He was the absolute worst player on the pitch, gifting the ball away so many times it looked like he was smashed and believes he played for United still. He did not do ok, he was ridiculed in the studio after the game and should have been subbed at half-time.
How would you feel if Rooney smashed it at Everton?
- Thread starter RedTillI'mDead
- Start date
He was the absolute worst player on the pitch, gifting the ball away so many times it looked like he was smashed and believes he played for United still. He did not do ok, he was ridiculed in the studio after the game and should have been subbed at half-time.
silent domination
According to WhoScored, Rooney's pass completion was 84%. He completed 32 out of 38 attempted passes. He had the 4th highest pass completion out of the 14 Everton players who featured. So in the context of the match, he wasn't giving the ball away that much relative to his team-mates. United had 3 defenders with higher pass completion rates, plus Herrera, Matic (85) and Lingard (86).
There were tons of players who gave the ball away cheaply at times, including several United players.
By the way, I am so far away from being a Rooney fan it's untrue. I wanted him to be sold the first time he asked to leave and thought Moyes' decision to give him a long contract was insane.
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You watch the same game as everyone else
Was far far far from the worst player on the pitch.
You watch the same game as everyone else
Was far far far from the worst player on the pitch.
For what it's worth, WhoScored also rated Rooney the worst player to start the game and the joint worst player to feature. I think the yellow card will have hurt his rating. Not quite sure what else they didn't like.
I thought he played well in the first half. Actually one the best CM performances I’ve seen from him. Was running through treacle in the second though. His fitness has obviously fallen off a cliff now he’s not playing all the time.
I agree with him: he was absolutely shite and it seems Sam agrees. 3 minutes after going 1-0 down he was subbed off. Bare in mind the only attacker they had on the bench was Calvert-Lewin. He gave the ball away cheaply, was robbed of it in dangerous areas and offered nothing going forward.You watch the same game as everyone else
Was far far far from the worst player on the pitch.
His fitness fell off a cliff long before he stopped getting regular games. Remember that 'the captain shall always play'?
Rooney seemed to have this very strange thought in his head that once his fitness dropped off he could just move further back and it would be ok. The reality is that midfielders require a better engine than attackers.
He thought he could be Scholes or Giggs but his technique in tight areas was always much weaker than those 2. In his youth his power and explosiveness could make up for that lack but not anymore.
I'd still have him at United. Mourinho never really gave him a run of games to see what he could do. Has hit some fine form recently, not so great in this game, but moments of quality are still there. I certainly don't think Lingard and Martial are better players than Rooney despite their great performances today
You don't think they are better players than Rooney in his current state?
He had plenty of time under several managers.Sorry what? You think Rooney could do what Lingard did today? 10 years ago maybe.
I thought United let him have the ball in the first half as they knew he wouldn't hurt them (as he dropped so deep to receive the ball). They also knew that he would give the ball away (as he did at United so often). It wasn't to the extent that we forced the ball to Sakho when he was at Liverpool but United seemed very comfortable when he had possession. The idea that Rooney would add anything to United at the moment seem crazy to me. We need energy and players that are willing to make runs beyond the ball, neither of which the current Rooney has. When he was up and coming, yes he would be a great fit but not now, his time has passed.
Didn't Rooney scored a Beckham-like goal from his own half a few weeks ago ?
I honestly can’t comprehend how anyone would want Rooney back.
Rooney wouldn't be able to drive at the defence like Lingard can, his legs have gone.
I think retiring from international football massively helped his career and January is usually one of his best months, he might not look very good right now but he is far from finished. My problem with Martial and Lingard is, they are more inconsistent than Rooney over the course of an entire season.
Did you time-travel back to 2010?
The current Martial/Lingard are 12 times better than Rooney.
Maybe, but he has mentioned many times his desire to be a good midfield player like Scholes, let's see if he can have a good go at that
@Luke1995 in hindsight do you think it was a bit daft not shaking Pogba's hand in the tunnel?
when will he look good? He gets subbed off at Everton when they are chasing games
Mate you're entitled to your opinion but come on.
Just have a look at the Rooney thread on grand old team the Everton forum. Even they're sick of him and admit he's finished at this level.
I just wanted to make a point that i've seen players be called finished and some of them proved the press or the fans wrong. At 32, is it really unreasonable to see a little career comeback for him ? At any decent level, even if in another league... i'm not saying by any strecht of the imagination that he can be world class again, but over all the years of seeing him at United I developed a big trust in him to turn things around, I was devastated when he left. Maybe it's just hard for some fans like me to see the truth most people are saying.
And he didn't get a "good go" under LVG in midfield?
Unlike a lot of people on this forum, I have a lot of time for Rooney but the midfield transition is a tried and failed experiment, for both United and England.
Where should he play then ? He clearly haven't got the instincts of the great goalscorer he was in the past. I think the system LVG used didn't suit Rooney's qualities. In a more direct fast forward passing style he can shine. Of course he hasn't got as good of a passing ability as someone like Scholes, far from that, but he is smart to know that he will never score 30 goals a season again and I can see why he wants to play there
If he's not good enough to be a striker and not good enough to be a midfielder, then why should he play at all? He's had years to turn around his poor performances and hasn't done it, why would he suddenly do it now?
You make it sound like Rooney playing is mandatory. In fact it was mandatory under Van Gaal. We had practically a full season of Rooney in midfield and it was clear that he wasn't the answer. If there were any questions left about whether Rooney was good enough in midfield, the Euro 2016 debacle should've answered them.
He shouldn't.
It was a typical Rooney performance which really helped us. His final balls are quite good, but his defensive abilities and lack of awerness in midfield really helps other teams and he will struggle. Against weaker teams he can still do well for Everton I think scoring goals as he have done this season. Although as we know he can't play at the highest level anymore so us letting him go was the right thing to do.
Rooney should be playing up front. Its ridiculous to play him in midfield because, every so often, he lands a Hollywood ball.
Everton's struggling for goals, Rooney recently scored a hat trick, why is he not being played in and around the box? He might want to play in midfield but his team needs someone in the 18 yard area who can stick the ball away regularly.
In his twilight years Rooney should convert himself into a fox in the box: save his energy for when the ball gets into the area and then use his finishing ability to make a difference. Strolling about midfield like a pound shop Paul Scholes is just vanity. He lacks the awareness and energy to be competing against the Kante's, Matic's and Fernandinho's of this world.
Everton's struggling for goals, Rooney recently scored a hat trick, why is he not being played in and around the box? He might want to play in midfield but his team needs someone in the 18 yard area who can stick the ball away regularly.
In his twilight years Rooney should convert himself into a fox in the box: save his energy for when the ball gets into the area and then use his finishing ability to make a difference. Strolling about midfield like a pound shop Paul Scholes is just vanity. He lacks the awareness and energy to be competing against the Kante's, Matic's and Fernandinho's of this world.
Rooney should be playing in whatever position he's currently not playing in. That's been his best position for the last 5 years.
Total liability this evening. Subbed for his own good.
Off after 50 mins. Booked after 5. Was treading on thin ice the whole game because the pace of the game was beyond him. His legs have gone.
Hasn't he had about 3 years of having a "good go at" being a "good" midfield player like Scholes?
Been said a million times but he looks so shot physically.
Will be in America soon.
Will be in America soon.
You still feel this way? Even a prime Rooney was extremely inconsistent. Now he is consistently not good enough for Everton.
He is the most past it player in the history of past it players ..