[jojose]

Why does it matter for some of you to piss other people off (specially the ones who have wanted to see players play on meritocracy)? I mean wtf is this kinda logic People are too focused on scoring pointless internet points. One thing unites most of us, it's wanting to see Utd do well. If it means Rooney has to be benched for that then so be it. It should be as simple as that.

It is as simple as that. But at 31 he should have a couple of years left in him and now that every man and his dog (outside of United) is against him, I'd love him to turn it around, be outstanding for us, and flick the v's at England.

Got nothing to do with "scoring internet points". I have been one of his biggest critics. BUt its ok for me to slag him off, its not ok for "England fans" to boo and slag him though.

That's like the rules.

 

[sunama]

I haven't wanted him out the United side for a long time. However, I hope England get beat and Wazza gets the winner at Anfield, for no other reason than to piss people off

Rooney scoring a goal

 

[roonster09]

Rooney scoring a goal

'
Last year Rooney scored the winner at Juanfield.

 

[Dobbs]

Who wants him dropped just because of 2 bad games? I've not seen anybody with this opinion.
The people who want him dropped, as you said, want him dropped due to 2 years of poor performances.

You must be kidding mate. His most ardent supporters were happy with him upto the end of the City game. Two games later they want him out of the team. That bunch of big Rooney fans are all of this opinion.

 

[wr8_utd]

Upto the Watford game you were happy with him, thought he warranted a spot. Two games later you want him dropped.

At least the rest of us want him out of the team based on a prolonged period of poor form. We've given him literally years to turn his form around. You've tolerated it for just 180 mins and you've already had enough.

If anybody's not showing him respect it's yourself and a few others I'm afraid.

I have always said he deserves to play while he's contributing. If we take away the final product and just look at in game play, someone like Zlatan shouldn't be starting either but goals matter and when Rooney was contributing to them he deserved to start. Watford and Northampton he was atrocious and didn't contribute in anyway and he deserved to be dropped. Since then, his replacements and team have given us no reason to bring in Rooney. However if his replacements do struggle for a run of games as well, I'd want Rooney to be reinstated and given a chance. It also helps that this season we do have a lot of options to replace him if we aren't doing well unlike earlier seasons.

 

[jojose]

I have always said he deserves to play while he's contributing. If we take away the final product and just look at in game play, someone like Zlatan shouldn't be starting either but goals matter and when Rooney was contributing to them he deserved to start. Watford and Northampton he was atrocious and didn't contribute in anyway and he deserved to be dropped. Since then, his replacements and team have given us no reason to bring in Rooney. However if his replacements do struggle for a run of games as well, I'd want Rooney to be reinstated and given a chance. It also helps that this season we do have a lot of options to replace him if we aren't doing well unlike earlier seasons.

That's fair enough and I think he deserves that chance. However, id go fo rthis only after exhausting all other options such as Pogba in the 10, Miki in the 10...etc etc.

 

[Marcelinho87]

Does "a few others" include Jose Mourinho, Moyes, Van Gaal and everyone in the England set-up? Only they all also thought he was worthy of his place until very recently.

Nah they all knew what we know now, just that nobody fancied being the one to make the call up until Mourinho.

Now he has everybody else can do the same without fear of it being blamed on them.

 

[wr8_utd]

You guys talk too much about the "no one had the balls to drop him" etc etc. Jose has just had far better options in his squad to replace than any of LVG or Moyes did. Rooney doesn't have any commercial clauses in his contract and neither does he hold the managers by the neck. Jose's just the first one to have loads of options to replace Rooney if he so chooses.

 

[ryan cook]

I have always said he deserves to play while he's contributing. If we take away the final product and just look at in game play, someone like Zlatan shouldn't be starting either but goals matter and when Rooney was contributing to them he deserved to start. Watford and Northampton he was atrocious and didn't contribute in anyway and he deserved to be dropped. Since then, his replacements and team have given us no reason to bring in Rooney. However if his replacements do struggle for a run of games as well, I'd want Rooney to be reinstated and given a chance. It also helps that this season we do have a lot of options to replace him if we aren't doing well unlike earlier seasons.

Im quite certain that Wayne Rooney will never start for united in a league game again.

 

[Borden]

Im quite certain that Wayne Rooney will never start for united in a league game again.

Of course he will

 

[Pexbo]

You guys talk too much about the "no one had the balls to drop him" etc etc. Jose has just had far better options in his squad to replace than any of LVG or Moyes did. Rooney doesn't have any commercial clauses in his contract and neither does he hold the managers by the neck. Jose's just the first one to have loads of options to replace Rooney if he so chooses.

