Where I have a problem is if we end up losing the title and Champions League because of Fergie’s blind faith in Rooney then Fergie’s position becomes untenable. However Rooney will blame everybody else for his failings and clear off to some other fool who agrees to pay his ridiculous wages. As I have stated previously there clearly needs to be an incentive to start performing because if he knows and he obviously will that he is totally immune to being dropped then he will just think well I can’t be dropped so I don’t need to bother. I still think if he was dropped for a bit it might give him the kick up the backside that he clearly needs. Also as I am sure you will agree the media will not blame Rooney they will blame Fergie and the rest of the team because as we all know Rooney is one of the media’s blue eyed boys and he can do no wrong. I rather fear the media may have produced another monster as they did with Alan Shearer.
@wruth03 … I’m sure that if SAF thought Rooney wasn’t trying, or if he thought for any reason that we would be “better off” if Rooney didn’t start, or didn’t even play, then he would have no hesitation in dropping him. Especially if he thought Rooney just couldn’t be arsed trying, which I think is the underlying assumption of your post (because dropping a player in order to “give him the kick up the backside that he clearly needs” would only be relevant if Rooney wasn’t in fact trying). I am sure we all want more out of Rooney. But I find it difficult to read comments like “Fergie is sacrificing the team for one player”. To me, that’s just inconceivable that SAF would do that. If someone told me that SAF isn’t really human (that he really comes from Mars, or is actually just a very clever kangaroo with funny-shaped legs and no tail), then I might (just maybe) be able to be talked into believing that. But there is no argument under the sun (or even the cold gray wet Manchester sky) that will ever convince me SAF is “sacrificing the team for one player”.
Quality post, agreed with that totally – the only thing I’d add is I couldn’t give a flying monkeys if he left. Loads of memories, he played his best football with us, but if he goes for a fortune so be it. really wouldn’t be surprised if he left in the Summer for City, he knows they’d break the kitty wide open and sign every superstar on Earth. If your a greedy cunt, Wastelands is your dream destination.
BUT, if Rooney sorted his head out and started playing like a PROFESSIONAL it wouldn’t kill me to see him stick around. Problem is a CANT see it happening. If you remember the way he lost the ball at Wolves, half arsed chased it back into our box, still didn’t win the ball, flapped his arms about, couldn’t prevent the free kick, then they scored. That right there summed him up. He’s just going through the fucking motions mate, and a new start always looks better than staying and fighting if your a cunt. Hope he proves me wrong (…and then fucks off the season after) We’re not that kind of club, so why should we become so for the likes of Rooney. Absolutely he’s a beast of a player, but come on, Rooney ain’t worth shit this season and its all down to him being a cunt.
But I digress. If he wants to stay and fight HE HAS TO START SATURDAY. If he can’t pick up his game for THAT game he never will, not in a RED United Shirt anyway.
wruth03
I believe StatesideAussie (21:00) pretty much summed up what I would have said.
We both agree beyond the shadow of a doubt that Rooney needs to up his performances and certainly earn his wages just like STR mentioned, no argument there.
What no one will ever be able to convince me that SAF picks him for anything but footballing reasons. We may disagree with the selection just as we may do so when he picks players we do not rate or chose to argue a formation etc
@ MG
You are emotionally unstable
I don’t see SAF picking an under performing Rooney, because he has to, just wouldn’t happen. Saying that, he has to play an awful lot better, than on Saturday. That was an imitation of Rooney.
willierednut – can you see him picking Rooney for Saturday?
Our team selections usually conservative so he’ll probably start, can’t argue with that you HAVE to play Rooney in a game like Sat if he’s fit. I’ll admit that. Would’ve been nice to see Hernandez in the games leading up to this but Alec was prob trying to make Rooney click. That clearly didn’t work but he still has to start (imo) even tho his form really doesn’t deserve it.
Paul Parker – I’d like Fergie to gamble on Saturday, and leave Rooney out. Do I think he’ll do this? No way. I think the boss is giving Rooney every chance to prove himself. But, how long does he wait for Wayne to turn It around and start scoring goals? The little pea is chomping at the bit, to be a regular starter.
