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

Is Rooney past it?

  • Total voters
    1,482
Sure, he's been shite. It is possible, however, that he's just having a slow start. Not uncommon for him. The difference between his shite level and normal level is huge. Even when he isn't properly on song he's usually good for a goal. And he's being played as a finisher now.

I'm not more worried about him than I've been before. He'll come good in all likelihood. I completely agree that he could do with some genuine competition, though. But just buying some random striker whose stats (often enough in a completely different league, in a completely different role) look good - is a pointless gamble.
 
Instead of rooney being blamed, how about looking at VG's approach, by clipping the wings of this team. Look at what is happening out there, he plays his new winger in the center, his AM out wide who has no acceleration to beat any fullback, taking away our most creative CM in herrera and benching him, playing our 2 CM players so deep its basically 6 2 1 1. We are a very defensive team, mata and depay have no freedom, played out of position so our attack is looking very lopsided. How is rooney supposed to score goals? when VG is obsessed with the team playing in a very slow controlled approach, united are like a bird that has had their wings clipped.

The problems with the team in a nutshell
1 - the style of play is being very slow and controlled
2 - the fullbacks do not attack much
3 - the CM plays very deep, they are instructed to protect the back 4
4 - our winger and AM are playing out of position
5 - and the other winger has the freedom, but its all about playing for the team, not the freedom

So Rooney is never going to do much, when he is starved of service, he aint messi, he needs the team to help him out. And if they have been instructed to just pass to each other, instead of taking chances, we aint scoring many goals. The fullbacks do not bomb forward, the CM is practically a new set of CB's, wingers and attacking midfielders played out of position. VG is the problem with his approach, not rooney. Yes we have won games, what happens if we do go a goal down? does VG have the plan B to turn loosing positions into winning positions? not when he is setting the team in the manner we are seeing out there
 
I used to think that it was a lack of service that was holding him back but watching him nowadays it is really down to him. No good runs, not really available and once he gets the ball his touch lets him down or he loses it. By now, I just dont think it's a simple form issue
 
Sky1981 said:
Yup

Why should he? He's at Manchester United, captain, 15m/year for the next 3, never scrutinised no matter how bad he plays.

Why should he took a paycut to play for everton? Having to earn his stripe back, taking flak from the fans?
Click to expand...
Did you not see Duncan Ferguson's testimonial ? He has already been welcomed back.

I am on about when he eventually no longer starts for United and is looking to move, he clearly loves Everton and he seems to have been building bridges with the club and fans these past few years for a reason. I think he will return personally.
 
BigDunc9 said:
Did you not see Duncan Ferguson's testimonial ? He has already been welcomed back.

I am on about when he eventually no longer starts for United and is looking to move, he clearly loves Everton and he seems to have been building bridges with the club and fans these past few years for a reason. I think he will return personally.
Click to expand...

I don't think he has that hunger afterwards, even i dont think he still has it now, premier league is not a pension house, not to mention everton. My guess is its the mls
 
Sky1981 said:
I don't think he has that hunger afterwards, even i dont think he still has it now, premier league is not a pension house, not to mention everton. My guess is its the mls
Click to expand...
As someone mentioned above, a move to Everton could ignite that fire in him.
 
Just watched the AVL match replay. I dont see what all the fuss is about, he was in the right spot and would have scored if he had been passed to and wasnt any worst than the rest of the team apart from Mata. He is fine and will be fine and score when the rest of the team starts to play better. We were just slow and predictable in out build up, just blaming Rooney as usual when the whole team was crap.
 
UnofficialDevil said:
Just watched the AVL match replay. I dont see what all the fuss is about, he was in the right spot and would have scored if he had been passed to and wasnt any worst than the rest of the team apart from Mata. He is fine and will be fine and score when the rest of the team starts to play better. We were just slow and predictable in out build up, just blaming Rooney as usual when the whole team was crap.
Click to expand...

I cant believe anyone watching the match fails to see that he is the worst player on the pitch by some distance.

And he wasnt on the right spot for a leading striker, he drops too deep congesting the already congested midfield. I dont know what lvg instructed him, but he looks off to me. He got man markers and passing to him is not a very good options, a few times they passed to him he miss pass and lost possession.
 
