Poll: Is Wayne Rooney past it and should he be sold?

Is Rooney past it?

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Sandikan said:
watching City today, Aguero gets a lot of chances. Some down to his movement of course, but a lot down to having a pacy fast flowing attacking style.

It'd be interesting how Aguero did In our team. Certainly wouldn't score as many. How could you with 1 chance a game!
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Watching Aguero today only makes me realize one thing - how Rooney's touch has deteriorated! Look at Aguero receiving a pass and then look at Rooney. All this talk about better service is fine, but put Rooney in that City team and he would still struggle with the kind of football he is playing.

When you talk about fast pacy one touch football, even Aguero is involved in it. Rooney in that set up would look completely the odd one out with the way he has been playing.
 
NK86 said:
Watching Aguero today only makes me realize one thing - how Rooney's touch has deteriorated! Look at Aguero receiving a pass and then look at Rooney. All this talk about better service is fine, but put Rooney in that City team and he would still struggle with the kind of football he is playing.

When you talk about fast pacy one touch football, even Aguero is involved in it. Rooney in that set up would look completely the odd one out with the way he has been playing.
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Really? I think Rooney's touch last year was better than it has been since 08.
 
Eriku said:
We can't know for sure, but some of the criticism levelled at him maybe should go to Louis instead.
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this is very valid, just like RVP and Falcao suddenly went to shit in exactly the same season, nobody asked why. Basic Control and passing is down to the player though
 
Just watch old videos of Wayne Rooney 2003-2010. You'll see how past it he is then.

All the passions gone. All of it. Every last drop. He should move and get a new challenge.
 
LawCharltonBest said:
Just watch old videos of Wayne Rooney 2003-2010. You'll see how past it he is then.

All the passions gone. All of it. Every last drop. He should move and get a new challenge.
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I don't think he's lacking any passion, he's lacking the enormous ability he once displayed.
 
Should've sold him when we had the chance. I don't think he's past it but he does appear a shadow of his former self.
 
Carl said:
I don't think he's lacking any passion, he's lacking the enormous ability he once displayed.
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The passion is gone too. Just look at his body language.

I remember back in the successful period (The Ronaldo days), if someone tackled Rooney he would chase them down 40-50 yards to win the ball back. Now he simply walks around like he doesn't care.

He is also far too concerned with not getting booked or sent off. I preferred when he toed the line. It showed his passion for United at that time.
 
#07 said:
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Sir Alex Ferguson was vengeful but knew Rooney needed removing. His critique of the striker's two-goal performance against Villa in April 2012 - when he netted his 32 and 33 strikes - was especially telling.

"He was careless," Ferguson said at the time. "Wayne has to play on the edge of a game, when it is really close and competitive.

"When the game gets to that casual bit, he is worse than the rest of them.

"He gets really casual about it. It is better when he is on the edge. Then he is a marvellous player."
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This bit is absolutely bang on the money, esp since it came after a performance in which he scored 2 goals. Moyes too stated something along these lines about Rooney mellowing and losing touch with his fiery, taking the game by the scruff of the neck usual self. Granted, with age you get more composed and collected, and it shows in Rooney's finishing and relatively better productivity as opposed to his younger self. Also he doesn't self-combust as often as he did before but damn, do I wish to see that old Rooney back.

Still, I don't think it's the end of the world though. There aren't many better plausible alternatives out there and I guess we will have to make do with him for now. If someone like Benzema or Lewandowski became available, then by all means we should replace Rooney with one of them but right now it looks highly unlikely.

Rooney really needs to be dropped/subbed off when he is having a mare and LVG needs to make him fight for his place. It seems a bit too easy for him at the moment and I wouldn't be surprised if a bit of complacency has crept in already, as his place is virtually guaranteed in the first team. Hernandez or heck even Depay should be given a temporary run up top and Rooney should be made to fight for his spot. It's too early in the season to take such drastic measures and I'm sure LVG will stick with Rooney for the next few games and hopefully he wouldn't have to resort to such extreme measures to get Rooney back to a decent level.
 
