I'll try to quickly summarise his performances up until the Real Madrid game.
Everton 1-0: worst display of the season. Many talked about Nani being our worst player, but to be frank, Rooney was anonymous. 4/10.
Fulham 3-2: N/A. Came on and then picked up an injury.
Newcastle 2-1 (Capital One Cup): Immense performance, playing in midfield. He made 14 long balls, 11 of which were accurate. More importantly, his touch and passing were great throughout. 8/10.
Tottenham 3-2 (first game back in the Premier League since picking up injury vs. Fulham): Changed the game. Offered a different dimension and registered an assist, with a delicate ball to Nani. He was unfortunate not to score with his free kick, and perhaps, had Van Persie passed the ball, instead of shooting, the scoreline would reflect a draw. 8/10.
Cluj 1-2: Played in midfield. Controlled the game and looked comfortable for large parts of the game. The game showed there was a sense of maturity - and discipline - developing into his game as a central midfielder. His free kick found Van Persie's shoulder. Van Persie then won the game for us, after a delightful ball from Rooney. 8.5/10.
Newcastle 0-3: Again, played in midfield, and assisted two goals, though the Cleverley assist was hardly a brilliant one. Another match where he impressed in a midfield trio (not duo). 7.5/10.
Stoke 4-2: Two goals and an assist, in a very good performance. He also added a pre-assist to his name (I count them) when he pinged a beautiful ball to Valencia, who crossed the ball into Van Persie, who scored. He could have had multiple assists, but the important thing was that his head remained up (with all the rumours about his future), which was good to watch because he scored an own goal at the beginning of the match. As we all know, his consistency is unquestionable at the start of the season. 7.5/10.
Braga 3-2: A decent display, but nothing compared to previous weeks. He was moved all over the pitch and had to occupy the left midfield position, where he struggled. 6/10.
Chelsea 2-3: A good performance overall, but nothing special. He started the match off very well, passing the ball to Van Persie whose shot hit David Luiz and went in the back of the net. He went missing after this, however. 6/10.
Arsenal 2-1: Usually, when given a man to mark, Rooney has disappointed Fergie and Hodgson. The 15 minute spell of intense pressure in the CL final of 2011 was down to Rooney marking Busquets, but for some reason, he decided to disobey the tactics, and subsequently Barcelona started to play. In the Euro 2012 fixture between England and Italy, he was asked to man mark Pirlo. He started off well, but he gave up, and consequently Welbeck was forced to do Rooney's job. This time, he marked Arteta and despite not being as technically proficient as Busquets and Pirlo, he is still a good player. Arsenal's supply was cut off, leaving Cazorla to struggle. Yes, he missed the penalty, but he was outstanding tactically. 7.5/10.
Braga 1-3: Midfielder again (duo). Looked brilliant at times (long ball expert, it seemed). Scored a penalty and assisted Hernandez (I class it as an assist, though it's not official). A light 7/10.
Aston Villa 2-3: Poor performance. Started off as an attacking midfielder, but lacked the tactical awareness to form a midfield three, which led to Scholes and Carrick looking naive. He was moved to the left in the second half, but to no avail - he looked lost again on the wings. Got a pre-assist for the equaliser, to his credit. 5.5/10.
QPR 3-1: This was a competent performance. He never looked dangerous, apart from the one time where he took a shot as Julio Cesar. Assisted Fletcher to make the scoreline 3-1. 6.5/10.
West Ham 1-0: Diamond formation, but Rooney played behind Van Persie. Another "meh" performance. 6/10.
Reading 3-4: Played out of position, as a right winger this time. His best performance in just less than a month. Scored two goals and assisted one with a sublime back heel. It was his defensive duty and willingness to sacrifice his attacking game, which was endearing. Ironically, his defensive game never recovered after this fixture. 8.5/10.
Cluj 0-1: Poor performance. I don't know what happened in this fixture to our players, but it was obvious they were to take it lightly, as the game after it was Manchester City. 5/10.
Manchester City 2-3: He scored two crucial goals and linked up well with team-mates (when he passed the ball properly). Two negatives: his passing was atrocious (73%, worst in a while) and he failed to take advantage of City's midfield. Still gets an 8/10.
Sunderland 3-1: Scored a goal. Very easy game for him (put it that way). 7/10.
Swansea 1-1: Now, this is where I have always maintained that Rooney's abrupt dip in form starts. After this, his performances were inconsistent. His passing was shocking, he missed a great chance, and there was a chance to make it 1-2 when he was through on goal with Hernandez to his right, but he played a lazy pass, which was easily intercepted. Easily, in his top five poor performances this season. 4/10.
Tottenham 1-1: Came on as a sub. Was unfortunate not to win a penalty, after Caulker fouled him in the penalty area. The shape of the team changed and, again, his passing was horrible (69%). 4/10.
Southampton 2-1: Scored two goals, but yet again his passing was all over the place. The pitch didn't help either. A light 7/10.
Fulham 0-1: Good performance. Moved to the left after Hernandez came on. Scored a crucial goal. 7/10.
Everton 2-0: Another "meh" performance. Kept things safe. 5/10.
Real Madrid 1-1: A mediocre display. He was asked to defend, but in the first half Rafael faced many 2 v 1 situations, where Coentrao and Ronaldo were too much. He did assist Welbeck, but his contribution as a whole was poor and not professional. 5.5/10.
That's up until the Real Madrid game, which gives him an average rating of 6. Add the rest of the ratings and he'd probably be a 6.5/7 (even if you change the 4's to 5's), which represents how his season went. I don't think Rooney was as bad as some made him out to be, and this is coming from someone who deplores his actions, however, he needs to understand that the expectation on our behalf is high. In the first half of the season, he was excellent. If he kept up that form, there would be no problems at all.