Last edited:
UnofficialDevil said:
Just watched the AVL match replay. I dont see what all the fuss is about, he was in the right spot and would have scored if he had been passed to and wasnt any worst than the rest of the team apart from Mata. He is fine and will be fine and score when the rest of the team starts to play better. We were just slow and predictable in out build up, just blaming Rooney as usual when the whole team was crap.
Click to expand...

VG seems to think football and the NFL the same thing, thou shall not loose the ball is his mentality. Even the attacking players are gambling when trying to create chances, the chances are we will loose the ball now and then when trying to take on a player, or try those eye of the needle passes, there is always the high chance this will happen
 
BigDunc9 said:
As someone mentioned above, a move to Everton could ignite that fire in him.
Click to expand...

With all due respect. Moving to everton means he already lost, unless he pulls a messi i dont think anything he shows would make us lament his lost.

Besides, most of us here would take a straight swap with lukaku, and we'd help pay rooney 100k / week.

I'd bite your hands off personally for that
 
Rich_H_1989 said:
Absolutely respect your opinion mate but I just can't agree with that. He was honestly terrible from start to finish. It was summed up when in the final seconds he went in on goal, took such a bad touch that all he had left to do was knock it out for a throw in so villa had 100yards to get to our goal. That was his only contribution to the game.

I genuinely don't think I've seen him play worse for us. But I'm also not suggesting he's past it, he's done for or we need to sell him because that's nonsense.

He's always been a streaky player and usually that's fine. Trouble is he's now our main striker who you need to get goals even when they aren't playing well and that for me is the problem.

He will get goals and he will dig us out of a few holes this season... But he's not the player he once was and I think needs a bit of competition to make him realise he's not guaranteed to start.
Click to expand...

I said to myself after the game the same thing, he has a reputation for those who pay attention but cant think of a game he was this woeful. that game will be remembered for a long time, for the wrong reasons though
 
Sky1981 said:
I cant believe anyone watching the match fails to see that he is the worst player on the pitch by some distance.
Click to expand...

He was, but only because he is playing as a lone striker in a team that cant attack has no pace no wingers no burst of speed no counter attacks no through balls, the attacking midfield should be blamed too, its not like he missed a load of chances or something is it.
 
UnofficialDevil said:
He was, but only because he is playing as a lone striker in a team that cant attack has no pace no wingers no burst of speed no counter attacks no through balls, the attacking midfield should be blamed too, its not like he missed a load of chances or something is it.
Click to expand...

He lost possession almost everytime he got a pass, I'd say he's the one pulling his team down, it's not the other way around. We can't afford losing possession that many against the better teams. In most match a few good chances is a plenty.

I dont see how the team can afford through ball without the striker stretchinf the cbs and making that runs. Rooney is top stationery in deep. The game just past him by
 
UnofficialDevil said:
He was, but only because he is playing as a lone striker in a team that cant attack has no pace no wingers no burst of speed no counter attacks no through balls, the attacking midfield should be blamed too, its not like he missed a load of chances or something is it.
Click to expand...
You missed Mata putting Memphis through on goal with a great pass then? Or Schweinsteiger putting Rooney through right at the end of the game?
 
UnofficialDevil said:
He was, but only because he is playing as a lone striker in a team that cant attack has no pace no wingers no burst of speed no counter attacks no through balls, the attacking midfield should be blamed too, its not like he missed a load of chances or something is it.
Click to expand...

And that's all that matters isn't it, missing chances. Unbelievable...

How you and @Oneunited26 can relate Rooney's poor ball retention in that match to Van Gaal's tactics I will never understand.
 
Can't believe people saying they thought Villa (A) last Friday was Rooney's worst game for United. Lots of people seem to have forgotten the 2010/11 season, in which Rooney was utter garbage until the spring after it started.

Blackpool away (2010/11) was a particular low light of his career. 2-0 down at half time and Wayne huffing and puffing away like he had for most of 2010/11 until then, without threatening to blow anyone's house down. He got subbed, justly, as most fans had been crying out for. Chico comes on, Berba scores, Chico gets the equaliser, Berba scores again, its a winner and all was right with the world.

