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

Is Rooney past it?

  • Total voters
    1,482
m1y2 said:
confirmation he's human being then? He was mostly right. I feel he was right in Rooney's case. He would be a good player to have if he wasn't nailed to start every game, if he wasn't made undroppable captain and having not had the ego he has. He will never agree to be a squad player. That's why I want to sell him.

He will be a big problem if we decide to finally invest in a striker better than him who are certainly there, he will be dropped to midfield again and we will see some shit football and best player rotting on the bench.. Either it's his natural early peak, unlucky ankle ad other injuries or just his unwillingness to work hard, don't think he was ever close to how Ronaldo worked, his 300k wage is pretty motivational right? Thank you, Dave! ... wthre this or that he is worse every year and is declining really fast and w should spot it first to make some money on him and keep on proggressing rebuilding.

Personally can't believe 35% people think he's not past it.. anyway I was always big fan of him so I am sad what's becoming to him but we should not keep players for merit, I'm giving him one season, he should prove me wrong or ppl will be back on him again
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Here are my thoughts on Rooney.

nokillingmoths said:
Not really. Ferguson had an agenda with various players at various stages and on occasion his ego got in the way of what was best for the club. Its clear he didn't like Rooney, and using his apparent opinion on a player sale as a point of refence when rvp aside his latter year transfer dealings were almost entirely car crashes is quite frankly more laughable.

For the record i'm very mixed when it comes to rooney. He did ok last season up top (including rinsing the spurs defence, not bad for a player who can't run at people) but hes been arsed about by our managers for so long its hard to know if he can be a 30 goal a season striker now. Obviously he had a stinker today, as did our whole team, but i didn't see anyone make a similar thread about blind when he was part of a holland defence that conceded 4 against the usa...

EDIT: I guess the real issue is his wages. Can we justify paying him that much to sit on the bench? I also don't want to see him play anywhere else other than 9. Its a mess really, as he is the only real leader we have on the field.
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I'm amazed you've questionned his work rate. Do you mean on or off the pitch because he worked far harder than Ronaldo on it. That part of your post makes no sense to be honest.

Also who do you consider our best player just out of interest?
 
Rooney is a cult figure, thus, debate with his followers is becoming more and more pointless. I just state my opinion without trying to change the perspective of others. Eventually Rooney will retire, be benched or finally traded and then, hopefully, we will start winning again.
 
He isn't past it and should stay but he needs to perform better next season. One away goal in the league since the end of March the season before isn't good enough, Falcao scored more away in the league this season.
 
markhrad said:
Rooney is a cult figure, thus, debate with his followers is becoming more and more pointless. I just state my opinion without trying to change the perspective of others. Eventually Rooney will retire, be benched or finally traded and then, hopefully, we will start winning again.
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Yep, he's sole reason United isn't winning trophies, nothing to do with the losing players like Scholes, Giggs, Rio, Vida, Evra etc. and not replacing them properly, it's all about Rooney and his enormous, God like, power within United.

Oh and he made himself captain and made Nani cry and leave United, never forget that, never! :(
 
Rory 7 said:
No. For all of you who voted yes, just have a quick think about this...

Wayne Rooney in a Chelsea shirt.
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I wouldn't sell him but Wayne Rooney in a Chelsea shirt? That would be great if it meant Costa wouldn't play.
 
I'd say that Rooney is past it, in the sense that his peak was his early to mid 20's... so anything after that will naturally be a decline.

I still think he is/can be a very good player though (when he doesn't have the touch of an aroused Panda) so I'd surely keep him around... he needs increased competition and to not be a guarenteed starter though.
 
I don't think he's anywhere near as good as he should be and not as good as he used to be either, but "past it" is very harsh. He was still one of our most productive players last season. His best position is also as a no10 and yet again he barely got to play there. Partly because Van Gaal thought he was a midfielder for some reason, and partly because our two supposed specialist strikers were so shite Rooney in bad form as a striker still managed to be slightly better than either.

If we had a team of world class players and he was dragging them down, I would be tempted to agree with the idea of benching or getting rid of him, but the reality is most of our players are worse than him and even the ones as or more talented than him are at least as guilty when it comes to sub par/pub player performances.

