None of our three strikers last season have made a good case for being worth keeping. Two are gone, and the other is stinking up the place. I am glad we are moving on players , sometimes the time is right. We might have never gone that extra mile for Martial if we had a safety cushion . Still need to reinforcements, but we will do that gradually.
Robin Van Persie - Were you happy we sold Jaap Stam?
- Thread starter Amethyst
- Start date
We really should of kept him and punted Rooney
Would do good for a top side imo (Barca? can't see that happening), if he gets the service he'll score goals. This isn't like Falcao, he isn't shot or anything, just in decline -- but still capable of a good return if set up correctly in a good side.
Van Persie was atrocious in his final season. Let' not re-write history. Even after Falcao's season, there were many posters suggesting that Mourinho will find a way to make him score again and it will be our loss.
He's gone, good luck and god bless.
He's gone, good luck and god bless.
Won't mind having him on the bench. An extra body upfront that can score goals is more than welcome.
Can't argue with that really, he is done as a starter at this level and he wanted to be a striker.
Why are we suddenly acting like RVP wasn't absolutely crap last season? I mean, not Falcao levels of crap, but still pretty useless all the same. He's done as a top level player, and we were absolutely right to move him on.
There is no problem with selling RVP. There is a problem with selling RVP and keeping worse.
Extra body. Great.
He's acting like a twat when benched for both club and country. And you think he'd be happy with sitting on bench. Players like him aren't happy to sit on the bench.
We had three strikers last season. All performed crap. But the best one got sold, while the one with the highest salary still remains.
So from a logic point of view...if 2 had to be sold:
- Performance wise: Rooney, Falcao
- Economic wise: Rooney, Falcao
But we sold: Van Persie.
Regardless if RVP was crap last season, the other two wore worse. All three should have been ditched.
No from a logic point of view you ditch the striker who has one year left on his contract.
Also who would want Rooney and his wages?
I'm not disagreeing with what you said, but I think RVP was on the same money as Rooney.
van Persie was worse than Rooney and we were 100% correct in letting him go.
A bit too radical imo to get rid of three at once keeping Rooney was the correct decision. I wanted to keep Rvp as well but like Martial signing and Pedro not signing it looks like Lvg got it spot on again.
From a logic point of view you ditch the player with the highest amount still to be paid on his contract (if all are equally bad). Why keep a poor player for 3 years when you can keep a poor player for 1 year.
So who realistically wants Rooney? Tell me that first.
There was interest in RVP all summer.
I think there may have been about £50,000 a week in it once Rooney got a new contract, not a difference significant enough to use as a basis for potentially keeping him though.
Rooney was always going to be kept last summer, that was abundantly clear with him being chosen as captain by van Gaal and being 29 not 32 like van Persie is. From what I know RvP moved because he couldn't be assured by van Gaal he would receive enough game to warrant his continued inclusion in the national team and was recommended to go to Turkey.
I have no idea if we would have been able to offload Rooney for the wages he would demand and for the fee we would seek. The top clubs don't need him and clubs around Europe on a similar level probably either wouldn't want him or wouldn't be able to afford the price.
This
Yep, not a bad option to have on bench. Obviously he knows he can't expect a starting place in Barca squad. Good option to play 20mins if we are chasing a game.
Calm down. You honestly think he believes in a starting position at Barca? If he agrees to come then he knows his role. A bench player that will get minutes and will be rotated a lot actually, just like Pedro last season. That's if he maintains his body and not get injured.
With the way we've been wasting goals this season, he'll be a really good option. Plus having him up in the front three with Messi behind them
Trust me if someone wants to pay a 32 year old RVP a huge salary, along with a 3 year contract then they'd be willing to offer a 29 year old Rooney the same.
There was interest in RVP because he was made available to every agent and club that could afford him. Trust me: on age and reputation alone Rooney would attract huge interest. Hell if Mourinho who was interested in him not long ago and who was willing to gamble c. £15m on Falcao for one year; if you dont think he'd offer a couple of £m and a 3 year deal to Rooney? I'm also sure with his ego and personality he wouldn't stick around to sit on the bench.