Pretty much until he scored that overhead kick against City 2010/11 was a massive write off for Rooney, but look how he turned it around after that?

The way Rooney played against Spurs (H) last season was on the same level as his best for United. I remember him hitting an outside of the right boot pass in that game that curled deliciously over to our right flank and thinking 'didn't think he could do that sort of thing any more'. Likewise his bulldozing run for our third goal that day.

I have written off Rooney before only to see him turn it around, I'm not going to make that mistake again. Has he recently succeeded in playing as well as he did in the run up to our game at Wembley in 2011? No. He hasn't. I can't remember him having a half like West Ham (A) in 2010/11 or Chelsea (A) 2011/12 for years. He still has it within him to put the basics together e.g. touch, control, decision making, shooting as part of a solid striking performance though.

Wayne Rooney can, and will, score at least 20-25 goals this season for Man Utd.
 
BigDunc9 said:
Am I being naive to think he would take a pay cut?
Click to expand...
I think he would..its just how much the paycut would need to be that is the issue..I watched the entire Duncan Ferguson testimonial game, and you could tell he still loves the club..In a way , a paycut would make the fans accept him more , and they would realise that he was serious about it..and I really think he would be up for it..as an Evertonian , I think the fact that you guys have hated him so long must affect( That would explain the poor appearances against you perhaps )..the roar he received when he came on, there could be something there...Rather than semi-retirement in America, this would be a better story...up until the moment he scores against us...
 
#07 said:
Can't believe people saying they thought Villa (A) last Friday was Rooney's worst game for United. Lots of people seem to have forgotten the 2010/11 season, in which Rooney was utter garbage until the spring after it started.

Blackpool away (2010/11) was a particular low light of his career. 2-0 down at half time and Wayne huffing and puffing away like he had for most of 2010/11 until then, without threatening to blow anyone's house down. He got subbed, justly, as most fans had been crying out for. Chico comes on, Berba scores, Chico gets the equaliser, Berba scores again, its a winner and all was right with the world.

I have written off Rooney before only to see him turn it around, I'm not going to make that mistake again. Has he recently succeeded in playing as well as he did in the run up to our game at Wembley in 2011? No. He hasn't. I can't remember him having a half like West Ham (A) in 2010/11 or Chelsea (A) 2011/12 for years. He still has it within him to put the basics together e.g. touch, control, decision making, shooting as part of a solid striking performance though.

Wayne Rooney can, and will, score at least 20-25 goals this season for Man Utd.
Click to expand...

And heres the difference, and why it wasn't much of a talking point. No problem players having stinkers, it happens. What is startling is now he stays on despite how low his level dips. And to make comparisons of events when he was 25 is a bit much to be expecting the same now. This isn't just united, he is bang average for England aswell. but scores 2 goals against Scotland to silence the critics
 
Confidence player, Strikers like him need goals to gain it. He will find his way and I think will start scoring for us and a lot here will regret writing him off.

For me he is still one of our best players though his touch has never been great, still one of those players defenders hate playing against as well.
 
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.
Click to expand...

I'd like to throw that armband in the ocean. It shouldn't have any impact on player selection, confidence, or anything else. Captaincy was invented for the English press to write about.
 
Relem said:
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.
Click to expand...

It's like he 'never made it' as perverse as that sounds...(a victim of his own precocious beginnings). Not only that, it becomes more obvious with every passing minute of game time that he's jiust treading (expensive) water....
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Sure, he's been shite. It is possible, however, that he's just having a slow start. Not uncommon for him. The difference between his shite level and normal level is huge. Even when he isn't properly on song he's usually good for a goal. And he's being played as a finisher now.

I'm not more worried about him than I've been before. He'll come good in all likelihood. I completely agree that he could do with some genuine competition, though. But just buying some random striker whose stats (often enough in a completely different league, in a completely different role) look good - is a pointless gamble.
Click to expand...