While we don't know what is in his contract, we do know that United bought out and manage his image rights so it's not impossible that Stretford has made the point that if United don't play him, they could technically be damaging his image rights. Whether that would be a breach of contract or could be argued as being negligent I have no idea, I'm just speculating.

 

[Pexbo]

Im quite certain that Wayne Rooney will never start for united in a league game again.

That's a bold claim. If you mean by Jose's choice, I disagree. He'll give him a chance at some point providing he's working hard to fix the issues.

If you mean that Rooney will cause enough problems to cause a rift of some kind and force his way out. Yeah, it's possible but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[Marcelinho87]

You guys talk too much about the "no one had the balls to drop him" etc etc. Jose has just had far better options in his squad to replace than any of LVG or Moyes did. Rooney doesn't have any commercial clauses in his contract and neither does he hold the managers by the neck. Jose's just the first one to have loads of options to replace Rooney if he so chooses.

Last year we could have gone with Martial - Mata - Lingard all behind Rashford.

That would have been a better option than Rooney, pretty much the same as now except Ibra comes in and Rashford goes wide.

 

[wr8_utd]

While we don't know what is in his contract, we do know that United bought out and manage his image rights so it's not impossible that Stretford has made the point that if United don't play him, they could technically be damaging his image rights. Whether that would be a breach of contract or could be argued as being negligent I have no idea, I'm just speculating.

Come on that's just speculation. That would still be in his contract this year if it were the case. It's just that Jose is the only one who's had loads of options to replace Rooney.

Last year we could have gone with Martial - Mata - Lingard all behind Rashford.

That would have been a better option than Rooney, pretty much the same as now except Ibra comes in and Rashford goes wide.

Rashford only started to play around Feb, LvG didn't really trust Mata as a #10 and also Rooney played really well from the Stoke game till he got injured and when he returned he played in CM and did well there. So again, no real options for LvG even if he did drop Rooney. Rooney saved a certain goal vs Everton in the cup semi and was MotM in the final so there's a reason he was still playing.

 

[Treble]

Does "a few others" include Jose Mourinho, Moyes, Van Gaal and everyone in the England set-up? Only they all also thought he was worthy of his place until very recently.

Moyes and LVG are two managers who failed at United. The first gave Rooney an absurd contract (which was pointed out by many caftards back then, you should remember the thread about it...), the second admitted that he put all his money on Rooney to deliver the goods and Rooney didn't contribute a single point in the entire first half of last season (which was closely related to United finishing 5th and LVG getting the boot). Hodgson failed too, in an embarassing manner, and Mourinho didn't have a very good start to the season either but was relatively quick to take Rooney out of the team. None of them had much success with Rooney in the team.

All in all the caftards were generally right about Rooney's decline and his defenders wrong. If a miracle happens and Wayne manages to Benjamin Button himself, his critics will eat their words. But it's highly unlikey, isn't it? Hopefully he breaks the record and leaves with dignity. In 5 years time United fans will remember mostly his positive contributions which are big enough to merit him a legendary status.

 

[ivaldo]

Rashford only started to play around Feb, LvG didn't really trust Mata as a #10 and also Rooney played really well from the Stoke game till he got injured and when he returned he played in CM and did well there. So again, no real options for LvG even if he did drop Rooney. Rooney saved a certain goal vs Everton in the cup semi and was MotM in the final so there's a reason he was still playing.

No, he didn't play 'really well', at all, once people realised playing lofty passes to the fullback was doing feck up the general consensus was he was still playing shit.

LVG not trusting Mata is a moot point, there's a reason he isn't managing the club any more.

 

[ivaldo]

The guardian are calling him the assassin faced baby

 

[kouroux]

It is as simple as that. But at 31 he should have a couple of years left in him and now that every man and his dog (outside of United) is against him, I'd love him to turn it around, be outstanding for us, and flick the v's at England.

Got nothing to do with "scoring internet points". I have been one of his biggest critics. BUt its ok for me to slag him off, its not ok for "England fans" to boo and slag him though.

That's like the rules.

Sure thing boss.... Caf is more than ever full of strange people

 

[Dobbs]

I have always said he deserves to play while he's contributing. If we take away the final product and just look at in game play, someone like Zlatan shouldn't be starting either but goals matter and when Rooney was contributing to them he deserved to start. Watford and Northampton he was atrocious and didn't contribute in anyway and he deserved to be dropped

Well this just further confirms what I'm talking about. Unless he scores or assist in a game you want him dropped for the next one. This is way harsher than anything myself and the other critics have ever suggested. We've at least given him time. Plenty of it in fact.

You were pretty happy with him after the City game as seen below:

I thought Mkhi coming into the team was going to make us win by 5 goals? Rooney has been all right, far better than Mkhi and Lingard and Ibra as well.

