[NessunDorma]

Hearing a few people saying he didn't look dangerous. But he scored, and had two other good opportunities. Frankly, that made him dangerous. He was getting into good positions, and eventually it paid off (with a headed finish that was harder than it looked, given the spin on the ball and the angle).

Didn't think he played as well as Ibra, but was on balance better than Martial, and about the same as Mata.

Only one of them has page upon page of people absolutely slating them to shit.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Yeah, that "I've got nothing to prove" quote sickened me. His hunger has gone.

 

[Footyislife]

Lucky goal being point blank with Martial's miss hit shot, while missing 3 other chances. It's idiotic to call his pass to Lingard an assist. All he's done these last two games is blunt a offense that could be dynamite with players like Martial and Zlatan. He's a below average player, its obvious watching it. If you want to see good passing, I'd look at what Herrera did this game. Rooney just looks for the safe flashy long pass instead of making an incisive pass to open up the defense and then loses the ball a lot.

 

[NessunDorma]

It's idiotic to call his pass to Lingard an assist.

Nope, it's just a fact. It was indeed an assist.

All he's done these last two games is blunt a offense that could be dynamite with players like Martial and Zlatan.

They were both also on the pitch. Rooney was better than Martial today, and he wasn't massively worse than Ibra.

 

[hp88]

Yeah, that "I've got nothing to prove" quote sickened me. His hunger has gone.

His attitude stinks but to be honest if I was on £200K a week and still had a couple of years left on my contract I wouldn't give a feck either.

 

[fellaini's barber]

When did that ever happen ?

I know I know, saw it but was too lazy to edit, LVG would have started him in goal if necessary to make sure he played

 

[psychdelicblues]

It's the classic tactic of polarizing both sides of an argument so that everyone's put in one extreme or the other. It's the primary reason why all talk about Rooney eventually breaks down into some form of haters vs. deluded fan boys.

Fixed for accuracy.

 

[Acole9]

Yeah, that "I've got nothing to prove" quote sickened me. His hunger has gone.

I agree full of arrogance. Zlatan said it in his interview on Sky but the difference was with his it wasn't it didn't come out in such an aggressive manner.

Fair play to him for getting a goal but if it wasn't for that he would've been getting a 4 or 5 for his performance because his touch and passing was dreadful.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

He was better in the 2nd half than 1st half and he took his goal well.

Still think we're better off without him though. I don't think he can do anything to change my mind as I don't see him improving much from his current form.

 

[Loublaze]

Yeah, that "I've got nothing to prove" quote sickened me. His hunger has gone.

When was this?

 

[Footyislife]

Nope, it's just a fact. It was indeed an assist.

They were both also on the pitch. Rooney was better than Martial today, and he wasn't massively worse than Ibra.

Penalties count as goals too. But i wouldn't call a striker with 15 goals scored all through penalties a lethal striker, just a good penalty taker. That was not an assist, regardless of how it gets counted officially.

Considering Martial assisted Rooney's goal and was far more dangerous in creating chances, I'd say Martial was better. Rooney just messed up several chances, and score from a point blank sitter.

 

[SteveJ]

When was this?

http://www.football365.com/news/rooney-i-have-nothing-to-prove-to-anyone

 

[santeria13]

If he wasn't played so much he'd get cut a lot more slack.

There, fixed it for you.

 

[NessunDorma]

I agree full of arrogance. Zlatan said it in his interview on Sky but the difference was with his it wasn't it didn't come out in such an aggressive manner.

The 'difference' is that Ibra is the current Golden Boy, and Rooney the Whipping Boy. So it'll be shrugged off like the non-story it is for Ibra, and blown out of all proportion for Rooney by people looking for any excuse to criticise. Otherwise, there was no 'difference' at all.

'Aggressive manner' indeed. It was a calm, controlled and matter-of-fact comment without a hint of aggression. Utterly desperate stuff.

 

[Snow]

If he'd been looking the other way and it had bounced off his arse into Lingard's path, it would still be an assist. There's nothing in the definition that says it has to be an incisive through ball or a whipped cross to count.

That's not the point though. You can argue about what's strictly considered as an assist but in this case it doesn't matter in this particular discussion. What he did was a simple sideways pass under little pressure in a neutral zone on the pitch. Literally any other player put as a #10 would have done the same. Not every player would have put in the Valencia cross or finished it with a header like Zlatan.

