[Perrick Dubois]

Also if you come on here and say you think he played okay you're branded a fan boy etc. I'm impartial to Rooney but can see he did alright yesterday so don't see why you'd come on to this thread to bash him.

Yeah, true that. I just find it weird, the "end of Rooney" thread was great because all the pitchforks were in one thread yelling at each other about who could out Rooney-is-SHITE! each other. On match day it spills over into here and it is exhausting to think how some of these people can manifest the rubbish they have spouted about this game. Especially when he had a pretty good one.

I do think, like I mentioned above that it is an extension of the poor football and having the footballing soul sucked out of us through Van Gaal's awful style. They fly around like a helicopter in a shit blizzard flinging shit at any old thing to have a bitch about. Rooney, Woodward, the board, Fred the red. It is tiresome.

 

[Dobbs]

Agreed, I laugh and joke about it. But it really is an awful outpouring of over-emotional fans scrambling around for things to point fingers at because they've thrown their rattle. Grown men typing out pages and pages of rubbish about one of our players who was pretty good today and one of the few who looked like he gave a shit and was giving everything for the cause. I just shake my head, it is truly bizarre.

For someone who claims to not be a particular Rooney fan you're often exasperated by any criticsm of him. Which you almost always defend him against.

I think you might be a bigger fan than you let on.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

For someone who claims to not be a particular Rooney fan you're often exasperated by any criticsm of him. Which you almost always defend him against.

I think you might be a bigger fan than you let on.

Oh he sure is.

But I do think Rooney was one of the better of a piss-poor bunch yesterday. Martial and De Gea aside, he was probably 4/10 in a team which averaged 3/10. Doesn't say a lot but at least he was better than some others.

 

[Dobbs]

Oh he sure is.

But I do think Rooney was one of the better of a piss-poor bunch yesterday. Martial and De Gea aside, he was probably 4/10 in a team which averaged 3/10. Doesn't say a lot but at least he was better than some others.

Yeah agree. He at least got involved. Most of the criticism is perfectly valid though. Some go over the top but that's the case in EVERY players thread.

 

[K2K]

Oh he sure is.

But I do think Rooney was one of the better of a piss-poor bunch yesterday. Martial and De Gea aside, he was probably 4/10 in a team which averaged 3/10. Doesn't say a lot but at least he was better than some others.

Very few people are disagreeing with that. Its the ''he played well brigade'' that are trying to imply that him not being the worst one means he had a good game . He didn't

Very few of our players deserve credit from last night ,Rooney included.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Oh he sure is.

But I do think Rooney was one of the better of a piss-poor bunch yesterday. Martial and De Gea aside, he was probably 4/10 in a team which averaged 3/10. Doesn't say a lot but at least he was better than some others.

Is a punch in the face better than a kick in the balls? He still wasn't good enough and he's supposed to be our leader, so he should be getting less slack than the others anyway.

It's not even his fault any more. It's painfully obvious he's not good enough, yet he's constantly being thrown out there to do things he simply can't do any more or never could do. It's gross negligence by LVG and he is doing Rooney no favours with the special treatment. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but then I remember how he got himself into this position.

 

[SteveJ]

F365: When there’s an international tournament coming up so you’re being nice to the captain…

‘The game seemed to pass the United captain by in the middle of the park’ – Charlie Philippe, Daily Express

‘West Ham proved how untenable his new role in midfield is when he is faced with pace. His passing was particularly wasteful and too often lost his rag with referee Mike Dean’ – Samuel Luckhurst, Manchester Evening News.

‘For the captain and one of the most experienced players on the pitch, there wasn’t the level of motivation or leadership you would expect in a game in which his team is playing the opposition and the crowd’ – Scott Patterson, ESPN.

‘Rooney, once again, running his socks off. Love his energy and desire. Once again, Wayne Rooney talked with authority before the game about the attack. What a fine captain and leader he’s become’ – Daily Mirror chief football writer John Cross.

 

[SteveJ]

* Wayne Rooney has taken 70 shots this season but 43 of those shots have been taken from outside the box. He has scored seven goals. The only other Premier League player who has taken exactly 70 shots this season is Marko Arnautovic. Just 29 of his 70 shots have been taken from outside the box. He has scored 11 goals.