Carl said:
I don't think he's lacking any passion, he's lacking the enormous ability he once displayed.
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Yeah, I'm not really sure his passion is the problem. He just appears to have lost a lot of the pace which allowed him to drive forward in his younger days (that's arguably been gone for a while though), and his game doesn't look sharp at all, although to be fair he does have spells where this is the case occasionally.
 
Cheesy said:
Yeah, I'm not really sure his passion is the problem. He just appears to have lost a lot of the pace which allowed him to drive forward in his younger days (that's arguably been gone for a while though), and his game doesn't look sharp at all, although to be fair he does have spells where this is the case occasionally.
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Think it's a mixture of both tbh. He has lost the explosiveness, physicality and the sheer drive but he has also become more composed to a certain extent. Just think he has mellowed down too much and he can do much better than he is doing right now even when taking his physical deterioration - which is natural given he is nearing his thirties - into account.

Tevez would be a great example. He had lost some of his physical edge but it didn't stop him from imposing himself on games on a regular basis and still be a force to be reckoned with for Juve.
 
We sold RVP. That means either A)Rooney is undroppable B) we are planning to sign someone better than RVP.
 
There is a video that Daniel Taylor tweeted wayne rooney- Unstoppable or something like that, to see that video and to see the player he has become it is very disheartening. Yes he has had a wonderful career winning all the trophies and some individual awards, he might become the highest scorer for united but he will not become the best of rooney. The stark difference is the amount of vigour and intensity he has lost. Earlier in his career you knew here is a guy who loves the game and plays like his life depended on it, now its more casual, its more professional. Its more of a job than something he loves.

I think that is the reason for where he is now, unlike pace you do not loose technical ability,skill or touch. If you ask zidane to control a ball pinged at him while he has his back turned he will, ask Beckham to put in a awesome cross or free kick he will, Ask the ronaldinho to be ronaldinho well he will show you that ability. Its the hunger that goes away for some players. I remember Rooney practiced headers one summer and then in seson score alot of headers, that is a little detail but it shows hunger. Now I think Rooney's hunger and desire has been replaced by a certain degree of professionalism, he does not live to play football anymore, that edge, that passion is gone. Maybe its because of his kids and his marriage and him ageing in general. Him having other things (I think family is utmost important but from a football prospective) have become more important. He does not need to live on the edge now, he does not chase the ball like he used to, he does not press, he does not attack the ball, yes his first touch has become poorer but its not like he does not practice it. It maybe coming off in training but the desire to have that touch and play football seems to have evaporated. Like big bad aliens came and took his desire away. Talent is there, it cant evaporate, but the will to put that talent to use seems to have gone. Its more of complacency, i am wayne rooney i earn 300k/week i could have become the best player in the world but i am okay being one of the greats. The drive that ronaldo has, messi has rooney lacks and it is one of the biggest things that seperates him from them. Messi after a poorer season came back and won the Champions league, Ronaldo just does not slow down, Rooney on the other hand is in slow decline slowly edging towards his retirement, doing a job yes, but loving it? No.

He needs to love the game again to have a great season, its not his intentional fault, just brains conditioning. Imagine yourself in Rooney's position and even you ll be sayinhg i dont have to practice all the time, i dont have to train all the time, I have done enough. That lack of motivation is the reason he is down, re igniting that motivation is very tough, i dont think that can come back, it dint for so many. Injuries have an effect so does old age but with rooney it does not seem like those two, it fells like something else.

We cant really get anyone to replace rooney, there are no great strikers available, Today watching deigo costa play i was thinking he is having a rooney here, it struck me that out of top 4 only City's aguero would be an upgrade on rooney. I think trying to get him motivated will be best solution for now. There is no extra ordinary striker coming through anywhere either right now. Lacazette is one but he is alredy 23 and had one good season. Its a difficult situation, you want rooney to do well but know he might not have the fire to do well himself. He might score against Brugge and everything will be alright for a couple of weeks, but as a club we either need a great season from him or start looking for options to replace him sooner than later.
 
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I've wanted rid of him for awhile now but, putting that aside.....