You need to clear out the rubbish before you can start thinking about polishing up the furniture.
 
Shark said:
LVG will not hesitate on stripping any player of his captaincy if a better candidate comes along. I'm not worried at all in that regard.
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Could you give me an example of Louis doing this before? I'm not trying to make you look bad.

Joga Bonito said:
Btw, is he really on 300k per week? I thought it was more of 200k+ with the image rights or something along those lines?
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Wayne Rooney pays for himself and then some. Easily one of the top 5 most recognisable players in world football and an understasted influence on United's appeal with sponsors. You see that scouse mug and you immediately think "Manchester United".

712 said:
Makes you wonder what happens when a captain gets injured really. Maybe it just never happens.
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Are you being sarcastic?
 
God theres some amount of spoiled bastards on this site.
Rooney is class. He was played out of position by Ferguson, then van gaal and still had decent seasons.
Madness to suggest hes past it. Yes hes getting older but he works his ass off for the club.
 
Voted "Yes but keep him". To be honest, the poll is about 3 years too late. He should have been sold then when he was being a whiny bitch. Whilst he may never have fulfilled what people expected of him after that Euro campaign when he ran around like a nuclear powered bullock scaring the beejezus out of the French defenders (mainly it seems because of that metatarsal injury and also changing his role/mentality a bit to stop him getting sent off all the time and playing on he wing for Ronaldo) - choose whatever excuse you like, when he's played as a striker he is absolutely deadly, and still possesses more ability than any other English striker, possibly player of his generation. He's going to be massively important to us next year so no I wouldn't sell him - what you gonna get for him now anyway? Whats the point?
 
noodlehair said:
I don't think he's anywhere near as good as he should be and not as good as he used to be either, but "past it" is very harsh. He was still one of our most productive players last season. His best position is also as a no10 and yet again he barely got to play there. Partly because Van Gaal thought he was a midfielder for some reason, and partly because our two supposed specialist strikers were so shite Rooney in bad form as a striker still managed to be slightly better than either.

If we had a team of world class players and he was dragging them down, I would be tempted to agree with the idea of benching or getting rid of him, but the reality is most of our players are worse than him and even the ones as or more talented than him are at least as guilty when it comes to sub par/pub player performances.

You need to clear out the rubbish before you can start thinking about polishing up the furniture.
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I agree "past it" seems harsh. He was played all over the pitch this season from CDM, to CM, to CAM to ST and still managed to bag 12 goals and 5 assists.

I would like to see him up top next season, flanked by Memphis and a RW/RF like Felipe Anderson.
With the new midfield recruits (Schneiderlin/Gundogan?) he should score loads of goals and hopefully we will never have to see him at CM again.
 
His past it but we need to keep him. If we buy someone to challenge for the #9 position it would benefit both Rooney and the club.

LVG made a massive mistake giving him the armband, plus making him un-droppable. SAF was right to come out and say his leaving and I wish we sold him then!
 
bananaman said:
God theres some amount of spoiled bastards on this site.
Rooney is class. He was played out of position by Ferguson, then van gaal and still had decent seasons.
Madness to suggest hes past it. Yes hes getting older but he works his ass off for the club.
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He works his ass off for himself, because there would be far less money in being benched/sold to a smaller club rather than a starter for Utd. Like 99% of players he has no strong feelings for the club he plays for.
 
Well it's pretty obvious that he's past his best. For instance every season that Rooney played consistently between 2007 - 2012 he was nominated for the Ballon D'or, finishing 26th, 13th, 8th, 5th, 15th (with him being often injured in 2010). The last two years not only has he not been nominated, but he hasn't even been one of the best 26 player's in the Premier League, let alone the world.

You could argue that the last two years the team around him has been poor or that he's been moved around position wise, but firstly can anyone really say he's had a 3 month period where he's looked anywhere near someone who's one of the best 15 player's in the world? Secondly you have to ask yourself why he's being moved around; hint: if he was performing incredibly in any single position he'd make that position his own.

Even this season people on here were saying how we'd be transformed with him up front instead of Falcao or RVP. Then after Van Gaal put him in he had a couple of good games, a couple of mediocre games and several poor games. His ratings as a striker towards the end of the season against Liverpool (5.3), Chelsea (6), Everton (4.1), Crystal Palace (5.2), Hull (4.6) illustrate his inconsistency in that position and we've known for years he's hugely inconsistent as a number 10.