Rooney's got one quality that's keeping him a float in his United career above all else. It's a quality that is hugely important in football and it's the reason, I think, that he's still being played. This quality is the 'ability' to find goals. He always scores a bit if you consistently play him. The overall play of the team will suffer but on the whole it might not. It sucks for people who don't like to watch him play but the "his goal will give his fans something to gloat and make him keep his place" comments are correct but for different reasons.

I have not doubt that if Rooney plays 4-5 games and isn't getting chances or scoring that Mourinho will bench him.

 

[United22]

You know its getting desperate when the fanboys start pointing to that "assist" to Lingard...

He took his headed goal well but he had a stinker of a game, a below 5/10 performance in a game where we put 3 past the opposition isn't encouraging. It is clear that he won't work well with Zlatan or anywhere to be honest, especially when we face a higher level of opposition. I just hope that Jose doesn't try to shove Pogba into a 2 man midfield just to play Rooney otherwise it is going to get very ugly

 

[fellaini's barber]

@NessunDorma is back! For a while you left that Perrick guy all alone for a while to fight the good fight. Just keep telling the haters about the goal whenever any criticism is brought up, at least he got 1 today.

 

[wr8_utd]

You know its getting desperate when the fanboys start pointing to that "assist" to Lingard...

He took his headed goal well but he had a stinker of a game, a below 5/10 performance in a game where we put 3 past the opposition isn't encouraging. It is clear that he won't work well with Zlatan or anywhere to be honest, especially when we face a higher level of opposition. I just hope that Jose doesn't try to shove Pogba into a 2 man midfield just to play Rooney otherwise it is going to get very ugly

People are counting Martials two "assists" as assists.

 

[NessunDorma]

That's not the point though. You can argue about what's strictly considered as an assist but in this case it doesn't matter in this particular discussion.

And yet people regularly cite assist stats to demonstrate a players worth. There's rarely ever a disclaimer saying 'But some of them weren't very good'.

But that aside, we know that Rooney has been good at getting assists throughout his career, and could conceivably get quite a few this season, playing where he's playing (i.e. in a more advanced role). He does have a clever final 3rd pass in him, whether people will admit it or not.

Rooney's got one quality that's keeping him a float in his United career above all else. It's a quality that is hugely important in football and it's the reason, I think, that he's still being played. This quality is the 'ability' to find goals. He always scores a bit if you consistently play him.

And as it happens, it's a skill that's as rare as rocking horse shit in football, which is why goal scorers are so coveted. Mourinho touched on this himself when he said:

In football there are many jobs . . . There are many jobs on the field. The one that is more difficult to find is the guy who has to put the ball on the net . . . To be there and put the ball in the net is the most difficult thing. For me he (Rooney) will be a 9, a 10, a nine-and-a-half but never a 6 or even an 8.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...s-wayne-rooney-wont-play-in-midfield-for-man/

I have not doubt that if Rooney plays 4-5 games and isn't getting chances or scoring that Mourinho will bench him.

Perhaps, but if he keeps getting chances like he was today, then he'll score quite a few.

 

[MUFCpiffgawd]

he was terrible bar the goal.

 

[NessunDorma]

People are counting Martials two "assists" as assists.

Yes, but that's because . . . erm . . . he assisted them in a non-aggressive and humble manner. So it's different. Or something.

 

[NinjaFletch]

The 'difference' is that Ibra is the current Golden Boy, and Rooney the Whipping Boy. So it'll be shrugged off like the non-story it is for Ibra, and blown out of all proportion for Rooney by people looking for any excuse to criticise. Otherwise, there was no 'difference' at all.

'Aggressive manner' indeed. It was a calm, controlled and matter-of-fact comment without a hint of aggression. Utterly desperate stuff.

I think it's probably more desperate to ignore what Zlatan said before or after and to take quotes talking about his legacy out of context.

If Rooney had said anything like

'I am the opposite, I will take the challenge, work hard, I will sacrifice. We will see what the outcome is, but turning down a challenge does not exist in my world. I have been in every country, now England, and that is why I find the adventure cool. I came, I won, I went, hopefully I can do the same here.'

