Wayne Rooney | 2012-14 Performances

[Pogue Mahone]

You rely too much on ad hominem arguments, Pogue. Berbatov wasn't a successful signing for United, even though he contributed to league titles 18. and 19. He was bad in the CL though, so I was wrong about him. Maybe I'm wrong about Rooney as well. Or maybe not. I'd answer your substantial points, your cheap digs don't deserve much attention...It's quite clear that you are biased toward Rooney. Only a huge Rooney fan would claim that he was better than Suarez in that game.

Free kicks from such a distance are very good chances, especially for free kick specialists, e.g. Suarez. Nothing absurd and ridiculouis here. Uruguay fans would be quite happy to see Suarez taking a free kick from that distance.

I was one of the first on here to claim that Rooney's probably peaked. Well, Scholes thinks the same. I guess that he is biased against Rooney. Rooney hasn't been a world class player since 2011. I'm not in the camp of those who think that he never was world class in the first place. IMO, he clearly was world class 09/10 and 2011. I'm sceptical about his future at United though. He's overrated. You and many other fans disagree. OK, what's the problem? Time will tell I guess. Being wrong about football matters don't bother me that much. Cheers.

It's not about being right or wrong. It's all just opinions. Like you say, we'll find out in the fullness of time how close our opinions are to the truth.

I also defended Berbatov fwiw. A lot. I think he got a lot of unfair criticism and did a lot of good things in his time at United. For me, though, Rooney is a better and more influential player now than Berbatov has ever been in a United shirt. Which is why I think you're being so unfair to Rooney, in comparison to the lengths you went to in looking for positives about Berbatov.

Happy to disagree anyway. Apologies if I've been rude or dismissive. I get that way sometimes on here. It's not cool but I can't seem to stop it. I'm evidently too old to change my ways!

 

[Wibble]

If the Cavani rumors have any truth to them you wonder where Tooney would fit in as you would assume RVP is a given under Van Gaal (plus he's great)

 

[James Redburn]

No he wasn't.

Not a bad effort at unfair yet plausible criticism though. You're letting yourself down here though.

Oh and that bit about the cross not being good. That was laughable too. A pity your years of playing football didn't hone your skills as a bullshitter.

You seem as confused as some others, no mention of the quality of the cross in any of my posts. Did you close your eyes at the crucial point of perusal????

But it's very simple the boy Verminator posts the evidence above. Rooney is in a great position a yard from an open goal no one is pushing and pulling at him his forehead is bang on the ball the merest controlled glance and it's in. But the ball is hitting him rather than him hitting the ball he's NOT in control because he closes his eyes. Inevitably he misses. It's the very definition of a sitter.

This is one of these black is white arguments only found on the web you won't get people in real life saying anything other than Rooney fluffed 2 sitters as represented in the Daily Mail bullet headline:-

"Rooney missed two gilt-edged chances earlier in the match"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...oney-scores-World-Cup-goal.html#ixzz35FlXGB3r

No need for upset or excuses it's just the fact of the matter acknowledged by the overwhelming majority.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

You seem as confused as some others, no mention of the quality of the cross in any of my posts. Did you close your eyes at the crucial point of perusal????

But it's very simple the boy Verminator posts the evidence above. Rooney is in a great position a yard from an open goal no one is pushing and pulling at him his forehead is bang on the ball the merest controlled glance and it's in. But the ball is hitting him rather than him hitting the ball he's NOT in control because he closes his eyes. Inevitably he misses. It's the very definition of a sitter.

This is one of these black is white arguments only found on the web you won't get people in real life saying anything other than Rooney fluffed 2 sitters as represented in the Daily Mail bullet headline:-

"Rooney missed two gilt-edged chances earlier in the match"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...oney-scores-World-Cup-goal.html#ixzz35FlXGB3r

No need for upset or excuses it's just the fact of the matter acknowledged by the overwhelming majority.

Heh. You've really won me over with the Daily Mail evidence. Got me bang to rights there, guv.

By the way, I have played football. Still do. That's a hell of a leap by Rooney but he got under the ball and once that happens, it's almost impossible to do anything other than direct it upwards. Which is why it hit the bar. If you play as much football as you say you do, you would know that too. It's blatantly not a "sitter".

Should he be criticised for getting under the ball? That would be very harsh. He made contact with the ball right beneath the cross bar. For a footballer who is under six foot that's more worthy of praise than criticism. Next time you play a game, try and jump up and head the bar. See how you get on.