I agree, but we know that Rooney isnt necessary first choice for football reasons, so that wasnt happening.
RvP was way worse than Rooney. RvP if he doesn't play well as a striker is a passenger. Rooney isn't. Rooney could put in shifts at multiple positions during injuries. When we had lots of injuries, he played a DM role against Aston villa. RvP can play as a striker and else nothing. Plus Rooney has more influence as a leader in our squad than RvP or falcao. Not to mention, RvP would be fit for maybe 3/4th of the season, if we are lucky.
To call RvP the best of our strikers is like calling Evans the best CB in our team last season. The simple fact is rooney is more useful for us than RvP can ever imagine to be. I don't understand the sudden hate for Rooney. He was good last season. To say he was worse than RvP is preposterous.
You can't have someone on that salary as an extra body on the bench
Rooney had a much better season than RvP last season, but don't let reality get in the way of your point.
He wasn't, but he was better than RVP. RVP deserved to go.
Theo talked about it in his autobiography. All the players would bring in the gear from their sponsors they didn't want, usually horrible, garish shit. van Persie would turn up with a bin bag and take some of it for himself.
Theo talked about it in his autobiography. All the players would bring in the gear from their sponsors they didn't want, usually horrible, garish shit. van Persie would turn up with a bin bag and take some of it for himself.
Wow, that's not even ghostwritten is it, because it is just horribly written. Did nobody even edit it?
It's not real but that means it's probably better written than the actual book.
Really?
His critiscism for his performances now is understandable but lot of people act like he is some kind of one season wonder. calling him overrated, saying he has been poor for years, now even say he was worse than RvP.
I have been saying that on this forum since SAF's last year non stop already. As it was obvious for anyone beside some of our fans in denial. Hell the post i wrote about it even got my 10+ promoted to full member.
SAF saw it, neutral fans saw it and only now the last part of our fans see it. Rooney was done in 2013 and it only gets worse.
2013? He scored 29 goals over 2 seasons after Fergie retired in the league. He was the fourth highest scorer in the league with 17 goals in 13-14. If that is done, then I guess all except 3 strikers in the league were done in 13-14.
All strikers in the league dont have a team like man utd behind them. and when they have they score more. Coincidence of course.
In 13/14? hahahahahahahaha United were a pile of crap. A midfield of Cleverly Anderson Valencia and Carrick (who was probably the only player up to standard). RVP was pulling goals out of his arse under fergie then under Moyes he actually scored quite a few goals too.
He declined yes but he was far from done in 13/14. His hattrick vs Olympiakos, that's the type of performance we could do with from a striker right now.
EDIT: Didn't realise you were talking about Rooney... as you we're. I think most can accept he has been in decline for a few years. There was even doubt he should be Englands starting striker at the world cup.
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Rezyuz is talking about Rooney, not RvP in his post.
In Moyes' season our best midfield was januzaj Carrick Fletcher Valencia. To score 17 goals (and 10 assists too) in that season isn't easy at all. He was our best striker that season and only Sturridge, Toure and Suarez were better scorers in the PL.
England had 2 goals in the World Cup both of which involved Rooney even though he was out of position. None of the other strikers like Lambert Sturridge Welbeck did anything worthwhile. Rooney could have not started in the World Cup if England actually had someone better.
He has declined of course as he grew older but he was way better than RvP last 2 years which is the whole point. And also that even after declining, Rooney was one of our better players over two seasons. RvP didn't turn up if he didn't feel like it, which is why he was sold over Rooney. Rooney at least gives his all and gives better performances more frequently than RvP.
@prath92 - I actually think RvP was better than Rooney in Moyes' season but was hampered with injuries throughout the whole of it.
He was good but he was as I said playing when he felt like. Towards the latter part he just couldn't care much. Except the CL game vs olympiakos. And anyway injuries were another reason to sell him over Rooney.