Exactly, when your life seems to be complete and utter shit a win on Saturday can be the difference between coping for another week and keeping your shit together or being the miserable moody bastard from hell, and once you have been in that position you do feel like you have an emotional connection and investment in the club.Great comment man. When times have been tough from when i was a kid, i always had United to concentrate on & u feel apart of the family. Its a great comfort & to do this day, havin United as part of my life for about 32yrs helps me through some really shit times, to which my love for the club has once again come through for me the past few months aswell
Wayne Rooney | 2012-14 Performances
- Thread starter gooDevil
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No not really. Tabloids have their own agenda. As we saw with Mick Clegg yesterday, his comments were misconstrued by the Sun. They chose to paint a different picture than what Clegg intended. Shame he had to post a status update on his website to reveal what he actually meant. The reporters are in a different position as their editors have the final word (i.e. Cass & Fergie regarding Sneijder) than someone who primarily runs his own fanzine and has access to Martin Ferguson.
Spot on. Which is why football means so much more than figures. The modern fan - no, that's not fair: SOME modern fans seem to have become more interested in numbers and less emotionally attached to their club.
It doesn't have to come to that. There are more than two possibilities, should he insist on a move to Chelsea (I'm still praying he doesn't): We can let him go, we can let him rot on the bench and pay his wages - or we can convince him that it's in his best interest to either pull himself together and do a job for the team OR consider a different destination. The interest seems to be there. He can go to Paris - or Monaco. Neither would be the most horrible thing ever, provided he's hellbent on leaving.
We're in a strong bargaining position, actually. We can force him to see out his contract in the stands - and if he believes we're serious about that I think he'll wise up and go buy a French dictionary.
Yep, which is why for many, even if Rooney stays and scores 30 goals a season until the end of his career he will never be afforded the same status as other less proficient and less able players who were never the less far more respectful to the club.
Very true. There's an immense difference between players I want at United because of their footballing qualities - and players I want there because I feel they're true United players. The latter category is more important to me in the long run. If I have to chose between Welbeck and Messi - there's no contest. If there was, I might as well start supporting Barca.
On topic: Longevity has a tendency to influence the emotional connection. Rooney has been with the club for many years now. That too counts, in my opinion. I've grown used to having him around - it's a pretty basic human condition, really. If he had arrived last summer I wouldn't really care what he did or where he went.
If I could find where to like a post this would definitely be my first.
Also on the longevity thing, as a general rule Id agree, but considering I didn't like Rooney when he was at Everton......its been a long 9 years 
Hehe, thanks for that, mate.
Also on the longevity thing, as a general rule Id agree, but considering I didn't like Rooney when he was at Everton......its been a long 9 years
Looks like your misery is finally coming to an end.
Could be the first day of the rest of my life!
You're right. There are more than two. What advantage do we obtain by forcing Wayne to see out his contract? If it rushes him out the door then I see your point. Otherwise, we're losing money on a player who has no desire to be at the club.
We have to hope Rooney either changes his mind and buckles down or realises we won't let him join Chelsea and accept moving abroad. The issue is even if we agree a fee with a foreign club, personal terms would still need to be agreed. Rooney could very much do a Nani and make exorbitant wage demands.
The humour of seeing him turning out for Accrington Stanley bald and fat after two years sat in the stands?
Rooney has been instrumental in a very successful period at our club and you have always disliked him? I find that weird Sparky!Also on the longevity thing, as a general rule Id agree, but considering I didn't like Rooney when he was at Everton......its been a long 9 years
the club don't have to sell now anyway given he has 2 years.....