I've watched Newcastle in their two games this season and their defence is awful. Proper awful! If he fails to land anything against them, be it a goal or an assist, then I'd seriously start worrying if I were LVG
 
friendlytramp said:
We sold RVP. That means either A)Rooney is undroppable B) we are planning to sign someone better than RVP.
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I don't think we sold RVP for either of those reasons, really. He looked fairly lethargic last season, is getting older, and LVG simply felt that it was the right time to move him on. Rooney's a player who's going to have to do a lot wrong to get dropped, but I don't think the sale of RVP was related at all.
 
If we don't sign a striker, then I don't really see how we can really say that we've had a great transfer window.
 
His performance on Friday really does seem to be a watershed moment for him because it looks like the media have finally woken up to the fact he looks finished.

He's been getting away with shitty performances for years but Friday was so bad it couldn't be ignored. Journalists and ex players have generally been very kind to him as that MEN article suggets, be interesting to see if that carries on.
 
Dr. Funkenstein said:
That has always been typical English wishful thinking nonsense. Excellend talent back then, but this exaggeration was ridicoluos.



But with Van Gaal's tactisch, the centre forward or 10 not only has to score or assist, but also has to be available for helping to move the ball around quickly. The problem is not that he's out of form, the problem is that when he is, his first touch is awful. When for example Van Persie is in poor form, his first touch was still decent and quite reliable. He should be allowed to have a few bad touches, but if there are too many and players can't count on him keep possession at all, the whole passing game gets disrupted. Both on 9 and 10. In this case and this phase the club is in, it also disturbs the ongoing development of this passing game.

So I'm afraid he should be subbed until he finds his first touch back, and therefore can't stay captain.
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I'd agree that it certainly looks like nonsense now. Less so back in 2004 when he ignited the European Championship and looked to be leading England to some belated silverware prior to his injury in the quarter-final. At the age of 18. He was an exceptional talent who was miles and miles ahead of where (slim) Ronaldo was at 18.
 
That MEN article is a good one I feel. Rooney has been quality for us over the years but as time has gone in his moments of quality have definitely declined. He still has the ability to decide a match for us but as every season passes he shows less and less of them.

For example I think last season or was it the season before he scored a great lob shot from over 40 yards which was brilliant and also against Hull under Moyes on boxing day he scored a beautiful goal to win us the game. He needs competition that's for sure and hrrnandez is not enough.
 


Martin Samuel putting his two pennies in now too. Seems like the press are starting to turn on Rooney..
 
Will Singh said:
LVG is the presser after the match said Rooney lost the ball to many times, it was criticism I haven't heard LVG say about Rooney before. Perhaps LVG is now beginning to see Rooney isn't the player he once was...?
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You are reading too much into it. The fact that he thinks Rooney lost the ball too many times in the last game does not mean he thinks Rooney is not reliable any more. He let RVP go without having a top class replacement, which tells you that he still rates Rooney very high.

Rooney will be 30 this October, and at this age, more or less, RVP had his great season with us. Rooney is still good, but he always had those spells of no good form. I'm not concerned at this stage.
 
ManUtd1999 said:
You are reading too much into it. The fact that he thinks Rooney lost the ball too many times in the last game does not mean he thinks Rooney is not reliable any more. He let RVP go without having a top class replacement, which tells you that he still rates Rooney very high.

Rooney will be 30 this October, and at this age, more or less, RVP had his great season with us. Rooney is still good, but he always had those spells of no good form. I'm not concerned at this stage.
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Rooney has been playing from a early age in the first team and for me he peaked at a younger age then the average player like RVP. I think regardless of him having off spells he is beginning to show he's on the decrease especially with younger and faster players around him!
 
He's declining. Fergie saw that coming, and paved the way for Moyes to get rid with as little (political and footballing) repercussions as possible, with Ferguson saying Rooney wanted to leave, freezing Rooney out at his last home game, the signings of Kagawa and Van Persie, and the presence of Welbeck and Hernandez in the squad.

We laughed at Gerrard being accomodated by Liverpool, and given a holding role just so he could be in the team, despite having little qualities required for the role but we're going through something similar ourselves.
 
IF LVG had gotten rid of Rooney or benched him last season he would have been killed by the media and most of our fans. Now, however, I think he can get away with either option. Who knows but maybe it was part of LVG's original plan to give everyone a chance to prove themselves.
 