 

[Godfather]

He was well under par but still England's best performer imo. Had to drop very deep to see any of the ball at all. If there is one United player you want to critizise it is our Danny.

 

[James Redburn]

Heh. You've really won me over with the Daily Mail evidence. Got me bang to rights there, guv.

By the way, I have played football. Still do. That's a hell of a leap by Rooney but he got under the ball and once that happens, it's almost impossible to do anything other than direct it upwards. Which is why it hit the bar. If you play as much football as you say you do, you would know that too. It's blatantly not a "sitter".

Should he be criticised for getting under the ball? That would be very harsh. He made contact with the ball right beneath the cross bar. For a footballer who is under six foot that's more worthy of praise than criticism. Next time you play a game, try and jump up and head the bar. See how you get on.

You could hardly get a more perfect position to nod that ball in mate. If he was underneath the ball and "right beneath the cross bar" as you claim it would have come off his transplant hit the underside of the bar and either gone in or rebounded onto him then into the net.

Given your previous confusion (something about a poor cross????) are we talking about the same game?

 

[Litch]

Funny how an "over-rated" players is very close to becoming the all time top-scorer of one of the world's greatest clubs and England. It's not Rooney's fault if people set unreasonable expectations from him.

Looking forward to see Rooney play this season. I've a feeling that LVG will be very good for him.

Absolutely spot on. People argue that he's not as good as CR or Messi. Its like saying my wifes not as pretty has Halle Berry, just the fact its even an argument is no disgrace.
Shame cause like all the great Utd players before him, we don't realise how good they were until they hang up their boots up.

 

[InspiRED]

To be honest Rooney was not that bad but definitely not great.
I thought England played well against Italy. The biggest problem was their left-sided defense. So what did they do? They moved sterling from a position in which he played well and did not add a more defensive mid-fielder to aid the back four. This resulted in neither the attack or defense playing well.
If they wanted to get the best out of Rooney they should have put him on top and left Sterling where he played well. Sturridge could have played the Right wing so he could cut in onto his Left.

Yes totally agree. The key difference between Italy and Uruguay game was Rooney as no.10. He had a fairly decent game interms of scoring, and almost scoring a free kick. But there were giant gaps in the middle of the pitch against Uruguay because Wayne was playing too high. Sterling or Barkley would have done a much better job as no.10. Hodgson should have either played Rooney as no.9 with Sturridge on the left. Or dropped him and kept Sturridge up top.

The media outlook suddenly seems to be 'England just aren't good enough, Rooney is our only close to world class player'. B*ll*cks. England had the fire power and quality to dominate possession against Uruguay last night. The way the team was playing was patently not working from minute 1 of the game. Hodgson's eventual solution. Take off Sterling on 60 mins and throw on Barkley. It was woeful management, yet what we've come to expect from England in major tournaments.

Everyone says Sterling and Sturridge were terrible. But in such a bitty scrappy game with no rhythm it is extremely difficult for them to play in the way they naturally do for Liverpool.

Funny how with Rooney in the no.10 position England turned into Moyes' United. I am not a Rooney hater, he is usually an amazing, clinical finisher. But for me it's no.9 or nothing. The tactical set-up against Uruguay was disgraceful and eventually led to Cahill booting the ball high up in the air over the midfield. So sick of seeing this type of neanderthalic play from England teams. Hodgson really has to carry the can on this one. No balls to drop star players for the sake of the team/system. Looking forward to watching it play out all over again in 2 years time.

 

[InspiRED]

Rooney scored and had a decent game but I wasn't impressed. He spent the game dropping deep then squaring the ball to Johnson/Sterling before rushing into the box. Is that how a number 10 is supposed to play? There was virtually no linkup play between him and Sturridge. He never managed to put Uruguay's midfielders/defenders under pressure. No reverse balls, no through balls. I saw nothing between him and Welbeck who was on the left. He was one of England's best players but imo he did little to justify calls for him to be played through the middle. Playing him behind the striker got a better performance from him but not from the team which is more important.

It seems so obvious I struggle to understand how so many people, most notably Roy Hodgson, just can't see it.

 

[sullydnl]

Personally I thought the shot the keeper saved was a worse miss than the header that hit the bar....

 

[Litch]

Messi at Barca player with Iniesta, Neymar, Xavi, Sanchez, Alves, Alba.....
Argentina plays with Aguero, Higuain, Maria.....