Two games later you want him out of the team! We gave him months and years before asking him to be dropped.

You, Nick, Shamans, Walters, Pogue etc have ended up being the biggest haters of them all.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

There's always going to be an element of hope that he would recapture his old form and that it was only a bad spell though. We also can't downplay the shitstorm that dropping him causes. The fact is he should not have been starting week in week out based on form alone for at least a year. I'd argue longer.

Tthe first sentence is exactly why he lasted so long despite playing poorly. And God knows I'm no fan of the manager who kept picking him but it's not as though he was the only United player who seemed incapable of maintaining any kind of form over the last couple of years. With any kind of meaningful competition for his place he would stand out as someone who needed to be dropped. Instead, he was just one of many floundering around with this philosophy crap.

So it really took another failed fresh start under another new manager to be the straw that broke the camel's back. For his managers, most of the fans and the media. Until that point it really wasn't crazy to hope he could turn things round. Feck it, he's still young enough there might be one or two more good seasons in him if he can somehow reinvent himself by losing some weight and getting in the best physical condition of his life. I do think that's unlikely, though.

 

[OohAahMartial]

While I think most are glad that Rooney has finally been benched for the good of United and England, I think it would be premature to get too glad about it. Both managers have retained his captaincy, praised him, said it'so for tactical reasons, all pointing to it being a temporary thing, while they hope Rooney buckles down and loses some weight and comes back hungrier and fitter. He will get more chances at United, especially off the bench, though his England chances may rely on how he does at United, but even then he will still make the England squads for his dressing room leadership. Of course, not many think that Rooney can regain his speed, or even lose much weight, and certainly not his touch, but Mourinho amd Rooney willbe hoping he can regain some goalscoring form like he did last January, however briefly he manages it. He I think will already be planning his move away as he's too young to retire and genuinely wants an opportunity to transition his game into a midfield position. He knows that won't be at United so he has no choice but to leave if he wants to extend his career. Only question remaining really is does he move in January or the Summer. After his move I expect him to lose the England Captaincy and his squad place. But not just yet, so no need for premature celebrations.

 

[Sammyjunn]

Tthe first sentence is exactly why he lasted so long despite playing poorly. And God knows I'm no fan of the manager who kept picking him but it's not as though he was the only United player who seemed incapable of maintaining any kind of form over the last couple of years. With any kind of meaningful competition for his place he would stand out as someone who needed to be dropped. Instead, he was just one of many floundering around with this philosophy crap.

So it really took another failed fresh start under another new manager to be the straw that broke the camel's back. For his managers, most of the fans and the media. Until that point it really wasn't crazy to hope he could turn things round. Feck it, he's still young enough there might be one or two more good seasons in him if he can somehow reinvent himself by losing some weight and getting in the best physical condition of his life. I do think that's unlikely, though.

I dont really get the losing weight thing, this is probably the fittest he's been his whole career in terms of body weight, and being lean. He's so much more slim now, he isnt even a strong player anymore and loses duels easily. Despite him being 'slim', he's just slower than ever, so I dont really know how that would help.

 

[Treble]

I dont really get the losing weight thing, this is probably the fittest he's been his whole career in terms of body weight, and being lean. He's so much more slim now, he isnt even a strong player anymore and loses duels easily. Despite him being 'slim', he's just slower than ever, so I dont really know how that would help.

Agreed. Rooney's biggest problem is not fatnesss but his lack of quickness, both physical and mental. He's doing ok when he's allowed enough space and time but in high intensity games he looks lost. Earlier he could make room for himself with bursts of energy and power and his decision making was quicker and generally better. Now he looks weak and ponderous in tight spaces, and his awareness isn't great either.

 

[Kag]

Moyes and LVG are two managers who failed at United. The first gave Rooney an absurd contract (which was pointed out by many caftards back then, you should remember the thread about it...), the second admitted that he put all his money on Rooney to deliver the goods and Rooney didn't contribute a single point in the entire first half of last season (which was closely related to United finishing 5th and LVG getting the boot). Hodgson failed too, in an embarassing manner, and Mourinho didn't have a very good start to the season either but was relatively quick to take Rooney out of the team. None of them had much success with Rooney in the team.

All in all the caftards were generally right about Rooney's decline and his defenders wrong. If a miracle happens and Wayne manages to Benjamin Button himself, his critics will eat their words. But it's highly unlikey, isn't it? Hopefully he breaks the record and leaves with dignity. In 5 years time United fans will remember mostly his positive contributions which are big enough to merit him a legendary status.

Spot on, this.

 

[Born2Lose]

I think what might be a big problem for Rooney now is the loss of exercise he gets from having to sit on the bench so much.

For me he's a player you play every game because if he misses a few he becomes rusty and his fitness suffers.