Just got home and picking this thread back up :-
Denton Davey, the point I was making, or trying to make was that it was a team error – but we usually do not make team errors when Ferdinand and Vidic play. The comfort level VDS shows with Vidic and Ferdinand is way beyond that which he shows when “the replacements” play. My point is that we as a team depend on structure and leadership which Ferdinand provides and commands – when fit. In the past when we have done well we always have had that but this year I,m not so sure – Fletcher was a leader, but that part of his game, this year, has gone missing. I am hugely worried shitless long term on this issue. The confidence of the whole team gets affected by who plays centre back – without Rio and Vidic the whole midfield is looking back and not at the field as a whole, as a result the shape and the confidence of the team gets shaky.
I reckon SAF will play Rooney but the shape of the team will not be as aggresive as last week. Look for 4-5-1 with the middle being Nani/Fletcher/Anderson/Park/Rooney – up top Berbatov. The UCL line up if you will. Can’t see Scholes starting but Giggs may.
If we get the first goal then we are fine (yeah don’t remind me on disaster at Molyneaux day). Discipline on the park will win us most games (or this year draw) so agaisnt the harder teams that is what we need to do – maintain the shape – still worried about Ferdinands fitness for the balance of the season and the ability of Smalling and Evans to provide cover.
Also reckon City will try and exploit Rafaels temprement especially via Tevez.. Expect some cheap shots orchestrated by Mancini – who’s the ref?
One thing we all agree on – “BEAT THE BLUE BASTARDS” and I do not give a rats arse how we do it agaisnt this bunch of pretenders.
UNITED 194 – 2011
CedarsDevil and Willierednut I do see your point of view. However the longer Fergie keeps faith with Rooney who as others on here have said is just going through the motions the worse the situation becomes. At the moment and on Rooney’s current form then Fergie is sacrificing the team for one player. The point is it is now approaching the middle of February and this has been going on since the World Cup last June. Just how much longer can Fergie keep giving him the benefit of the doubt. You must agree that other players would not be given this much time to improve. For example as Michael Owen said last week one bad game and he wouldn’t get another chance for three months yet you could count on one hand the games Rooney has performed this season. However Fergie keeps picking him and his appalling behaviour towards the club a few months ago for which he was given a huge pay rise it seems to me that Rooney is winning hands down. I do wonder how forgiving people will be if come the end the season Rooney is still putting in half hearted performances?
I for one would have wished he got sold of inJan. He doesnt believe in what the club is all about. He questioned his team-mates. Would he have become the star he is if SAF and Moyes hadnt gambled on him? He has belived his own hype. Those number of goals are in-excusable for a Man Utd striker. He shouldnt be in the team to do a job he isnt supposed to do eg midfield work, he is to bang in the goals and leave the midfielders to do their jobs.
torontored, an entry in Today at Old Trafford on manutd . com
16:24 So who’s the referee for Saturday’s skirmish with City? Andre Marriner will be the man in charge, for the third time in a United game this season. He was also the ref for the Community Shield victory over Chelsea, when Chicharito scored with his face, and our 2-1 win at Stoke in October when the same player scored with the back of his head. What price another freak goal from the magic Mexican in the derby? (Adam Bostock)
torontored @ 1:49: “Look for 4-5-1 with the middle being Nani/Fletcher/Anderson/Park/Rooney – up top Berbatov. ”
I’d be OK with that even if I’d like to see WayneRooney centrally and ThreeLungPark on the wing. A midfield three of Fletcherinho/Anderson/WayneRooney could be dynamic – it’s worth a try. BUT, of course, it’s just about pointless to second-guess SAF as his team-sheets are ALWAYS surprising and usually OK
Someone above notes that it is unfair Rooney is chanted so much by the fans while Patrice Evra doesn’t even have his own song. Well here’s one… so let’s start singing it at games:
“Forget about Ronaldo.
Carlos Tevez, too.
‘Cos we’ve got a player who’s United through and through.
He might tw*t your groundsman, and bomb down your wing,
He’s French, he’s fast, he’s f*cking CLASS, so hear United sing:
Tra la laa, it’s Patrice Evra, tra la laa laa laa laa laa…”
I thank you!