Wayne Rooney | 2012-14 Performances

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Good to hear he his able to step up his training further after joining back with the United first team as well ... get some minutes against Scotland, maybe play a reserve game if there is one between now and Chelsea, come on to score the winning goal against them and then start at Anfield.
 
Gazza said:
I think this summer has shone more light on how the media get used by different parties in football, but they're quite willing to go along with it because it's a sure-fire way to sell content when there's no football on.
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You might be onto something there mate. Cricket, for all its virtues, doesn't have the same mass appeal as football, and in an Ashes year, that's saying something.

I reckon that Rooney, if he plays against the Jocks, won't come through unscathed. He'll pick up an injury of some sort that'll keep him out of action until his transfer goes through.
 
pauldyson1uk said:
WTF is going on, Hodgson says that he has no physical injury ,played a full part of training and is expected to play in the match on Wednesday, all the the day after he could not play for United because he has a shoulder injury.
Something is not adding up.
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I'll tell you what's up... Hodgson is a retard
 
Moriarty said:
You might be onto something there mate. Cricket, for all its virtues, doesn't have the same mass appeal as football, and in an Ashes year, that's saying something.

I reckon that Rooney, if he plays against the Jocks, won't come through unscathed. He'll pick up an injury of some sort that'll keep him out of action until his transfer goes through.
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It's funny you mention the cricket. I've noticed English cricket and rugby are starting to feature more of the same tabloid, cannon fodder media coverage we've seen in football. Like Monty Panesar taking a piss in a nightclub, the furore about "walking", and the David Warner business... it's like the more popular these sports become among the masses, the more they're exposed to the ways of the tabloid. And these sports get a surge in mass public appeal when England are involved - eg the Ashes, or a Lions tour - which typically fills the space vacated by the Premier League during the summer. It is fascinating how sport has become an entertainment industry, the goings on that should be out-of-sight + out of mind to the average sports fan has come to occupy about 90% of the media coverage. Most journalists have no interest in the finer nuances of football or cricket but give them a drama, a narrative, a controversy, and they are all over that shit.
 
I think the press were scared of Fergie. Now Moyes is in some are taking the opportunity to put the boot in with a new manager feeling his way. The best way is to undermine him by printing stories upsetting both Rooney and Moyes to drive them apart. Great way to weaken us by losing one of our better players to their darling Jose. He will be getting his fanboys to do his dirty work for him.
 
Odd comments by hogdson, either he's directly contradicting moyes which isn't going to go down well with united or he actually thinks he's looking good, which could be true but is pretty unlikely as we all know Rooney is slow to get back his sharpness. If he plays and is clearly not fit really puts hogdsons judgement into question, thought after the last tournament he might have moved away from playing unfit players. Understandable to have Rooney around but if he's clearly not fit I don't get the point in playing him.
 
He's probably been fine all along. Not the first time he's managed to make a United manager look like a liar when all they were doing was keeping things in-house.
 
Seen Roy's comments but, it doesn't go against anything what Moyes has said in the last day or so. Rooney did have a shoulder problem, so as not to aggravate it he participated in non-contact training with the reserves and has since trained with the first team. He wasn't quite ready for Sunday but, given a extra couple days of proper training he said he expects Rooney to play a good chunk of the game against Scotland - just that due to his lack of football people won't see him at his best.

Hodgson has said there is no signs of him looking injured and why wouldn't that be if Rooney has also returned to training with our first team.
 
SteveJ said:
He's probably been fine all along. Not the first time he's managed to make a United manager look like a liar when all they were doing was keeping things in-house.
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If Moyes did not want to look like a liar then he probably should not lie. Can't expect Hodgson to toe the Man United company line.

Edit: If Moyes was lying of course.
 
