Is Rooney popularity on the Wayne? By Andy Mitten
Some fans still think the striker should go, others are backing him - the Wayne Rooney situation is not black and white.
It's a strange one, the relationship between a football player and football fans. Players are seen to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ merely by the colour of their shirt.
Loyalties can switch on a contractual signature.
Perceived slights are exaggerated to create hate figures out of rival players.
Fans are biased, fickle, bigoted, passionate, loyal, hard-bitten, irrational and the lifeblood of the game. Reason is often lost in tribalism.
Tell a Red that David Silva is a magnificent footballer and expect a ‘yes, but...’
Tell a Blue that Ryan
Giggs’ achievements stand above all others this area has ever produced and you’ll get similar.
United fans tend to get their way. They’re not used to players wanting out and there was no shortage of fans slaughtering Wayne Rooney all summer.
Why? Because Sir Alex Ferguson had told fans that
Rooney asked for a transfer, something Rooney’s people always disputed. Yet those same people have been consistently briefing that he wants to leave Old Trafford – just as he did when he asked for a transfer in October 2010.
Rooney’s team mates have understood that he’s wanted to go to Chelsea since April.
Just as they understood that Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave for Real Madrid long before he did.
Ronaldo, a Champions League winner with United, was given a hero’s welcome when he returned with Madrid last season.
Will Rooney, a Champions League winner with United who is fourth on the club’s all-time top scorers list with more goals than George Best, be given the same welcome if he returns with Chelsea?
No, but his situation isn’t radically different. Ronaldo wanted to leave United a year before he did, but was persuaded to stay.
The difference is that Ferguson was happy to bless Ronaldo’s departure and he’s had little control over Rooney’s future.
To some fans, it’s black and white – Rooney either wants to play for United or he doesn’t. Yet relationships are not played out in black or white.
They’re complex and confusing in every walk of life. Football is no different, though ambivalence is rarely picked up on.
There are two versions of ‘the truth’, too. There’s what is stated in public and what actually happens in private, which can be very different.
Judging by the mood among Reds about Rooney over the summer, the Scouser didn’t win any popularity contests. Yet, for all the online bluster and criticism of Rooney, it simply didn’t reflect the real opinion of the fans who actually go to matches.
In sharp contrast was the reaction from the 2,000 hardcore travelling fans at Swansea last Saturday. Most – though by no means all – sang Rooney’s name when he warmed up. He didn’t respond. They sang his name again and he gave a brief clap.
He looked more miserable than the weather in Wales, but he’s not paid to look happy. He’s paid to play well and that he did. He barely celebrated the goals he’d played a part in at Swansea and he was the only player not to applaud the away fans at the end. That was poor form, but he’s not the first.
Rooney still wants to go and play alongside his close mate Ashley Cole. He’s an Evertonian, not a United fan. He’s under contract, but what does mean when a player wants to leave – or if a club wanted him to leave?
United are saying he’s going nowhere, but would Chelsea be bidding if they didn’t think they could get him?
There was a cheer when Rooney’s name was announced in United’s starting XI last night and he was applauded as he warmed up. He clapped back. He was lavished with sustained “Rooney” chants after three minutes, mainly from Reds but also from many of the 3,000 Chelsea fans. They also sang “We’ll see you next week”. Confusing times indeed.
Rooney again performed brightly in a largely dull encounter. His professionalism on the pitch has never been doubted – and that’s not a given among footballers. He flicked, he ran deep, he dropped his shoulder, he surged. Though like many players, he was short of his best. It’s August after all.
On 74 minutes, when he ran back and tackled Ramires close to his own goal, he was rightly applauded.
Rooney is a fine player who, ultimately, will be remembered favourably for his contribution at Old Trafford. If he stays at United he’ll be cheered by fans – if he plays well. If he doesn’t, he won’t. There’s no question about that.