Who the feck cares, not uncommon to start slow, is shit against liverpool teams, also coming back form injuries he's slow as we all know. Needs to paly all the time to get into form. People mention form, form is temporary thing, guys! He's becoming shit all season with some good performances from time to time.. just because he's capable of some great piece of play from time to time like that half volley goal last season, can be shit for another 5 games... some people call him the most consistent player but he's most consistently average.. yes he can score 15-20 goals this season no matter what but fecking Charlie Austin would score that number of goals for such "top" team like ours...

Rooney's fanboys will have an excuse for everything... Most overrated player in English football for over three years. And it's just not a recent rant, he's been average for years and still getting worse. I'm glad for his top years with us I was his biggest fan but he peaked early and is declining since due to his physics and injury problems, maybe it's the time to move him on... For 300K we would have 5 better or same level strikers as him, look it up who in the premier league has more than 70k and you don't even need to know what the strikers around the world earn... You would have an awesome arsenal of strikers for 300k per week.

Right now I don't mind having him in team he still has a lot of experience and can offer something as a mentor to players, he's big name off the pitch but he should not be our first striker if we want to challenge all the trophies. The problem is his big ego, he wouldn't want to fight for his place, he most certainly thinks he's fecking superstar and would ask for a transfer request if we benched him for a couple of games as we've witnessed before...

Rooney's big fecking name, imagine player having different name on his back and zero reputation unlike Rooney just imagine that, we would all want him to play for Sunderland or somewhere aelse, certainly not the very top tier fighting Messi's Barcelona..

V´Bench him and let him fight with other striekers we have, well CHicharito and Willo aren't really a big competition for a top club's strikers , let's see if we add someone... If we don't then I'm really worried if we can steal some trophy this year...
 
So we sell Englands best player, our captain, the player who will go down as Manchester United all time top scorer? Am I missing something here? Wayne Rooney will break so many records that have been set by Best,Law and Charlton, yes I do feel he is not match fit yet but a fully fit Rooney makes such a difference. Out of every team United play the opposition want to see his name missing on the team sheet in fact he is the only player at Manchester United if the opposition saw he wasn't playing then they would stand a better chance.
 
Sadly for Rooney he will always have people who can't wait to see him decline as a player.

England fans (of which despite being English I'm not one) will always hold it against him that he never delivered on the big stage. Because of course that's his fault alone and not that England are just simply not good enough.

How someone can be ready to become the all time leading English goalscorer and one of the top united goalscorers of all time yet be questioned is beyond me. You don't play that many times for united and score that many goals if you aren't world class.

Problem is he's also not fulfilled the potential at one point his talent promised. But that's in part down to being so unselfish. It's meant throughout his career he's sacrificed himself for the better of the team.

Technically he's not the best player ever but I don't think he's as bad as people make out. The problem is when he's off form his touch is like a baby elephant but when he's on form he's a joy to watch.
 
Rich_H_1989 said:
Sadly for Rooney he will always have people who can't wait to see him decline as a player.

England fans (of which despite being English I'm not one) will always hold it against him that he never delivered on the big stage. Because of course that's his fault alone and not that England are just simply not good enough.

How someone can be ready to become the all time leading English goalscorer and one of the top united goalscorers of all time yet be questioned is beyond me. You don't play that many times for united and score that many goals if you aren't world class.

Problem is he's also not fulfilled the potential at one point his talent promised. But that's in part down to being so unselfish. It's meant throughout his career he's sacrificed himself for the better of the team.

Technically he's not the best player ever but I don't think he's as bad as people make out. The problem is when he's off form his touch is like a baby elephant but when he's on form he's a joy to watch.
Click to expand...
These posts are so pointless, he's been great in the past and no one is doubting that..however he isnt great at the moment. It isnt that people want to see him decline, he has declined. He just isnt as good as he was 5 years ago and he doesnt compare to the current elite strikers at the moment.
 
Rich_H_1989 said:
Sadly for Rooney he will always have people who can't wait to see him decline as a player.

England fans (of which despite being English I'm not one) will always hold it against him that he never delivered on the big stage. Because of course that's his fault alone and not that England are just simply not good enough.

How someone can be ready to become the all time leading English goalscorer and one of the top united goalscorers of all time yet be questioned is beyond me. You don't play that many times for united and score that many goals if you aren't world class.