So will we see him play at Swansea if he completes at least half a game against Scotland? Or Moyes has already ruled him out for that?
 
duffer said:
If Moyes did not want to look like a liar then he probably should not lie. Can't expect Hodgson to toe the Man United company line.
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True, but I guess we shouldn't be surprised when England managers value showing faith in Rooney over good relations with his club. Hodgson's statement about Rooney "having no physical injury" is clumsy at best.
 
I feel like Moyes has to sort out the Rooney issue before the season start. If he is part of his plans, then they need to have Rooney come clear on this. If not, we should just sell him and not keep an unhappy player affecting the squad. The question is, can we sell him to anyone other than Chelsea?
 
I wouldn't imagine he would start even if things were good, no point having a good squad if you're gonna rush someone back when others are fit.
 
pocco said:
It'll be interesting to see how Moyes handles the backlash if Rooney stays. This could divide the fan base I reckon, which is the very last thing Moyes would have wanted coming into this season.
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Moyes inherited the problem.

There'll be trickle of positive press releases from both camps to try and smooth over any issues if Rooney was to stay. I reckon we saw a start yesterday with Moyes saying there were no issues between himself and the player.
 
You often hear the same old trite predictions that as soon as he scores a few goals the supporters will move on and forget, yet momentary joy will not restore the credit Rooney has in the bank with the fans, he will forever be one misstep or bad run away from the mood turning.

In recent pages some have indicated that Rooney should be a certain starter were he to remain at United, this would be damaging to morale and quite the wrong precedent for a new manager to set IMO. Moyes must reward the other indisputably committed professionals in the squad by default. For the sake of the team and any redemption of the player then the process of earning back his place ought to be an important one.
 
Sultan said:
Moyes inherited the problem.

There'll be trickle of positive press releases from both camps to try and smooth over any issues if Rooney was to stay. I reckon we saw a start yesterday with Moyes saying there were no issues between himself and the player.
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I meant a backlash towards Rooney, I don't think Moyes will come under fire for it. In all honesty though, Moyes was probably fully aware that Ferguson was going to hang Rooney out to dry when he did, seeing as he was aware that he would be taking over at that point. It wouldn't surprise me if Moyes was even consulted before Fergie did so.
 
SATA said:
So will we see him play at Swansea if he completes at least half a game against Scotland? Or Moyes has already ruled him out for that?
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Starting Rooney, or even involving him in the squad ahead of players who have worked their loyal asses off in pre-season and deserve to be involved would be a massive morale killer. If you turn round to Welbeck, Zaha, Kagawa, Valencia or whomever would miss out and tell them they are dropped for Rooney it would be a massive man management error. He should be bottom of the list for selection at the moment.
 
SteveJ said:
He's probably been fine all along. Not the first time he's managed to make a United manager look like a liar when all they were doing was keeping things in-house.
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Liar? Not sure about that.

Hodgson added: "Since he's got over the injuries he's not been able to train as intensively as we did today, so we'll see how that pans out. He tells me that he's been training on his own while Manchester United have had games, on some fitness work, but he hasn't had a chance to do a session like we had today where he was involved in functional aspects of play.
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He recognizes the injury but said that it isn't a problem anymore.
 
Dwight Yorke says a more conciliatory approach could keep Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, and that the player should not be for sale at any price.
Yorke has come to know the England forward very well since returning to Old Trafford in an off-field role, but accepts Rooney leaving is a possibility.

“I know Wazza, I speak to Wazza intimately,” Yorke said. “I spent some time around him and the guy just wants to play football. He doesn’t feel he’s getting the playing time at United that he deserves and if that has happened, someone of his calibre, someone of his quality, you’re coming into your best form, the best time of your playing career [at the age of 27].

“All he just wants to do is play, and be loved and be told he’s great. You can’t be one of the best players to ever play at United in the last five years, like he’s been before [Robin] van Persie last year.

“He’s been our best player by a mile. Suddenly he hasn’t been able to play in key games and that has sparked the whole thing. But the lad just wants to play.

“I think that he’s at, in my opinion, the best club and Wazza, if he does go to any other club, that would be a regret, in my opinion of course.