However he's going to be starting for the next 2-3 years regardless so we've got to just persevere with him up front and hope that his good finishing gets him 20-25 goals a season. We've got superior players in every other position so that's where he should stay in my opinion. If we focus on improving the service around him there is no reason he can't get back to the level of the likes of Costa.
 
We need to keep hold of him, but we do need to bring in a top striker.
 
Annihilate Now! said:
I'd say that Rooney is past it, in the sense that his peak was his early to mid 20's... so anything after that will naturally be a decline.

I still think he is/can be a very good player though (when he doesn't have the touch of an aroused Panda) so I'd surely keep him around... he needs increased competition and to not be a guarenteed starter though.
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Agree with my bro.

Still has a part to play at United but he needs competition to raise his game. Also please, please, please only play him as a CF.
 
Wayne Rooney:

Played out of position? Yes

Over-played (not rotated enough)? Yes

A bad/odd choice of captain? Yes

Past it / Over-rated? No
 
He's comfortably below the world class tier now, but you have to say he's been a world class player for the bulk of his career. Unfortunately you cannot judge a player based off of their reputation and Rooney doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same bracket as other world class strikers like Aguero, Costa, etc, anymore.

We lambast Arsenal for failing to sign a world- class striker for a good few years now, but is Rooney any better than Giroud? I think they are on a pretty even playing field now. So while it's premature to write Rooney off in the past, because he's often proved his detractors wrong time and time again. If Arsenal are incapable of winning the title with Giroud leading the line, as many believe, we probably won't with Rooney as our focal point in attack.

He should stay though, absolutely. He's our best forward, one of our few leaders and can still contribute. In the same vein, is he a 20+ goal a season striker anymore and worthy of the captaincy? I think not and shoehorning him into the side whether it's in midfield, off the striker or as the main number nine if we sign a quality forward will be to the detriment of the team.
 
Rory 7 said:
No. For all of you who voted yes, just have a quick think about this...

Wayne Rooney in a Chelsea shirt.
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Considering they have a better striker than Rooney already, it wouldn't be a disaster would it? Not that it will ever happen now anyway, because the contract he has means he is stuck with us till he's near his retirement. People bang on about him breaking the goal record. Why wouldn't he? He's consistently played for us for 11 years, and will continue to be a guaranteed starter regardless of his form so goals will inevitably come with that, even as they do become fewer and his performances become worse. His goal record will be remembered but then his decline will mean that more and more people will be yearning for him to be dropped from the team completely. LVG made a mistake saying his captain shall always play. Means guys like RVP, Mata, Herrera, Di Maria etc were in and out of the team last year when they hit poor form or just to fit Wayne in somewhere even if he did put in hopeless performances.
 
Green_Red said:
Anyone who thinks Rooney is past it needs their heads examined. There isnt a club in world football that if Rooney became available wouldnt be interested and add to that there isnt a manager in the world that wouldnt want to have him in their starting 11.

This has got to be a wum thread!
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The sad thing is, its not.
 
Tincanalley said:
The sad thing is, its not.
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Gerrard was also Liverpool's best player in the last 15 years. Doesn't mean he wasn't declining for the last 3 or 4 and becoming a liability. Lucky for Liverpool he left and they can move on with younger players who are better than him now. Rooney will unfortunately go the same way.
 
Rooney isn't past it, but that doesn't mean he should stay. My problem with him is that he isn't good enough to be our first option as #10. He is a hindrance to the team with his inconsistent touch and passing. We already have a player that is much better in his position, and I'd much rather see him played there.
 
Orton said:
Gerrard was also Liverpool's best player in the last 15 years. Doesn't mean he wasn't declining for the last 3 or 4 and becoming a liability. Lucky for Liverpool he left and they can move on with younger players who are better than him now. Rooney will unfortunately go the same way.
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Gerrard only started becoming a liability for them like halfway through this season. Yes he had the slip but, he was their second best player for most of last season. And even now only Henderson is better than Gerrard. Good luck in Liverpool putting their faith in the likes of Allen, Can, Lucas, etc.
 