Before hand then he wouldn't be criticised either. But he didn't he used to to justify his performances.

 

[NessunDorma]

@NessunDorma is back! For a while you left that Perrick guy all alone for a while to fight the good fight. Just keep telling the haters about the goal whenever any criticism is brought up, at least he got 1 today.

Well, yes, I will bring the goal up actually, considering they're quite important.

 

[wr8_utd]

Yes, but that's because . . . erm . . . he assisted them in a non-aggressive and humble manner. So it's different. Or something.

That was absolutely ridiculous
The over analysis of Rooney on this thread and on Twitter has gotten to ridiculous levels now.

 

[wr8_utd]

Well, yes, I will bring the goal up actually, considering they're quite important.

He only scored against rubbish opposition. Zlatan scored against Barcelona today.

 

[NessunDorma]

If Rooney had said anything like

'I am the opposite, I will take the challenge, work hard, I will sacrifice. We will see what the outcome is, but turning down a challenge does not exist in my world. I have been in every country, now England, and that is why I find the adventure cool. I came, I won, I went, hopefully I can do the same here.'

Before hand then he wouldn't be criticised either. But he didn't he used to to justify his performances.

Spin it whatever way you like. But people are slating his comments because they're looking for an excuse to attack him. It's that simple, and blatantly obvious. If a less polarising player had said something similar - or even the same comment word for word - no-one would be batting an eyelid. And anyone with a shred of honesty and fairness will know it.

 

[NinjaFletch]

Spin it whatever way you like. But people are slating his comments because they're looking for an excuse to attack. It's that simple, and blatantly obvious. If a less polarising player had said something similar, no-one would be batting an eyelid. Anyone with a shred of honesty and fairness will know it.

Yes I will 'spin' it by quoting exactly what Zlatan said. And you have the cheek to talk about honesty and fairness.

I actually agree with you (as much as you and wr8 are, as usual, making it hard to do so) that he was not as bad as he usually is today. But you do and half not help yourself by praising him for Lingard dribbling through half a team or for defending what he's said here.

 

[drdoityourself]

He's not being over-analyzed. He's just become obviously poor. He is very negative in his possession, safe slow turns away from attack, followed by a sideways or a backpass. When he needs to think quickly he only passes to his right wing.

We had a good counter attack going in the first half with Zlatan and Martial breaking but he chose Valencia, slowing the game down.
That one two near the box in the second half Martial was looking for, but Wayne chose to get settled on the ball and passing it back and relieving any aggression from our attack.

He'll score a goal every now and again, as he plays almost every minute in a forward role for Manchester United. But that can't hide how poor his overall play has become.

 

[Snow]

And yet people regularly cite assist stats to demonstrate a players worth. There's rarely ever a disclaimer saying 'But some of them weren't very good'.

But that aside, we know that Rooney has been good at getting assists throughout his career, and could conceivably get quite a few this season, playing where he's playing (i.e. in a more advanced role). He does have a clever final 3rd pass in him, whether people will admit it or not.



And as it happens, it's a skill that's as rare as rocking horse shit in football, which is why goal scorers are so coveted. Mourinho touched on this himself when said:



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...s-wayne-rooney-wont-play-in-midfield-for-man/



Perhaps, but if he keeps getting chances like he was today, then he'll score quite a few.

What other people say doesn't give you the right to say it as well. When other people clamor these stats many will lap it up but many will also take them as they are, namely a certain barometer of effectiveness. You can look at a players performance over the course of the season one way by looking at his assists score. We know that some assists are basically nothing and some goals are scored without the person that did the most gets a goal or assist. That's just football. Using that knowledge we can safely determine that Mkhitaryan contributes a lot to the attacking phase whilst someone that provides 3 assists consistently does so a lot less.

Rooney's clever final ball isn't what's keeping him in the side anymore. He's living off of his goal scoring and goal scoring alone at this point. Martial, Mata, Zlatan, Herrera, Mkhitaryan and Pogba are all more likely to create something out of nothing than he is. Hell, even Blind is better with a ball from the back and Valencia is more dangerous with his crossing.