* Wayne Rooney has scored a goal every 331 minutes of Premier League football this season. For comparison, Anthony Martial has scored a goal every 232 PL minutes and Marcus Rashford every 196 minutes.

* Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata have five PL assists each this season. That puts them on equal terms to Bournemouth left-back Charlie Daniels, Georginio Wijnaldum, a lumbering Yaya Toure, Graziano Pelle, Jordan Veretout, Philippe Coutinho and a now-jailed Adam Johnson who has played only 19 games this season.
(Football365)

...

 

[Rado_N]

Yeah, true that. I just find it weird, the "end of Rooney" thread was great because all the pitchforks were in one thread yelling at each other about who could out Rooney-is-SHITE! each other. On match day it spills over into here and it is exhausting to think how some of these people can manifest the rubbish they have spouted about this game. Especially when he had a pretty good one.

I do think, like I mentioned above that it is an extension of the poor football and having the footballing soul sucked out of us through Van Gaal's awful style. They fly around like a helicopter in a shit blizzard flinging shit at any old thing to have a bitch about. Rooney, Woodward, the board, Fred the red. It is tiresome.

You think he had a pretty good game last night?

Genuinely?

 

[Art Vandelay]

Something about that seems very familiar...

 

[Sylar]

Im worried about those who think he had a good game yesterday.
Im also worried that people say he had an "ok game" or "not bad, leave him alone" like its acceptable.

 

[SteveJ]

Im worried about those who think he had a good game yesterday. Im also worried that people say he had an "ok game" or "not bad, leave him alone" like its acceptable.

Yeah, all that sounds exactly like the 'stepping up to the plate' we asked for, doesn't it?

 

[PlayerOne]

He's a rubbish captain, no leadership at all. He was average last night and that's the best thing I can say about him, we need to move him on

 

[Cassidy]

Im worried about those who think he had a good game yesterday.
Im also worried that people say he had an "ok game" or "not bad, leave him alone" like its acceptable.

They haven't seen a proper midfielder in a United shirt in a long time, don't blame them

 

[Sylar]

Yeah, all that sounds exactly like the 'stepping up to the plate' we asked for, doesn't it?

They haven't seen a proper midfielder in a United shirt in a long time, don't blame them

My biggest problem does go back to what we expect for him. We really should be expecting more from our so called:
-Talisman, captain, highest paid and longest serving player.

United pay him like hes Ronaldo and Messi so its not unreasonable to see him not only performing like that but as captain, dragging our team in big games like this when it matters. When youre 2-1 up, with 20 minutes to go, I expect him to go around telling everybody keep calm, theyve taken the crowd out of it, and just keep the ball. Given hes right bang in the middle its perfect time for him to dictate the play and its the perfect time to get the ball and ping it to the wings to stretch the play and move West ham from left to right.

Its frustrating that all these excuses are made for him. When hes played #10 the excuse was hes a striker.
When hes played as a striker, he should be playing as 10 with legs around him or a deeper since he can dictate.
But once in midfield, he cant dictate a game.

Aghhhhh

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Yeah agree. He at least got involved. Most of the criticism is perfectly valid though. Some go over the top but that's the case in EVERY players thread.

True.

Very few people are disagreeing with that. Its the ''he played well brigade'' that are trying to imply that him not being the worst one means he had a good game . He didn't

Very few of our players deserve credit from last night ,Rooney included.

Also true. He was actually very average. One good pass in 10 doesn't constitute "great passing" as some would have you believe. Standards are extremely low for Rooney, though, these days. He can be a passenger all game and put one good pass on an attackers head and he'll be hailed as some midfield maestro.

Is a punch in the face better than a kick in the balls? He still wasn't good enough and he's supposed to be our leader, so he should be getting less slack than the others anyway.

It's not even his fault any more. It's painfully obvious he's not good enough, yet he's constantly being thrown out there to do things he simply can't do any more or never could do. It's gross negligence by LVG and he is doing Rooney no favours with the special treatment. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but then I remember how he got himself into this position.

Of course he's not good enough, and it's quite sad that he really has become Mr. Manchester United. He epitomes our problems pretty well even if he is just a part of them.

 

[clarkydaz]

So after 'running' games against Villa, Palace and Everton he gets found out against a half decent team. I agree he was one of the better performances out of a lot of cowards, I just wonder how long this is actually going to last for.