CR at Madrid; Benzama, Maria, Modric, Bale, Marcello, Khedira,

Messi and CR are World class players but the supporting cast in some cases are world class too.....However, when they are not (like Portugal), CR's not the same player cause the last time I played football, makes a difference showing how good you are if the other 10 players aren't that bad either.

I'm sorry but although the last last few years, Man Utd may a won trophies but that was because we had a world class manager. We've not had a world class team for utd for some time. Prefix Rooney into that Barca or Real team, you'd see a different player.

And England.....where do I start

 

[Wibble]

Van Persie thinks Rooney did ok

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...ay-dont-blame-England-crashing-World-Cup.html

 

[Drifter]

Van Persie thinks Rooney did ok

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...ay-dont-blame-England-crashing-World-Cup.html

Fellow footballer , colleague and Twitter buddy says nice things about Rooney shocker.

 

[NessunDorma]

Fellow footballer , colleague and Twitter buddy says nice things about Rooney shocker.

How about Michael Ballack? Here's what he recently said about Rooney:

For me the only player who looked like making a difference for England was Rooney. He is the only one who can hurt teams, and the only one who is really world-class . . . Some people are saying he should be dropped, which is crazy.

Despite all these problems England look better than they did two years ago and Roy Hodgson should build his team around Rooney and tell them to do everything they can to play for him

http://www.theguardian.com/football...ney-apology-england-world-cup-exit?CMP=twt_gu

Backs up the occasionally made claim that - all the bluster about English media and fans 'overrating' him aside - he's actually more highly regarded on the continent than he is on these shores.

 

[The Man Himself]

Van Persie thinks Rooney did ok

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...ay-dont-blame-England-crashing-World-Cup.html

In spite of continuous efforts by media to showcase that all is not well between the two and there are ego clashes, both have been nothing but full of praise for each other since RvP joined and even on field they look to get on nicely with each other for goal celebrations and all. Their onfield partnership has been decent too when deployed properly. I think both understand that the presence of other is not a hindrance but a supplement to their own performance. All it needs is a manager/coach who can fit them such that team gets maximum out of the two. Hopefully LvG will be able to do so.

 

[sullydnl]

Yeah, Rooney is clearly England's best player. It was really questions over his form that might have seen him dropped rather than any actual lack of quality.

Is he world class? He's certainly world class sometimes, though I can't think of many world class players who are as capable of looking as dreadful as Rooney does on occasion. I think players like Suarez and RvP are clearly better than him, so can he really still be considered world class? Genuinely not sure.

 

[NessunDorma]

Yeah, Rooney is clearly England's best player. It was really questions over his form that might have seen him dropped rather than any actual lack of quality.

Is he world class? He's certainly world class sometimes, though I can't think of many world class players who are as capable of looking as dreadful as Rooney does on occasion. I think players like Suarez and RvP are clearly better than him, so can he really still be considered world class? Genuinely not sure.

I personally don't think Rooney's form over the past two seasons merits the label 'World Class' - he hasn't been as bad as many make out, and indeed has been quite good, but not 'World Class' good.

But I don't think RvP's form merited the label 'World Class' last season either.

What you can say about both players, though, is that they've shown on numerous occasions that they are capable of putting 'World Class' performances in.

The question with Rooney is 'Does he still have it in him to produce a season like 2009/10, the second half of 2010/11 and to a lesser extent 2011/12?'.

It'll be interesting to see how he performs under Van Gaal, and for United's sake as well as his, I hope those who believe he's rapidly declining can be proven wrong.

 

[InspiRED]

How about Michael Ballack? Here's what he recently said about Rooney:



http://www.theguardian.com/football...ney-apology-england-world-cup-exit?CMP=twt_gu

Backs up the occasionally made claim that - all the bluster about English media and fans 'overrating' him aside - he's actually more highly regarded on the continent than he is on these shores.

I really don't believe that Rooney is the only England player capable of hurting teams. That's just absolute rubbish, Sterling showed he was plenty capable of that in the first game. he was outstanding in the 10 position. England have decent players who can hurt the opposition. Rooney is an excellent player. Is he world class? Not at this moment in time imo, maybe 4-5 years ago he was. One thing is very clear though, that playing as a no.10 for England is detrimental to the way England then play. The performance against Italy was very good. Then Rooney was changed for Sterling and the cohesion went missing. Is it a coincedence? Hodgson got away with it in the first game because a big chunk of the team was playing basically like Liverpool set up. WHen Rooney played at no.10 it became more like Moyes' Man Utd.