I wonder if having the armband removed might help; perhaps then he might feel less pressure and go back to his more gung-ho style of play. I do realize that I'm grasping at straws here.
 
Will Singh said:
Rooney has been playing from a early age in the first team and for me he peaked at a younger age then the average player like RVP. I think regardless of him having off spells he is beginning to show he's on the decrease especially with younger and faster players around him!
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And the thing is players like RVN and Thierry Henry, players who I would argue were superior to Rooney, also began to decline at a similar age. It's not that far-fetched to think that he's past it. Football is a young man's game.
 
jem said:
I wonder if having the armband removed might help; perhaps then he might feel less pressure and go back to his more gung-ho style of play. I do realize that I'm grasping at straws here.
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I thought about this. While I felt many had a knee jerk reaction against him, think I may have had a knee jerk reaction for him. He had a poor match Friday. Thought he was ok v Spurs though.

I saw van Gaal's reaction when Walker scored the own goal...he was pissed..that Rooney had not scored. Compare that to his reaction when Januzaj scored..
I feel Rooney will regain form this season. He may have one more season as a striker next season. Not sure what van Gaal will do with him after that.

Personally I hope he breaks Charlton's records for club and country for goals scored.
 
Will Singh said:
Rooney has been playing from a early age in the first team and for me he peaked at a younger age then the average player like RVP. I think regardless of him having off spells he is beginning to show he's on the decrease especially with younger and faster players around him!
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Sure, he started to decline, but that does not mean he should be sold (to the question of OP) and I don't think he's declining that fast. Rooney is a "streaky" player-- he has those spells when he is almost unstoppable and those spells when he has a drought. Give him his first goal and I expect him to roll, until the next drought.

But, yes, we can't count on him forever, just like any other player at this age.
 
Everytime you write him off he comes back with a few strong performances, as i'm sure 50,000 others have said, at this point i'm not going to worry until this carries on for several games running.
Feels like every once in a while he needs a huge boot up the backside to recover some form.
 
Is he past it? Depends how you define it, but he's clearly in rapid decline. There'll be moments of brilliance from here on in, but they'll come further and further apart

Should he be sold? Who'd buy him? No one is going to go close to what we're paying him. The mistake was giving him that last contract. We're stuck with it now
 
BennyBlanco said:
Everytime you write him off he comes back with a few strong performances, as i'm sure 50,000 others have said, at this point i'm not going to worry until this carries on for several games running.
Feels like every once in a while he needs a huge boot up the backside to recover some form.
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Is that really worth it? Play terribly and then get decent form and that over and over again, we should do far better.
 
2 games, 2 wins, team looking very uncreative but solid & the caf is out in force looking for a scapegoat. Jeez things are so depressing in here, wait until we lose, will make rawk & bluemoon meltdowns seem timid.
 
I would like nothing better than for Rooney to shut all the doubters up (including myself) and end the season with 20-25 goals. With all the ups and downs we've had with him this past decade, i'd still like him to do well. But right now, he has everything to prove, and team not creating a flood of chances doesn't help.

Seems obvious that going into a new season gambling on whether this is a bad patch or a permanent decline, with no other strikers of the same ilk in our squad, would be a ridiculously stupid thing to do.
 
Some of his play in the last game and the link up play he was trying to get going reminded me of how he was when Ronaldo and Tevez were still at the club. Even some of the counters had me reminiscing. I think this year will be a year when Rooney silences his critics.
 
Green_Red said:
Some of his play in the last game and the link up play he was trying to get going reminded me of how he was when Ronaldo and Tevez were still at the club. Even some of the counters had me reminiscing. I think this year will be a year when Rooney silences his critics.
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You what..?
 
Red_toad said:
2 games, 2 wins, team looking very uncreative but solid & the caf is out in force looking for a scapegoat. Jeez things are so depressing in here, wait until we lose, will make rawk & bluemoon meltdowns seem timid.
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Do you even watch the match?

The thing is, Rooney's performance in those two games (especially the villa game) is that depressing. There's no scapegoating or nitpicking this time, he is pure shit and most on here just rightly called it on, that he's shit.

Will he become gold? Probably, but so far it's not a crime to tell a turd as a turd.
 
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