“He may not see it that way, he’ll feel very strongly in his heart, that he’ll feel like he needs a change, but we tried to tell him that this is the best place.

“I feel that Wazza has a lot to offer still, at 27 as I said, you just need him to have that confidence back, that sort of swagger that he has, just put your arm around him because he’s one of those type of players.

“Part of me is telling me that he would [go], and part of me is telling me that David Moyes and Manchester United have to do everything to keep him.

“If they do that, and they keep him, that’s great, but I know there is half of him that wants to leave as well.

“What I am trying to say is that Wayne Rooney should not be for sale at any cost right now. Without Wayne Rooney being at that football club, United will find it very difficult, not only in the Premier League but in Europe. That is the kind of value that you put on Wayne now. I have a little bit of insight without going into too much detail but the boy just wants to be let feel he can play football. Let him get on with it and go out and express himself. We are talking about a kid who is in his prime.”
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http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/yorke-give-roo-a-cuddle-239567.html
 
So basically he's saying its not Rooney's fault at all that its got to this stage. End of the day if he was performing as he should given how he's viewed as a player and as he clearly views himself he wouldn't be missing any big games, not that he missed many and he wouldn't be getting subbed when the game was still needing to be won.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Rooney will get 'injured' during this game and it be out until early September.
 
pocco said:
I meant a backlash towards Rooney, I don't think Moyes will come under fire for it. In all honesty though, Moyes was probably fully aware that Ferguson was going to hang Rooney out to dry when he did, seeing as he was aware that he would be taking over at that point. It wouldn't surprise me if Moyes was even consulted before Fergie did so.
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Yes, that could be. My thinking has been that the decision to step down, and the decisions that followed it, wasn't quite as sudden as we were told - but that may be bollocks, perhaps it just sounds like a more plausible story. At any rate, the Rooney thing could well have been spur of the moment, regardless - from both sides, really. A bit of a bust-up, after which Fergie said what he did to the press - which could be calculation on his part, but it could equally well be a case of him just...saying it, being a bit fed up with Rooney, perhaps. Not everything the man did was part of a grand master plan.
 
shaggy said:
Midfield is better no debate there. Walcott is better based on last year's showing. Cazorla is currently better than Kagawa. Obviously if Nani and Valencia can find their best form again we are clearly better but if it doesn't happen Arsenal edge it in my opinion.
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We have the better striker and our defense and keeper is better than theirs.
 
As Fergie said after the Real match - "An in-form Wayne Rooney wouldn't be a substitute." If he's got the ego to think that he should be a nailed on starter for United, regardless of form, then he needs bringing down a peg or two.
 
Ash_G said:
So basically he's saying its not Rooney's fault at all that its got to this stage. End of the day if he was performing as he should given how he's viewed as a player and as he clearly views himself he wouldn't be missing any big games, not that he missed many and he wouldn't be getting subbed when the game was still needing to be won.
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What he's saying is that Rooney is a sensitive lad, needs to feel the love, he's that sort of player.

I don't know. As you suggest, it has to be up to him to some extent too. It's a professional game - you can't expect to be loved and appreciated as a footballer unless you perform your best on the pitch. And he didn't do that prior to whatever happened between him and Fergie. That is a fact. His season was by no means as poor as some would have it, but he wasn't playing at his best either. It wasn't inexplicable and terribly unfair that Fergie benched him - or dropped those remarks about him.

Anyway, if he really feels unwanted and unloved - well, it shouldn't be too hard to remedy this. If he wants to stay on, Moyes will undoubtedly let him - and he will undoubtedly treat him as an important team member too. But he can't demand any "love" beyond that. If he wants to play all the time, in his favourite position, he needs to step up: We have other attackers, and they aren't painfully poor at what they're doing.
 
We should keep Rooney as we are certainly weaker without him as a squad. The fans will need to know he is committed though if it's going to work. It's not as hard to remedy this time as he's kept quiet but either way something public needs to be said.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
What he's saying is that Rooney is a sensitive lad, needs to feel the love, he's that sort of player.