Scholes said about Rooney drifting, and RVP was clearly complaining about him running into the spaces he likes to occupy. I don't read too much into his defence of him, he is his friend, Rooney probably was the best England player on the night and he is close to world class in terms of ability. But positionally he harmed the midfield of England against Uruguay, he was not the right player to play in that position. He is a great goalscorer and he should play as a no.9.

 

[NessunDorma]

I really don't believe that Rooney is the only England player capable of hurting teams. That's just absolute rubbish, Sterling showed he was plenty capable of that in the first game. he was outstanding in the 10 position.

I'm not saying Sterling was bad. He's a good dribbler, can pick a pass, and looks threatening. Fans like to watch players who can beat a man, and Sterling does that.

But outstanding?

The job of a No.10 is to create and score, and Rooney was more dangerous on that front than Sterling, both from the wing and as No.10. The stats - in terms of chances created, key passes, goals and assists contributed by both players over the two games - bear this out.

While Rooney may not be as flashy and as ostensibly 'exciting' as Sterling, his end product is still better.

 

[InspiRED]

I'm not saying he was bad. He's a good dribbler, can pick a pass, and looks threatening. Fans like to watch players he can beat a man, and Sterling does that.

But outstanding?

The job of a No.10 is to create and score, and Rooney was more dangerous on that front than Sterling, both from the wing and as No.10. The stats - in terms of chances created, key passes, goals and assists - bear this out.

While Rooney may not be as flashy and as obviously 'exciting' as Sterling, his end product is still better.

THe job of a no.10 is to link midfield and attack. It's a vital cog in the machine, if you put the wrong cog on the machine breaks down. Sterling was a much more effective link between the midfield and striker/wingers than Rooney was.

Probably Rooney is still England's best player I agree, but he is not effective in that position. That was pretty obvious by the giant gaps and lack of possession in the final third vs uruguay.

 

[Mickeza]

I thought individually he played well against Uruguay, but the fluidity that was there against Italy was gone, and I think that's the problem when Rooney plays as a number 10 now. Most people seem to think Rooney had a good season for us, and due to RVP's injuries and Moyes' admiration for him he was undoubtedly our main man last year, and yet with our main man having a good season we finished seventh. England made him their main man against Uruguay and despite him playing well and being their best player the collective was weaker and they looked totally inadequate against a rather average side, a bit like us last season funnily enough. I'm not bashing Rooney, I just think his best position now is as an out and out striker, which is a problem because we have a better one already at the club. Ironically the only way I see him fitting in is wide left, where I think he could score a bag full in the right system with a midfield behind him that doesn't contain Steven Gerrard.

 

[NessunDorma]

THe job of a no.10 is to link midfield and attack. It's a vital cog in the machine, if you put the wrong cog on the machine breaks down. Sterling was a much more effective link between the midfield and striker/wingers than Rooney was.

Probably Rooney is still England's best player I agree, but he is not effective in that position. That was pretty obvious by the giant gaps and lack of possession in the final third vs uruguay.

It's just that you said Sterling showed against Italy that he was 'plenty capable' of hurting teams, and was 'outstanding'.

And yet in the whole game, he created one solitary chance (compared to Rooney's 3), didn't score, and didn't assist. Again, i'm by no means saying he was poor, but I think you're going slightly OTT in regards to his performance.

On the occasions when England 'hurt teams' during this tournament, Rooney has been far more involved than Sterling.

 

[Kag]

I thought individually he played well against Uruguay, but the fluidity that was there against Italy was gone, and I think that's the problem when Rooney plays as a number 10 now. Most people seem to think Rooney had a good season for us, and due to RVP's injuries and Moyes' admiration for him he was undoubtedly our main man last year, and yet with our main man having a good season we finished seventh. England made him their main man against Uruguay and despite him playing well and being their best player the collective was weaker and they looked totally inadequate against a rather average side, a bit like us last season funnily enough. I'm not bashing Rooney, I just think his best position now is as an out and out striker, which is a problem because we have a better one already at the club. Ironically the only way I see him fitting in is wide left, where I think he could score a bag full in the right system with a midfield behind him that doesn't contain Steven Gerrard.

Good post.

 

[NessunDorma]

I thought individually he played well against Uruguay, but the fluidity that was there against Italy was gone,

Italy are no great shakes themselves, as their pre-tournament form and loss to Costa Rica shows. And yet they still looked fairly comfortable in seeing out the game. I'm not sure England's performance against Italy was significantly better than against Uruguay. Italy ceded possession once they were leading, which gave England a lot of the ball, but they were ultimately unable to make any breakthrough.

