Completley agree, Scholes is not a gobshite, if you read his blogpost it is well structured critic aimed more than anything to spur Rooney on. He says more good things about him than bad ones, the bad ones that he picks out not particulary harsh either. However how much I respect Paul Scholes his opnion, I think he lacks a certain subtelty to be writing these kinds of columns. He did say Rooney was past and he did say he couldn't picture Wayne being a centreforward anymore once he hits 34-35, he did say Rooney had something to proof this worldcup if he truely wants to be remebered as one of the greats, all these things carry a degree of truth in them but all lack subtelty. He is Paul Scholes and what he says carries weight, even more so after he was recently involved in managing the United squad for a short while. To post this kind of criticism about Rooney right before the worldcup, I think is not smart, it is in fact a bit unappropriate and it is certainly ill-timed.
These things are taken way out of proportion by the media (but he should know this) and they can only possibly have an undesirable effect on Rooney, the England team and also on Manchester United. Saying Rooney is past it ,while the club just gave him a 5 year extension and a significant pay raise...makes the management looks like incompetent fools. It makes Rooney look weak right before he should look strong, it is taking his attention off what matters most (the world cup) and as it seems Rooney has taken the critics the wrong way. Probably as you said going on what the media make out of it, rather than reading the post himself, he has never been the smartest in such things and will most likely make him a bit frustrated or angry. No doubt that is not what Paul wanted to achieve, but he has achieved it, it seemed for all his time he was a player for us, he did everything he could to stay clear from such media craziness shit, and now when he is retired and before the worldcup he becomes part of the Paddy Power circus and throws all those principals in the garbage bin and comes writing this kind of stuff. It is very unfortunate and so unnesceray aswell, he has never felt the desire to tell the world what he taught about english football and fellow collegues and teammates and now he suddenly can't shut up about it, ofcourse he is getting paid for it by Paddy Power and they doing this to have controversy, but it is very unfortunate he is involving himself in such things (making Paul Scholes a life like PR stunt, to laugh at Rooney and also laugh at United in certain way).
Similary as what I said about Scholes his criticism not being utterly harsh (but nonethless lacking subtelty and good timing) I also have to say that Rooney his response is getting taken out of proportion. Ofcourse he responds, when the Journos ask him to, ofcourse he won't be happy with it, ofcourse he doesn't agree with them (could you imagine, Rooney agreeging that he is past it...). But for the rest he said nothing wrong, just that he doesn't understand why Scholes is now suddenly saying these things (similary to how I don't get why that silent shy player now suddenly comes out as a wannabe know it all pundit that we all have to listen to). For the rest, he has said he respects paul for the player he is and that he couldn't never say anything wrong about him, just that he doesn't understand the reason why he is criticsing him suddenly and that he doesn't agree with him. Nothing wrong with that sort of response imo.
Never played that game.