if we sold him tomorrow we'd probably get 25-30 million
if we sell him next summer we'll probably get 25-30 million
I think Moyes should be ensuring that Rooney understands that if he wants to stay and earn a new contract he will need to prove it in his attitude and on the pitch - he needs to pipe down and remember who is boss
the only way I see him leaving this summer would be if someone like Madrid/PSG/other wealthy foreign team made a bumper offer
I don't think Rooney wants to leave United and he has backtracked about his transfer threat/request - we'd be weaker without Rooney so he'll stay - I just hope he applies himself properly next season - he is one of the worlds best when his attitude is right
if we sold him tomorrow we'd probably get 25-30 million
if we sell him next summer we'll probably get 25-30 million
I think Moyes should be ensuring that Rooney understands that if he wants to stay and earn a new contract he will need to prove it in his attitude and on the pitch - he needs to pipe down and remember who is boss
the only way I see him leaving this summer would be if someone like Madrid/PSG/other wealthy foreign team made a bumper offer
I don't think Rooney wants to leave United and he has backtracked about his transfer threat/request - we'd be weaker without Rooney so he'll stay - I just hope he applies himself properly next season - he is one of the worlds best when his attitude is right
None, not of the immediate kind. But running an operation wisely isn't just about playing the immediate angle. If we allow arguably our best (certainly our most marketable) player to go to our greatest domestic rivals - that sends out signals, as they say. If we stand our ground firmly, on the other hand, we let the world know that Wayne Rooney, the most talked-about footballer in England, is nothing compared to Manchester United. He's a bothersome fly that can either stop being bothersome - or get swatted. That sends out very different signals - the kind we should be sending out.
Good points. Hopefully we sell him abroad if he chooses to leave but I'm doubtful at the moment.
Don't misunderstand me, I'm grateful for what he has contributed to our success and I acknowledge that he has been a vital part of it. Just have never liked the bloke and I don't think I ever will.
The fact you feel we need to send out signals worries me...
The chance of him coming good and signing another contract and a resurgence in his own personal successes. Right now everyone is on his back over his apparent 'dubious' season (one of many reasons). I also think it's safe to say that it's not going to bankrupt the club if we take a punt on keeping him for a little and/or then resigning him under his full commitment.
If we're losing money on the player then we're losing money on the player. We lost a fecktonne paying Hargreaves, we've lost a shitload in the hope that Fletcher can come back into the first team (bless him though, love him to bits) and we're rapidly losing money on Anderson playing a bit part. (Even though I am more than happy to see him play as a squad role and his wage makes not one iota of difference to me, nor really should it the club considering how it is being run at the moment.)
If the club is in good enough shape to manage all of these pieces of the puzzle then the fans with burning pitchforks are a bit excessive.
It's not that hard to dislike a footballer on a personal level (fan viewpoint). So fair play for acknowledge the good that he has done for the club. I wish every great player could be like Paul Scholes.
This article on a Spanish site is suggesting that Barca could offer £25m plus David Villa for Rooney. Rubbish translation but you get the drift.
http://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/barca-podria-ofrecer-millones-villa-para-fichar-rooney-2463231
http://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/barca-podria-ofrecer-millones-villa-para-fichar-rooney-2463231
Not buying that, can't see us taking Villa off them.
Regarding 'signals': if, say, Chelsea/PSG/Whoever offer United what the management feels is far more than Wayne is worth to the team, why shouldn't they accept the bid? These supposed signals are only useful to A) the press, when they want to write those expedient 'power shift' articles, and B) fans who relish being proved right even if the club suffers as a result - neither A nor B should be taken seriously. And as for fans who worry about their mates taking the piss...well, other people's opinions count for nothing unless they're objective and grounded in reason. I'm not at all recommending that our best players should ideally be sold to rivals; I am suggesting that we should be as pragmatic and sensible as professionals would no doubt be.
Well, you can turn it on the head if you like: It's more a question of not sending out signals - of the wrong kind.
I think it should go without saying that we don't sell a top player to Chelsea, it shouldn't even be something we consider. And if that upsets the player, that's mainly his problem.
Pragmatism is necessary to run a huge, modern football club like United - I have no illusions about that. But there's an enormous difference between, to use your examples, Chelsea, PSG and whoever. Indulging a player's wish to leave the club is nothing but common sense - nobody wants a sulking, miserable player around. But strengthening your closest rival's team just because player X doesn't have the common decency to bugger off to the continent - is wrong on all kinds of levels.
There's one absurdly hypothetical scenario that might justify selling Rooney to Chelsea - and this is it: Roman pays us a silly amount for him and we invest that silly amount directly in Ronaldo. In that case there's no doubt whatsoever that the move strengthens our team more than it does Roman's - and then, maybe, I'd be OK with it. But it's fantasy stuff.