That is partly Rooney's fault of course, but he still contributed more than Sterling, even if Sterling was 'outstanding' and 'capable of hurting' Italy.

and I think that's the problem when Rooney plays as a number 10 now. Most people seem to think Rooney had a good season for us, and due to RVP's injuries and Moyes' admiration for him he was undoubtedly our main man last year, and yet with our main man having a good season we finished seventh.

In 2011/12, Rooney was also our 'main man', and we lost the title to City on goal difference. He started a number of those games playing behind Welbeck or Hernandez, so i'm not sure the link - i.e. Rooney at No.10/Second Striker = team struggling - is as clear cut as you're making out.

I mean, Fergie played him there on numerous occasions, and we didn't do too badly.

 

[InspiRED]

It's just that you said Sterling showed against Italy that he was 'plenty capable' of hurting teams, and was 'outstanding'.

And yet in the whole game, he created one solitary chance (compared to Rooney's 3), didn't score, and didn't assist. Again, i'm by no means saying he was poor, but I think you're going slightly OTT in regards to his performance.

On the occasions when England 'hurt teams' during this tournament, Rooney has been far more involved than Sterling.

If I had to bet my house on one England player to finish an opportunity it would be Rooney (although that was a sitter he missed against Uruguay). That still doesn't take away from the fact that he is not a good link between midfield and attack and putting him there clearly destroys the rhythm of teams. Imo he didn't do badly on the left vs Italy and was effective there.

Sterling however was outstanding against Italy as a link between midfield and attack. I think the whole world took notice of this. Having him there kept things ticking, it kept England's rhythm. He is also very capable of hurting teams despite making no assists in the game. Maybe he made no assists because he is more effective as a percentage player. Sometimes it's better not to go for a killer pass which has a 50% chance of reaching it's target, and instead play the simple pass which has a 90% chance of reaching it's target. The new recipient of the ball then might have an opportunity to make a killer pass with an 80% chance of success rate. Rooney often does well because eventually some of these 50% chances he takes pay off. But I would much rather have the player who puts the teams coherence and fluidity first. Sterling is much better at this than Rooney

 

[InspiRED]

In 2011/12, Rooney was also our 'main man', and we lost the title to City on goal difference. He started a number of those games playing behind Welbeck or Hernandez, so i'm not sure the link - i.e. Rooney at No.10/Second Striker = team struggling - is as clear cut as you're making out.

I mean, Fergie played him there on numerous occasions, and we didn't do too badly.

This is a good point, and it probably does come down to the other players around the 10, and training. But for whatever reason it wasn't working against Uruguay and it was the wrong time for Hodgson to change it up when things were working against Italy. They were working before Italy took the lead as well.

ANd it really didn't work under Moyes.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

You could hardly get a more perfect position to nod that ball in mate. If he was underneath the ball and "right beneath the cross bar" as you claim it would have come off his transplant hit the underside of the bar and either gone in or rebounded onto him then into the net.

Given your previous confusion (something about a poor cross????) are we talking about the same game?

Er... What? I was talking about the height the ball was at when he headed it. Must have been a foot below the height of the bar i.e. right beneath the bar i.e. very high i.e. almost fukking impossible to get over and head it downwards or sideways

The cross I'm talking about was his assist against Italy. I thought you had tried to claim it wasn't a good cross. That's what someone accused you of anyway.

Nice use of green smilies though. Really brings your point home.

 

[sullydnl]

I personally don't think Rooney's form over the past two seasons merits the label 'World Class' - he hasn't been as bad as many make out, and indeed has been quite good, but not 'World Class' good.

But I don't think RvP's form merited the label 'World Class' last season either.

What you can say about both players, though, is that they've shown on numerous occasions that they are capable of putting 'World Class' performances in.

The question with Rooney is 'Does he still have it in him to produce a season like 2009/10, the second half of 2010/11 and to a lesser extent 2011/12?'.

It'll be interesting to see how he performs under Van Gaal, and for United's sake as well as his, I hope those who believe he's rapidly declining can be proven wrong.

Yep, RvP definitely wasn't world class last season. That can be fairly easily written off due to injuries and maybe a lack of faith in Moyes though. I'd be very confident that RvP can reach that level again next season under LVG as long as he stays injury free. The excellent relationship between them really is brilliant news for us.