I don't know. As you suggest, it has to be up to him to some extent too. It's a professional game - you can't expect to be loved and appreciated as a footballer unless you perform your best on the pitch. And he didn't do that prior to whatever happened between him and Fergie. That is a fact. His season was by no means as poor as some would have it, but he wasn't playing at his best either. It wasn't inexplicable and terribly unfair that Fergie benched him - or dropped those remarks about him.

Anyway, if he really feels unwanted and unloved - well, it shouldn't be too hard to remedy this. If he wants to stay on, Moyes will undoubtedly let him - and he will undoubtedly treat him as an important team member too. But he can't demand any "love" beyond that. If he wants to play all the time, in his favourite position, he needs to step up: We have other attackers, and they aren't painfully poor at what they're doing.
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I certainly his season has been made to seem worse than it was but the pure fact is he is one of the most well paid footballers/sports stars out there. We've shown that we value him and we've shown him plenty of leeway to play poorly/not be as fit as he could, maybe too much, because as soon as he's had some serious competition such that we don't have to play him, he's seemingly thrown his toys out and can't seem to take the challenge.

I can see his point if he is actually thinking it about wanting to play in his favored position, I think it would fair to say at times we've looked to cover our lack of top players in certain positions by moving him about, but as I said he has been rewarded handsomely for this and some of it has been down to him, himself not justifying having a fixed role in the team.

Personally I hope it's not too late too move on from this, but I don't think it can be solved by us saying he's great etc, there needs to be some concession on his part that he's been somewhat culpable because if not then I don't see how it will get resolved because with kagawa, welbeck, hernandez around the competition is fierce and no one should get in on name alone.
 
Why didn't he stipulate a "love me please love me" clause to go with the £180,000/week in his last contract negotiations?

In all seriousness, the guy has a higher salary than any player in the history of the club. I know appreciation comes in many forms, but surely that shows we at least value his contribution?
 
Joemo said:
As Fergie said after the Real match - "An in-form Wayne Rooney wouldn't be a substitute." If he's got the ego to think that he should be a nailed on starter for United, regardless of form, then he needs bringing down a peg or two.
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Exactly.

This whole situation seems to have been cooked up by the Rooney camp on the back of nothing to justify his desire to get £££.
 
Ash_G said:
I certainly his season has been made to seem worse than it was but the pure fact is he is one of the most well paid footballers/sports stars out there. We've shown that we value him and we've shown him plenty of leeway to play poorly/not be as fit as he could, maybe too much, because as soon as he's had some serious competition such that we don't have to play him, he's seemingly thrown his toys out and can't seem to take the challenge.

I can see his point if he is actually thinking it about wanting to play in his favored position, I think it would fair to say at times we've looked to cover our lack of top players in certain positions by moving him about, but as I said he has been rewarded handsomely for this and some of it has been down to him, himself not justifying having a fixed role in the team.

Personally I hope it's not too late too move on from this, but I don't think it can be solved by us saying he's great etc, there needs to be some concession on his part that he's been somewhat culpable because if not then I don't see how it will get resolved because with kagawa, welbeck, hernandez around the competition is fierce and no one should get in on name alone.
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Fully agree with all of this.

The fact is that if we regard Rooney as an out-and-out striker, a No9, call it what you will - we are almost overstocked in the department: We have RVP, Rooney and Hernandez - arguably the three best finishers in the league. The more Rooney plays in that role (and he would be second choice to RVP at the moment), the less Hernandez plays.

To begin with, at least, it will be absolutely necessary to field Rooney in a deeper role - and if that is actually where the shoe doesn't fit for him, then we have a problem. It would be perfectly unreasonable of him, though. And I still think he can be reasoned with.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Fully agree with all of this.