And, just to clarify: Refusing to sell Rooney to Chelsea is very much pragmatic. The principle of not strengthening your domestic rivals is as bread-and-butter as it gets. The signals, on the other hand - well, I'll admit that this is more about my personal view on how United should deal with such matters. I'm very uncomfortable with us granting a player's wish when that wish is - horrendously, I'd say - to play for Chelsea FC. It's not rational as such, I know that, but I'm a fan of this football club, not an accountant.
That's the heart of my point though, Ches - if clubs like Chelsea have more money than sense (and the Torres transfer is an example of this), then why not let them overpay? If United really feared what Rooney could do for our rivals, then of course we wouldn't consider a bid unless it was a farcical one (£150m, for instance); if Rooney was truly likely to rediscover his genius, then the club would feel that no fee could be high enough. But this isn't likely to be the case (IMO, admittedly) so I fully expect Moyes & co to be pragmatic rather than optimistic.
I agree with the sentiment, but I don't think it should be done as you are implying; by letting others know we are who we are. We have a stature already, it's only Rooney that by his (perceived) actions at least that doubts this. However, that being said, I am with you on the 'upsetting the player' part. He's supposed to be a man, if he drags his knuckles sulking next season, it shows the character of the player we have, I would rather sell him to a rival than let him rot as the financial strain would be crazy for a top earner like Rooney to just sit him on the bench... anyway, of course it speculation... FWIW, I would like Rooney to stay, but I won't be skipping lunch if he doesn't
I'd be much more worried by a Rooney at City than a Rooney at Chelsea.
I can't help feeling that 'signals' are much the same as 'statement signings': essentially pointless, crowd-pleasing window-dressing when the main concerns should really be what is best for the club in the long-term.
I take your point, Steve - but, sticking to strict reason here, Rooney would strengthen this Chelsea side; at this present time there's no reason to believe otherwise. This is a side that have habitually played Torres up front up until now. So, if the principle is that you don't strengthen your rivals - then I see no way around this one. Unless, like I said, we invest the silly money directly in a superior player - so that the balance ends up clearly and obviously in our favour.
However, the main thing - I admit that, again - for me is something which is less than rational. I just don't like it, it doesn't sit well with me - and I think it will make us look bad.
I would hate to see Rooney play for someone else in the premier league.
We should tell me straight up that we are not selling him to any rival in the league. All possible destinations would be outside England. Even if it means taking a £5m hit.
I can't see him at Barca but a £10m+ Sanchez offer will be fantastic.
We should tell me straight up that we are not selling him to any rival in the league. All possible destinations would be outside England. Even if it means taking a £5m hit.
I can't see him at Barca but a £10m+ Sanchez offer will be fantastic.
Ches: Maybe it comes down to a difference of opinion over Rooney, mate - I don't think he'll ever rediscover his fire again, long-term (although, on joining a new club, he'll probably play out of his skin for a while) whereas I suspect you have hopes that he'll be back to his best before long.
You're right there, my man. I do think he can re-invent himself, as it were - though the likelihood of that happening at Chelsea isn't great, admittedly. But - and this is a different point - at Chelsea he would most likely be used as a sheer striker. And as a sheer striker, as a goal scorer, he would be very dangerous for any team. His patchy form, his inconsistency, all that matters less when he's used strictly up front. So, again, I think he would strengthen them considerably - and that is not an emotional argument on my part.
Cheers mate. Id never claim he hasn't been a massive success on the field, you don't get to score as many goals as he has or play for Utd for 9 years without being a bit special. yes, scholsey was one in a million god bless him
I like that idea!
I can't be the only one who doesn't rate Sanchez at all, Got a massive money move to Barca as one of the top young talents in the world and seems thoroughly unimpressive.
Money and Pastore from PSG would be my choice if we live in FM Muppet world.
To be fair to Sanchez, he's in the wrong team. Barca hardly play to his strengths (wing play).
Wing play or is it behind the striker/playmaker role?
I thought it was a traditional winger as well based on his Chilean exploits but by all accounts of those who watched him in Serie A - apparently he was at his best behind the CF. But we can definitely use him in a front 3!
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