Green_Red said:
Anyone who thinks Rooney is past it needs their heads examined. There isnt a club in world football that if Rooney became available wouldnt be interested and add to that there isnt a manager in the world that wouldnt want to have him in their starting 11.

This has got to be a wum thread!
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He wouldn't start for Real, Barca, Bayern, Chelsea or City.
 
Mrs Smoker said:
van Gaal appears to rate him a lot as a captain. Full of praise.
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Indeed. Well, I guess I disagree with van Gaal on that.

A striker should always have competition for their place, and should be free to be absolutely selfish in their quest for the net.

With van Gaal choosing to publicly state that 'his captain always starts', Rooney effectively has no competition.

This philosophy has also seen us enduring the 'Rooney in midfield' project.

The captain in a possession based team should always be a defender or midfielder.
 
I think when LvG walks about him as a Captain it's more to do with him in the dressing room than on the pitch, several of our players have referred to him as the leader and he clearly carries a lot of respect within the team. The issue is that by making the actual Captain he has to play all of the time.
 
Amethyst said:
Who else are people saying we should sell?
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Throughout the season people have been falling over each other to sell Mata, Di Maria, RVP, Falcao (justified - but still started far too early in the season) Januzaj, Herrera at one point, Rafael, all in addition, of course, to all the not so good players we should've already sold by now (despite the fact that some of them were our best performers this year, after everyone wanted to sell them last year)...and now we should sell Rooney too.

Personally I'd rather keep our good players. Let them force a move if being out of the team upsets them, but this trend of actively encouraging getting rid of them seems in vogue, so feck it... Sack Fergie. Sell Giggs.
 
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I voted sell but realistically we need him next season. With Falcao leaving, lack perceivable quality strikers in the market, and the uncertainty surrounding van Persie. But he needs to be challenged, being captain means he is undroppable by van Gaal's own words. I've written several posts in the Rooney thread about my lack of faith in his current ability that I won't go into now but surely a player that is so inconsistent cannot remain undroppable. Every player should be challenged, it seems he is in quite the comfort zone, a long, almost unmovable contract and an armband with the powers of guaranteed 90 minutes.
 
Mockney said:
Throughout the season people have been falling over each other to sell Mata, Di Maria, RVP, Falcao (justified - but still started far too early in the season) Januzaj, Herrera at one point, Rafael, all in addition, of course, to all the not so good players we should've already sold by now...and now we should sell Rooney too.

Personally I'd rather keep our good players. Let them force a move if being out of the team upsets them, but this trend of actively encouraging getting rid of them seems bonkers.

Sack Fergie. Sell Giggs.
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OK fair enough if that's the case, personally I haven't seen a lot of that but I'll take your word for it. I gave Falcao until around March before I had to accept his was done here. van Persie I can see why people want shot of with his high wages and injury problems even though I don't think he should leave and his decline has been overstated. Rafael I think should be sold actually and I think he will. A new right back and Valencia would be fine next year. The others you listed shouldn't be sold.

Rooney should also be kept but people talking about how he's been great this season and that he'd still get into any team are simply deluding themselves I feel. In 2012 he probably would, but his form over the last three years hasn't been all that great even though he remains a good player for us.
 
These thread are quite annoying. Despite being shuttled all over, he still is the most consistent performer in our team.

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Orton said:
Gerrard was also Liverpool's best player in the last 15 years. Doesn't mean he wasn't declining for the last 3 or 4 and becoming a liability. Lucky for Liverpool he left and they can move on with younger players who are better than him now. Rooney will unfortunately go the same way.
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So will the 15 year old prodigy who will set United on fire by coming from nowhere in 2020. Anyway I think WR is a key player for United next year. If we didnt have him, we would want him. LVG justifiably made him captain. If you didn't see the effect he had on the team, then you simply were not watching. Have a nice summer.
 
ravi2 said:
With Hazard, Oscar and William behind him; not to mention Matic screening the back 4 and Cesc piping through balls, my opinion is that Rooney would score considerably more.
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You've kinda proven my point really, because the same could be said for most strikers if they received the supply at Chelsea. It's those players doing the damage; you stop them to stop Chelsea, not the striker.
 
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