The fact is that if we regard Rooney as an out-and-out striker, a No9, call it what you will - we are almost overstocked in the department: We have RVP, Rooney and Hernandez - arguably the three best finishers in the league. The more Rooney plays in that role (and he would be second choice to RVP at the moment), the less Hernandez plays.

To begin with, at least, it will be absolutely necessary to field Rooney in a deeper role - and if that is actually where the shoe doesn't fit for him, then we have a problem. It would be perfectly unreasonable of him, though. And I still think he can be reasoned with.
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I personally don't think him playing as a number ten is an issue, previously he's never had an issue there and seemingly normally viewed it as his best spot, a way for him to keep involved as much as he can but still be in a goal scoring position. And the thing is, if they give it more time to gel, with a fully fit Rooney, he and RVP are a dream combo, both are at home as the support or lead striker which gives them plenty of scope to swap in matches. I imagine he would like to be the lead striker and the main man, but I think Moyes was right in saying if Rooney gets in to the right shape he can get those goals, regardless of if he's the lead man or not.

I think the main thing is it's a case of us finally getting in to a position where we don't have to put up with him not being fit, or not being as sharp as he can be and I don't think he's reacted to it well at all. I can imagine Chelsea have been in his ear, telling him he'd be their star player etc, but really he should be disappointed in himself if he can't handle having to fight for his place.
 
Gazza said:
Why didn't he stipulate a "love me please love me" clause to go with the £180,000/week in his last contract negotiations?

In all seriousness, the guy has a higher salary than any player in the history of the club. I know appreciation comes in many forms, but surely that shows we at least value his contribution?
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You'd think so, yes. But these top footballers...they're a bunch of kids. Immensely self-centered kids at that. They've been told how special they are from an early age and have in most cases been exposed to very little that might put things in perspective for them.
 
pocco said:
Well I was convinced he wouldn't kick a ball for us again and we were just making excuses until Chelsea or another team offered us something respectable. I thought that was widely accepted but obviously many still think nothing is going on.
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Before or after the Betis game?...

pocco said:
It'll be interesting to see how Moyes handles the backlash if Rooney stays. This could divide the fan base I reckon, which is the very last thing Moyes would have wanted coming into this season.
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What backlash is that? The media? The fans? The squad? The staff..?
Snow said:
He recognizes the injury but said that it isn't a problem anymore.
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Is that the full quote? That is what it sounds like to me if it is. "He's had an injury and now he doesnt"..?
Saw a few snaps of him looking happy at the training which is a good thing.
 
Gazza said:
Why didn't he stipulate a "love me please love me" clause to go with the £180,000/week in his last contract negotiations?

In all seriousness, the guy has a higher salary than any player in the history of the club. I know appreciation comes in many forms, but surely that shows we at least value his contribution?
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I think he just needs to be told he's played well, rather than a 'Wayne in top form wouldn't be subbed'. Just needs reassurance a lot of the time.
 
Spiersey said:
I think he just needs to be told he's played well, rather than a 'Wayne in top form wouldn't be subbed'. Just needs reassurance a lot of the time.
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You've got to read between the lines in Fergies comments. In my opinion he's alluding to Rooney not putting the work in.

Fergie supported his players unconditionally - when they deserved it. All this smacks to me of Rooney being told a few home truths that he doesn't like, and reacting like a child rather than knuckling down, taking it on board and looking to get back to his best form.

It's also funny how all of this blows up when he's looking for a new contract - a move probably being more lucrative given United's position and his clear drop in form. I think he fully expected, being a legend in his own mind, for clubs Europe wide to be all over him if he made noises about going - then either gets a big move or a fat new contract as worked last time. With Chelsea the only biters he's now backed himself into a corner.

To me he's very badly advised. A move to Chelsea might result in short term gain but he won't be front and centre there for long unless he changes his attitude and gets his conditioning right. Bottom line, and the saddest part, is that this will be what he's remembered for as a United player - not the great talent he clearly is, and that's a real shame.
 