 

[Ventura]

He's a good fit for a club aiming for Europa League.

 

[Adisa]

Imagine we don't properly strengthen midfield because we think he's a midfielder.
I think I will kill someone's dog.

 

[Devil may care]

Has he officially changed his name to "The Captain?" The commentator last night sure seemed to think so.

What baffles me is how English pundits genuinely seem to think firing ball after ball out to the wings is controlling the game and pulling the strings, the comparisons to Pirlo after the Everton game were particularly hilarious. West Ham stopped pressing him after a bit and just waited to intercept the cross-field pass he tried nearly every time he got the ball.

It was said a while ago that he was our Gerrard and that is exactly how it's playing out.

 

[Perrick Dubois]

For someone who claims to not be a particular Rooney fan you're often exasperated by any criticsm of him. Which you almost always defend him against.

I think you might be a bigger fan than you let on.

Yes, you might be right. I might just like and respect one of our better and more prestigious players more than the consensus of the Caf deems that I should. I better get that checked out.

You think he had a pretty good game last night?

Genuinely?

He was one of the few who looked like they gave a shit about what was happening around them.

 

[Rado_N]

He was one of the few who looked like they gave a shit about what was happening around them.

Even if we accept that as true, that doesn't constitute a good game.

 

[Perrick Dubois]

Even if we accept that as true, that doesn't constitute a good game.

Accept or not, he had a good game regardless.

 

[Pexbo]

For all his aggression and giving the ref an earful for the last decade, he rarely lights a fire underneath his troops.


Play a bad pass to him or don't read his run and he'll screw his face up like he's bitten a wasp but you don't ever see him getting angry reading our performance as a whole. If a winger doesn't track back he should be giving them a bollock in, if someone loses their man at the corner he should be on top of them telling them to sort it out. If a poor decision is made on the counter he should be having a word.

In reality he's just too passive and seems to have little awareness of the game as a whole which is crazy.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Has he officially changed his name to "The Captain?" The commentator last night sure seemed to think so.

What baffles me is how English pundits genuinely seem to think firing ball after ball out to the wings is controlling the game and pulling the strings, the comparisons to Pirlo after the Everton game were particularly hilarious. West Ham stopped pressing him after a bit and just waited to intercept the cross-field pass he tried nearly every time he got the ball.

It was said a while ago that he was our Gerrard and that is exactly how it's playing out.

This happened? Not surprising, really. Every half-decent thing he does gets blown out of proportion to make it seem like it's something he does on a regular basis.

Even if we accept that as true, that doesn't constitute a good game.

He absolutely did not have a good game. Decent, at best, even if it looked good compared to some of our players.

 

[Rado_N]

Accept or not, he had a good game regardless.

He really didn't.

 

[Amar__]

This Dubouis guy is running away with May's prize after he won it for April too for Rooney's number one fan. He still has to prove he isn't Wayne Rooney himself though, othervise he'll have to return his award. Of course, @SteveJ is our regular host.

 

[Perrick Dubois]

This Dubouis guy is running away with May's prize after he won it for April too for Rooney's number one fan. He still has to prove he isn't Wayne Rooney himself though, othervise he'll have to return his award. Of course, @SteveJ is our regular host.

Hilarious shtick. Just calling it as I see it. I've done well to pip Shaman to the award.

 

[clarkydaz]

Accept or not, he had a good game regardless.

he had some good moments and as many brainfart moments. I'm not sure that makes a good game or not, maybe for a midtable team which we currently are

 

[Perrick Dubois]

he had some good moments and as many brainfart moments. I'm not sure that makes a good game or not, maybe for a midtable team which we currently are

I think amol above explained it well. He was decent, in the context the entire game being a 3-2 defeat - he at least showed some bottle and got stuck in. Not really much else you can do in this poor system.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

I think amol above explained it well. He was decent, in the context the entire game being a 3-2 defeat - he at least showed some bottle and got stuck in. Not really much else you can do in this poor system.

He was barely adequate. Just because the ore Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime in the side were not addiquate it does not constitute a good game. He was just less crap than the rest.
Granted he at least showed some fight and I'll give credit for that.

 

[Sky1981]

I would be complaining my guts out if I paid a hilton rate for a motorway holiday inn quality.