 

[kouroux]

Spin it whatever way you like. But people are slating his comments because they're looking for an excuse to attack him. It's that simple, and blatantly obvious. If a less polarising player had said something similar - or even the same comment word for word - no-one would be batting an eyelid. And anyone with a shred of honesty and fairness will know it.

If that player was in a terrible form and was alternating between bad and worse performances, you can be sure he'd get his fair share of criticism. It is as simple as that.

 

[NessunDorma]

Yes I will 'spin' it by quoting exactly what Zlatan said. And you have the cheek to talk about honesty and fairness.

And here's what Rooney said:

I keep doing it . . . I have nothing to prove to anyone. I have played this game a long time, I believe in my own ability and I am confident. I believe i'm good enough to play, and if I play where I played today, i'll score goals.

Hardly outrageous in and of itself. And again, if Mata said it, or Rashford, or Martial, no-one would give the first f*ck.

But you do and half not help yourself by praising him for Lingard dribbling through half a team or for defending what he's said here.

I didn't 'praise' him. Someone said that what they expect from a Number 10 is goals and assists. So I pointed out that he has 1 goal and 1 assist in 2 games - which is simply a fact (although given the Lingard assist, my tongue was slightly in my cheek).

I then later tried to add a bit of context by pointing out that Rooney getting assists is hardly unheard of anyway:

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

When was this?

Post match interview. He was asked if he had it all to prove this season with the new signings coming in (was an easy question, I'm sure that the interviewer expected him to say "yes") but he said something like "no, I've got nothing to prove" in a bit of an aggressive manner.

 

[Cheesy]

I then later tried to add a bit of context by pointing that Rooney getting assists is hardly unheard of anyway:

Pointing out his assists since 2011 isn't really a good defence when his form has only really declined dramatically since 2015, presuming you're trying to use it in his favour.

 

[thejtrain]

The 'difference' is that Ibra is the current Golden Boy, and Rooney the Whipping Boy. So it'll be shrugged off like the non-story it is for Ibra, and blown out of all proportion for Rooney by people looking for any excuse to criticise. Otherwise, there was no 'difference' at all.

'Aggressive manner' indeed. It was a calm, controlled and matter-of-fact comment without a hint of aggression. Utterly desperate stuff.

No, the difference is that Ibra was the furthest forward void of any meaningful service who still managed to score a brilliant goal while Rooney was struggling to get the basics right, being the useless player that he is these days who managed to score a totally fortunate goal. Desperate stuff indeed.

 

[NinjaFletch]

And here's what Rooney said:



Hardly outrageous in and of itself. And again, if Mata said it, or Rashford, or Martial, no-one would the first f*ck.



I didn't 'praise' him. Someone said that what they expect from a Number 10 is goals and assists. So I pointed out that he has 1 goal and 1 assist in 2 games - which is simply a fact (although given the Lingard assist, my tongue was slightly in my cheek).

I then later tried to add a bit of context by pointing that Rooney getting assists is hardly unheard of anyway:

And if you include the question he was asked (and was taken aback by as if it was ridiculous) you can see why they're being treated differently.

And yes congratulations to Rooney for having 2 more assists than a player that didn't play in the league for half of that time period.

 

[NessunDorma]

Martial, Mata, Zlatan, Herrera, Mkhitaryan and Pogba are all more likely to create something out of nothing than he is. Hell, even Blind is better with a ball from the back and Valencia is more dangerous with his crossing.

Here are the stats from 2015/16:

Rooney is hardly the worst of the bunch.

 

[NessunDorma]

No, the difference is that Ibra was the furthest forward void of any meaningful service who still managed to score a brilliant goal while Rooney was struggling to get the basics right, being the useless player that he is these days who managed to score a totally fortunate goal. Desperate stuff indeed.

And what that has to do with the tone of Rooney's voice in his interview - which is basically what someone was trying to criticise him for - I don't know.

 

[Maradona10]

So arsenal need a striker and most fans including me thinks Rooney is done, would you lot be happy to sell him to arsenal for 30 Million? Hypothetically of course, would you strengthen(if it really is strengthening) them and buying a young forward?

 

[Zen]

Does the 22 more goals in the same time make up for that? Shifted about a lot more, but then again, so is Cazorla, whos scored more than Ozil I think too?

 

[Sandikan]

3 goals off equalling the record now.