 

[RedChip]

I suppose most footballers imagine they can play until at least 35 and it must be difficult to tell for everyone involved including the player to judge when exactly it is they are done. But it must now be dawning on Wayne that it is over. It must be hard for him but I see no reason why we should pity him. He has had a great career and has made millions. It is time to say thank you and goodbye. And that, as far as I am concerned, is that.

 

[AndyJ1985]

I think what might be a big problem for Rooney now is the loss of exercise he gets from having to sit on the bench so much.

For me he's a player you play every game because if he misses a few he becomes rusty and his fitness suffers.

Lack of exercise? It's 90 minutes a week. During the rest of the week he has access to one of the best training facilities available in sport, not to mention personal trainers. There's no excuse to not be fit and in excellent physical condition.

 

[sammsky1]

Lack of exercise? It's 90 minutes a week. During the rest of the week he has access to one of the best training facilities available in sport, not to mention personal trainers. There's no excuse to not be fit and in excellent physical condition.

To be honest though, no training or exercise fcan truly replace 90 mins of competitive football for a professional footballer. This is even more crucial within the physical English Premier league

 

[acnumber9]

Tthe first sentence is exactly why he lasted so long despite playing poorly. And God knows I'm no fan of the manager who kept picking him but it's not as though he was the only United player who seemed incapable of maintaining any kind of form over the last couple of years. With any kind of meaningful competition for his place he would stand out as someone who needed to be dropped. Instead, he was just one of many floundering around with this philosophy crap.

So it really took another failed fresh start under another new manager to be the straw that broke the camel's back. For his managers, most of the fans and the media. Until that point it really wasn't crazy to hope he could turn things round. Feck it, he's still young enough there might be one or two more good seasons in him if he can somehow reinvent himself by losing some weight and getting in the best physical condition of his life. I do think that's unlikely, though.

Your second paragraph is exactly why I think it was different with Rooney. Far apart from bad form you could see that he was already struggling with the pace of the game. That's not something you can rediscover and he just doesn't have the footballing ability that the likes of Giggs or Scholes had to allow him to make up for it. Though of course it helped that Van Gaal left us without any competition for his place.

His only hope is to lose the notion that he can drop deep. He needs to do the opposite. He needs to play in the penalty box where he can still be a decent finisher at times. Running round the pitch, which was one of the benefits he always had, is no longer an option.

Unlike others who have succumbed to time I don't feel much pity for him. Apart from my dislike over his behaviour when he twice said he wanted to leave part of the problem he has now is of his own doing. He just hasn't behaved like an athlete and kept himself in a good enough shape.

 

[BigTimeCharlie]

In the previous 10 England matches, Rooney had more shots on target than anyone. Tonight, Englsnd - 0 shots on target.

He was always one of Englands better players on the pitch.

 

[Smores]

In the previous 10 England matches, Rooney had more shots on target than anyone. Tonight, Englsnd - 0 shots on target.

He was always one of Englands better players on the pitch.

What kind of accolade is that? Talk about clutching

 

[Sammyjunn]

In the previous 10 England matches, Rooney had more shots on target than anyone. Tonight, Englsnd - 0 shots on target.

He was always one of Englands better players on the pitch.

Memphis must be one of our best players then.

 

[BigTimeCharlie]

Memphis must be one of our best players then.

I said shots on target, not off target

 

[m1y2]

In the previous 10 England matches, Rooney had more shots on target than anyone. Tonight, Englsnd - 0 shots on target.

He was always one of Englands better players on the pitch.

 

[Amar__]

In the previous 10 England matches, Rooney had more shots on target than anyone. Tonight, Englsnd - 0 shots on target.

He was always one of Englands better players on the pitch.

I've gotta admit, that's a great logic, well done. Hopefully some people will learn from this.

 

[Devil may care]

Wazbert had one decent shot, a pass to the ball boy, a lay off and then got ran off the ball that led to a Cahill lunge, so an eventful 15 minutes. I knew Southgate wouldn't have the plums to leave him out altogether.

 

[AndyJ1985]

I'd like to know why he keeps taking corners when he's proven beyond reasonable doubt that he's not very good at taking corners.

 

[lsd]

He has to be the worse corner taker iv ever seen... Makes sense how weak we have been on corners last few years when you remember Rooney and Jones were often taking them.

 

[horsechoker]

I'd like to know why he keeps taking corners when he's proven beyond reasonable doubt that he's not very good at taking corners.

He has to be the worse corner taker iv ever seen... Makes sense how weak we have been on corners last few years when you remember Rooney and Jones were often taking them.

He hasn't assisted from a corner for United since 2013, not sure about England though.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Was nice to hear the England fans chanting his name tonight.