I would still be very confident that a fit Rooney can be fantastic for us next season too, as long as LVG finds a way to get the best out of him. There is a big question mark as to how that will work though with Mata and RvP to fit into the team as well. Seeing how LVG handles that is one of the things I'm most looking forward to.

 

[Mickeza]

In 2011/12, Rooney was also our 'main man', and we lost the title to City on goal difference. He started a number of those games playing behind Welbeck or Hernandez, so i'm not sure the link - i.e. Rooney at No.10/Second Striker = team struggling - is as clear cut as you're making out.

I mean, Fergie played him there on numerous occasions, and we didn't do too badly.

Where did I say that Rooney has never been the main man as a number 10? The point is I don't think he can anymore. What Rooney did three years ago is irrelevant to what he can do now when surely even his staunchest supporters must recognise that physically he's in decline, he's still a very good footballer, but he isn't the same explosive player he was.

And on the Ferguson point, his response to losing that title on goal difference was to sign Kagawa and RVP at the expense of Rooney so I'm not sure how that really supports your argument. Even if you take the viewpoint that RVP was a bonus signing, which is debatable considering SAF himself said he knew he could get him in March, then I still think the idea was to play Kagawa behind Rooney.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Time for him to retire internationally I'd say. He was very poor. A shadow of his former self. Rooney was probably out best player by comparison.

Totally agree, England can go feck themselves and he can concentrate on playing for us.

 

[James Redburn]

Er... What? I was talking about the height the ball was at when he headed it. Must have been a foot below the height of the bar i.e. right beneath the bar i.e. very high i.e. almost fukking impossible to get over and head it downwards or sideways

The cross I'm talking about was his assist against Italy. I thought you had tried to claim it wasn't a good cross. That's what someone accused you of anyway.

Nice use of green smilies though. Really brings your point home.

Thanks for attempting the clarifications mate they were terrific .

 

[InspiRED]

Lineker says Sterling should've played in the no.10 position making the formation more of a 4-3-3 with a midfield trio of Gerrard, Henderson and Sterling. Says this worked better against Italy because Sterling is more of a natural midfielder than Rooney and provided better link between midfield and attack. He also says Rooney was the best player on the night against Uruguay but came at the expense of the team.

Pretty close to what some of us have been saying on here. All just opinions mind.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27960776

 

[Shamwow]

Thanks for attempting the clarifications mate they were terrific .

You used the Daily Mail as evidence and you are laughing at someone else?

 

[James Redburn]

You used the Daily Mail as evidence and you are laughing at someone else?

Well take your pick of media outlets lad and come back to me with a list of those saying it was anything but a sitter.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Numbered or bullet?

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Well, at least he can get some rest before the tour now. Tell the fa they can stick their England team up their arse and get some r and r before the season wayne

 

[Shamwow]

Well take your pick of media outlets lad and come back to me with a list of those saying it was anything but a sitter.

Let's just stick to using our own judgement for this one instead of tabloids because if you've ever read a Daily Mail story on the newest cancer cause/cure you will know they are not primarily motivated by stating the facts.

To me he's clearly under it and leaning backward to try and get a decent angle but the ball is a fraction too high. Don't see how you can say he's over it. This gif shows it how Pogue tells it:

 

[InspiRED]

For me, no way was the header a sitter coz as you say he's underneath it. Also the leap is gigantic as he's not the tallest. Good effort basically.

The chance later on though in the 6 yard box or thereabouts with the left foot. That for a player of his quality, was an absolute sitter. Shoue be burying that.

 

[The Man Himself]

Well, at least he can get some rest before the tour now. Tell the fa they can stick their England team up their arse and get some r and r before the season wayne

First match is on 23rd July against LA Galaxy. Lot of our players, who had gone for world cup should have good rest
On the other hand, just 10 days of rest for LvG and RvP if Dutch make it to finals.

 

[The Man Himself]

Let's just stick to using our own judgement for this one instead of tabloids because if you've ever read a Daily Mail story on the newest cancer cause/cure you will know they are not primarily motivated by stating the facts.

To me he's clearly under it and leaning backward to try and get a decent angle but the ball is a fraction too high. Don't see how you can say he's over it. This gif shows it how Pogue tells it:

Anybody who has played football and knows something about the game can tell that it was a difficult chance, certainly not a sitter. Maybe he is just an Evertonian being bitter towards Rooney so let him believe it was sitter and Rooney messed it.