I'd still complain my guts out even if its paid by the company and not my own pocket.

I could be sleeping in a kingcoil with a nice view and a jacuzzi instead of a dodgy motel where they got granny cum stain on the pillow.

 

[diarm]

Accept or not, he had a good game regardless.

He was absolutely, 100% invisible for the the first 45 minutes. Then in a ten minute spell after half time, he gave the ball away 3 or 4 times in quick succession. Between minutes 55 and 70 he had a good spell, looked hungry and put 2 or 3 excellent long, crossfield passes in. Then he disappeared again for the last 15 minutes when the going got tough.

If you think that constitutes a good game, I'm not sure what you were watching.

 

[Sandikan]

So after 'running' games against Villa, Palace and Everton he gets found out against a half decent team. I agree he was one of the better performances out of a lot of cowards, I just wonder how long this is actually going to last for.

I hate all this "found out" talk, just because someone hasn't had a particularly good game v someone.
Read all sorts of nonsense about Barcelona being "found out", because they took a whacking in...the European cup semi final!

If that's found out, what on earth have we been this year?

 

[clarkydaz]

I hate all this "found out" talk, just because someone hasn't had a particularly good game v someone.
Read all sorts of nonsense about Barcelona being "found out", because they took a whacking in...the European cup semi final!

If that's found out, what on earth have we been this year?

Youre right, everythings fine. As long as he turns it on against teams that give him space we are golden

 

[entropy]

More than anything I am surprised at Rooney's poor leadership skills. For someone who has rubbed shoulders with leaders like Keano,Vida,Neville,Evra etc he really doesn't show many signs of a great leader.

 

[NinjaZombie]

More than anything I am surprised at Rooney's poor leadership skills. For someone who has rubbed shoulders with leaders like Keano,Vida,Neville,Evra etc he really doesn't show many signs of a great leader.

It's quite surprising be didn't develop into the kind of leader Keane and Vidic (I wouldn't say Evra and Gaz were great captains) was. If you'd watched him 8-9 years ago, you'd be sure he'd have developed into one.

Maybe it's the fact that he's in an attacking position and those kind of captains are usually the kind who influence games and inspire team mates through attacking play, making assists and scoring goals, instead of dictating play and organising the defence which he is struggling to do.

 

[Americano]

More than anything I am surprised at Rooney's poor leadership skills. For someone who has rubbed shoulders with leaders like Keano,Vida,Neville,Evra etc he really doesn't show many signs of a great leader.

Like most politicians, keeping his job is more important than actually doing his job.

 

[Perrick Dubois]

He was barely adequate. Just because the ore Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime in the side were not addiquate it does not constitute a good game. He was just less crap than the rest.
Granted he at least showed some fight and I'll give credit for that.

Pardon?

More than anything I am surprised at Rooney's poor leadership skills. For someone who has rubbed shoulders with leaders like Keano,Vida,Neville,Evra etc he really doesn't show many signs of a great leader.

Just curious, how does one measure leadership? Not trying to be Amar__'s hilarious and not ever over-done caricature of "haha I bet it is Wayne himself guys!" But genuinely, how do you measure how good or bad his leadership skills are?

 

[iKeano]

Poor first touch.
Cries at referee for 90minutes.
At risk of a red card every time he tackles.
Losses ball half the time.
When he does retain the ball after a first touch - knock it away from the body (ooooh what trick does he have up his sleeve?) - oh yea, it's the Stevie Gerrard speculative cross-field ball. Every. Single. Time.
If only we were competing for a title and he slipped to throw it away, then the transformation would be complete.

He got bossed by Noble... Bossed and bullied.
In a game where Noble should have been introduced to an ethos where you can't carry an injured Utd player off the pitch like a petulant toddler (in fairness, he should have been sorted immediately after he did that to Herrera in the league game), Captain Pugwash slid evermore effortlessly into the Stevie G caricature we all enjoyed laughing heartily at when he too was long past his best and all he had left were outlandish diagonal passes and long range shots with no venom.

Scapegoat for imminent failure at the Euros anyone? The prospect of that young, fast Englad team having Rooney in midfield is like having a kick about with Stephen Hawkins and being upset when he doesn't 'hit the space'.

Maybe Waynetta will hand in another transfer request in the off season and we can be done with him.... Third time lucky Wayne.