In the end, Fergie's strategy with Rooney should have come down to this: Will United be better with a motivated, strong Wayne Rooney or better off without him (and presumably with a replacement)?

Fergie clearly decided a while back that he would not use all of his 'legendary man-management' experience on Rooney. It's easy and popular to say 'he's on 200k a week he should wear United pajamas and clean the youth teams' boots for that' but that ignores the reality that all footballers are different people, and it takes very different approaches to get the best out of different people.

Think of your job, whatever you do. There are those employees that require the soft approach, with lots of encouragment and positive reinforcement. There are others who only work at their best when they feel pressured. Great management is about applying different methods to the right people.

So, this Wayne Rooney is a hell of a footballer, but he's also bizarrely delicate, emotional and needs certain treatment to be at his best. That's hardly news to anyone, least of all Ferguson.

So for me, either Fergie looked at Rooney around Christmas and genuinely believed United would be better off without him, or Fergie just let his vendetta side show, and decided f*ck Wayne Rooney and f*ck his scummy agent.

As much as gut instinct is to side with Fergie, it's simplistic and might end up hurting the club in the long term.

Personally I believe that we're better with a strong Wayne Rooney than we'd be with any available replacement. And if that meant Ferguson having to suck it up a bit and be overly nice to Rooney, I think he should have done it.
 
Kicked up a fuss that we need to sign better players. So we sign better players and he kicks up a fuss he's now not a guaranteed starter. What next?
 
Manchester United would be 'mad' to let irreplaceable Rooney go, says Neville

By Sam Cunningham

Gary Neville does not believe Manchester United can afford to let Wayne Rooney leave the club.

The England striker is keen on a move to Chelsea, but boss David Moyes appears equally determined to try to keep him at United.

Rooney was unavailable for United’s Charity Shield win against Wigan on Sunday but is expected to play a part of England’s friendly against Scotland on Wednesday, prompting suggestions there was a rift between the player and the club, which Moyes strongly denied.

And Neville, a former team-mate of Rooney’s for seven years and now his coach for the national side, has warned United they cannot let Rooney go.

He said: 'Manchester United, at this moment in time, would be mad to sell him. Along with Robin Van Persie, he has been the most successful player in terms of goals and assists in the last five years of the Premier League.

'Even last year, which you could argue was a year he was below his best, but he was playing in midfield, playing right side, left side, he still had 22 goals and assists. He is a massive contributor to games and you can’t replace personalities. There are very few personalities in football now, big personalities, fighters, he is one of them.

'You cant just buy them, you might argue you could replace them in respect of the numbers he creates but in terms of personality, what he brings, very difficult to replace him.

'I could argue in the last eight years, he has been the most important player in the Premier League. Why would I be over the top by stating that? He is one of the most successful players in the last eight years, won the most championships in that period, been an ever present, played in every single game nearly every season.

'Scoring 20 plus goals in most of them, assisting, fighting for every single ball in every single game. The evidence is there – they don’t grow on trees Wayne Rooneys.'

In his 19 years at Old Trafford Neville witnessed a host of star players leave the club, including David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Jaap Stam to Lazio and Paul Ince to Inter.

He admitted that some players get to a point in their career where they want a different challenge, but sees a way back for Rooney if he stays at the club.

'He went through a situation two or three years ago if you remember,' Neville added. 'It was quite a public situation but he still continued to want to play football. We are all big enough to understand that players want to leave football clubs, I think there is a way to leave a football club.

'If Manchester United decide not to sell him I think that he will go about his business in absolutely the way he has done previously. He’s a street footballer, he’s someone who, even now, speaking to people last week, he is training hard, he wants to play, wants to do well, keeps his professionalism about him.

'I don’t see how Manchester United can sell him at this moment in time. I really don’t because they wont be able to replace him.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...let-Wayne-Rooney-leave-says-Gary-Neville.html
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I think Gary has been spending too much time around Jamie Redknapp, for certainly some of the arguments put forward there would be worthy of him.
 
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