Problem is he's also not fulfilled the potential at one point his talent promised. But that's in part down to being so unselfish. It's meant throughout his career he's sacrificed himself for the better of the team.

Technically he's not the best player ever but I don't think he's as bad as people make out. The problem is when he's off form his touch is like a baby elephant but when he's on form he's a joy to watch.
Click to expand...

Stopped reading at the bold. How you can love football and not support your national team is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, I don't look forward to the internal break and care far more for Manchester United but I'm English, and when they play they have my full support.

On topic...

I've been pretty vocal in this and other threads on Rooney and think you're overcomplicating the situation. He is getting criticised because he is on a massive decline and quite a few of us have seen it for a few years now. To call him world class is a joke. For me you world class means you are one of the best 3 players in the world in your position, he has never been that.

Rooney, has already had a long career and been a good goalscorer, so much of his longevity has been based on hope though. The last 4 years he has got in the England team because he is Wayne Rooney, if we had leaders who actually selected a team based on form and performance he wouldn'y be anywhere near the record as he wouldn't have made the squads. For United it is much of the same, Barring one year from RVP we haven't had a top forward since Ronaldo. He has stayed in the team by default and if SAF had of had his way would have been shipped out.

Fact of the matter is he isn't even in the top four forwards in the league, we should do better.
 
ManUtd1999 said:
Because he is not Welbeck. if he were Welbeck, people would give him 5 more years to develop into a 10-goal-per-year striker.
Click to expand...

Welbeck atlas had a game that made other players better, in our team he was one of the only players who could stretch the opponent with pace. Rooney currently offers nothing, with goals being his only asset. We could sign Charlie Austin to do the same job as Rooney and it would probably be an improvement.

I can't wait for him to have an average performance and bag a goal or two, so fanboys in here can proclaim the resurrection of christ.
 
lilcurt said:
Welbeck atlas had a game that made other players better, in our team he was one of the only players who could stretch the opponent with pace. Rooney currently offers nothing, with goals being his only asset. We could sign Charlie Austin to do the same job as Rooney and it would probably be an improvement.
Click to expand...
I don't know which highlighted comment is worse. Welbeck makes other players better? I didn't know that. Two games into the season, and Rooney is offering nothing? well that wouldn't have been said if he was a FULL homegrown player, even if mediocre at best like the guy who is warming the bench while watching Giroud playing.
 
Last edited:
As for Rooney and the service issue. You don't get those penetrating balls regularly for any team, to increase their regularity you need to actually get involved in the buildup and help the team. Not even David Silva is going to put Rooney through with 50 penetrating passes a season and that's assuming Rooney puts away better than 1-in-3 which he won't. He had 3 in the last game, two he couldn't stay onside because he's so slow and the other he managed to put out for a throw in. In 2009-10 he used to get involved deep, hold up the ball for midfielders to get a run on defenders, play them in and then get in the box for passes from more dangerous positions. He doesn't do that anymore and unless he starts he's just not going to cut it.

Watch how toothless Pedro is going to look this season when he plays with Rooney as a lone striker if we sign him, and it's not going to be because he only looked good because he played for Barca. It's going to be because we have a striker who can't make runs in behind, can't hold up the ball and bring others into play and is reliant on us creating chances that require at most 2 touches (if the the first one is a freebie, so hope defenders aren't near him) for him to score. Well I'm sure for 5 games a season he'll play like he used to 3-4 years ago and we'll look like a free-scoring free-flowing Barca-lite but realistically we need something more consistent than that.
 
Sky1981 said:
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.
Click to expand...

I did watch it yes, which is why I made the comment.

Thing is, when you have a player and you decide this season I'm going to play you as a number 9, up front, leading the line. In normal circumstances you would think, ok I want to see at least three clear cut chances and possibly 1 goal or 1 assist per game. But when you have a player that for the last three years has played as a number 10 at the top of a diamond midfield, as a defensive midfielder, out on the left... pretty much every position except for up front leading the line you think, ok, I know you have it in you because 1. I see it in training and 2. history tells me so. In that circumstance you put the player up front knowing that it will take a couple of weeks for the player to find their stride. Luckily we've had shit opposition so it didn't matter all that much.

So my comment, "Some of his play in the last game and the link up play he was trying to get going" means that I saw glimpses of what Rooney is capable of. But you're right, by Rooneys high standards he hasn't played very well in the opening two games of the season. But what striker in the top teams has? Costa? Giroud? Sanchez? Benteke (1 goal against Bournemouth isn't exactly setting the world on fire is it)?

Aguero has yea sure, but he has the benefit of continuously playing as a number 9 for the last 10 years.

After two games to say that Rooney is shit is crazy. Give the chap a chance. In 10 games if he is still the same then yea, you're right. But lets wait for the 10 games.
 
Green_Red said:
I did watch it yes, which is why I made the comment.

Thing is, when you have a player and you decide this season I'm going to play you as a number 9, up front, leading the line. In normal circumstances you would think, ok I want to see at least three clear cut chances and possibly 1 goal or 1 assist per game. But when you have a player that for the last three years has played as a number 10 at the top of a diamond midfield, as a defensive midfielder, out on the left... pretty much every position except for up front leading the line you think, ok, I know you have it in you because 1. I see it in training and 2. history tells me so. In that circumstance you put the player up front knowing that it will take a couple of weeks for the player to find their stride. Luckily we've had shit opposition so it didn't matter all that much.

So my comment, "Some of his play in the last game and the link up play he was trying to get going" means that I saw glimpses of what Rooney is capable of. But you're right, by Rooneys high standards he hasn't played very well in the opening two games of the season. But what striker in the top teams has? Costa? Giroud? Sanchez? Benteke (1 goal against Bournemouth isn't exactly setting the world on fire is it)?

Aguero has yea sure, but he has the benefit of continuously playing as a number 9 for the last 10 years.

After two games to say that Rooney is shit is crazy. Give the chap a chance. In 10 games if he is still the same then yea, you're right. But lets wait for the 10 games.
Click to expand...

Your argument might hold for januzaj if he's being played as striker, this is wayne rooney we're talking about, he's 29 and has played 500 plus games as forwards, been playing for united 10 years, 1 year under Louis van gaal, having a preseason this year, and you expect to give him 10 games just to learn how to trap a ball and be in the right place? He's playing with the best and against the best, he played consistently and never been dropped, what else he need?

This is the sort of excuse that just that, excuses.
 
Ixion said:
You missed Mata putting Memphis through on goal with a great pass then? Or Schweinsteiger putting Rooney through right at the end of the game?
Click to expand...

At that very pass through to Memphis Rooney had made exactly the same run to the other side to make himself available, watch the replay Mata chose to pass to Memphis, he could have easily passed to Rooney who might have scored you never know. Was also in the right position and could have scored earlier on in the game too but Memphis didnt get the pass right.

Im not worried at all. We can bump this thread and the end of the season Im sure he will have scored enough goals as long as the whole team gets going.
 
Sky1981 said:
Your argument might hold for januzaj if he's being played as striker, this is wayne rooney we're talking about, he's 29 and has played 500 plus games as forwards, been playing for united 10 years, 1 year under Louis van gaal, having a preseason this year, and you expect to give him 10 games just to learn how to trap a ball and be in the right place? He's playing with the best and against the best, he played consistently and never been dropped, what else he need?

This is the sort of excuse that just that, excuses.
Click to expand...

How many games of football have you ever played in competitive competition, just out of curiosity?
 
Green_Red said:
How many games of football have you ever played in competitive competition, just out of curiosity?
Click to expand...

What does that has to do with Rooney? How many Van Gaal has? Mourinho never kicked a ball in his entire life?

You're going to play the "you never play competitive so you know jackshit about football", and how hard it is to adapt to new positions?
 
Sky1981 said:
What does that has to do with Rooney? How many Van Gaal has? Mourinho never kicked a ball in his entire life?

You're going to play the "you never play competitive so you know jackshit about football", and how hard it is to adapt to new positions?
Click to expand...

No I just wanted to know how many games you had played that's all, you obviously know the rest

Jose Mourinho also has played football https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Mourinho
 
You must log in or register to reply here.