Wayne Rooney Appreciation Thread

Simply one of our best ever players.

Find it bizarre that any united fan would spend time moaning about one of the most important players during one of our greatest ever eras years after he's left the club.

Get a life, losers! I'm going to go and watch the season review from 2007/ 2008.
 
The-Mezzala said:
The original point is football was a lot
More physical when Rooney played defenders could get away with a lot more. It is making football a lot more open so higher number of chances created and goals scored. Considering thr era Rooney played in and spending a lot of time out of position his stats are incredible. You’re borderline hating the guy and using personal dislike for him to judge him .
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Football was more aggressive, not my physical, there is a difference.

The reason why more goals are scored now is because of how attacking football has improved so much, it's just improved more than defending has.
 
Shame he peaked when he was about 21 really. Such a good player, literally had everything.
 
Hammondo said:
Football was more aggressive, not my physical, there is a difference.

The reason why more goals are scored now is because of how attacking football has improved so much, it's just improved more than defending has.
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I meant physical in the sense more of a contact game not fitness. Thats just not true. Players maybe slightly faster and fitter because of better dieting and Sports science. Zidane, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Messi, I could go on are more technically gifted than Mbappe, Haaland and other top modern footballers. If R9 played today with the nutrition and soft referring you see today he would get ridiculous numbers. Recency bias is clouding so many people’s judgement
 
Hammondo said:
Football was more aggressive, not my physical, there is a difference.

The reason why more goals are scored now is because of how attacking football has improved so much, it's just improved more than defending has.
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I'd say it's more so that attacking football has become much more formulaic/positional. Clubs have figured out the best patterns/ways to get into dangerous areas and what the most efficient way of creating chances is once you find those areas. It's far less reliant on individual quality/brilliance than it was 10-20 years ago, and at the same time defenders have been developed with more of an eye towards on ball quality as opposed to being pure rock solid defenders.
 
Hammondo said:
Football was more aggressive, not my physical, there is a difference.

The reason why more goals are scored now is because of how attacking football has improved so much, it's just improved more than defending has.
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Defending has gotten a lot worse. The lack of diversity in terms of how teams play really hurts the league compared to what it was. Back in the day you didn’t have defenders defensive flaws overlooked because they can play a nothing ball to the DM on the half turn.
 
Hammondo said:
Football was more aggressive, not my physical, there is a difference.

The reason why more goals are scored now is because of how attacking football has improved so much, it's just improved more than defending has.
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How has attacking improved?
 
cyberman said:
Defending has gotten a lot worse. The lack of diversity in terms of how teams play really hurts the league compared to what it was. Back in the day you didn’t have defenders defensive flaws overlooked because they can play a nothing ball to the DM on the half turn.
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But you also could rely on being a top Cb in a top team and not having a high line, also less one on one defending with pacy wide forwards because of this.

A CB like Rio would excel in all eras but someone like Terry may find it a bit harder, still would be a top class cb but maybe more like a Dias(who can be exposed by players with pace at times), while Rio would thrive in whatever team setup or era you put him in.
 
Genuinley could have been one of the best ever if not for injuries and general fitness. He had everything. More natrurally talented than Ronaldo but didn't have the same commitment. Playing football was probably too easy for him.

His selflessness was probably a hinderence to his legacy too. Sacrifised himself to accommodate other players. No coincidence his best season was the one after Ronaldo left and he was the focus point.
 
Marwood said:
How has attacking improved?
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Arguably the use of systematic football with good positioning has made attacking better because it’s more efficient.

Unfortunately it’s also taken the flair out of the game.
 
matherto said:
Arguably the use of systematic football with good positioning has made attacking better because it’s more efficient.

Unfortunately it’s also taken the flair out of the game.
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Genuinely not being pedantic but good positioning is vague.

How are attacking players positioning themselves better than they were 20 years ago? And what is meant by "efficient"

I labour the point because whenever somebody says after 95 years of professional football we've now discovered a new thing it always seems to be a bit wishy washy. Never specific.
 
Marwood said:
Genuinely not being pedantic but good positioning is vague.

How are attacking players positioning themselves better than they were 20 years ago? And what is meant by "efficient"

I labour the point because whenever somebody says after 95 years of professional football we've now discovered a new thing it always seems to be a bit wishy washy. Never specific.
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Analytics and coaching have fine tuned the game haven't they? We know more about everything than we did 20 years ago.

The evidence of it is the fact that football has become more robotic and systemic. You can only do that with better coaching and better training, analysis shows you what works and what doesn't and then you fine tune it.

Humans aren't robots, we make mistakes, we misremember, we switch off and lose focus so to make something robotic you've got to be better at it.

We know how to create the right positions more often, how to create overloads and the likes. Granted we've always known but never in so much detail and never has it evidenced itself as much in how the game is played now. Even the worst players on the field are technically much better than they were 20 years ago and they're coached with minute detail compared to then as well.
 
matherto said:
Analytics and coaching have fine tuned the game haven't they? We know more about everything than we did 20 years ago.

The evidence of it is the fact that football has become more robotic and systemic. You can only do that with better coaching and better training, analysis shows you what works and what doesn't and then you fine tune it.

Humans aren't robots, we make mistakes, we misremember, we switch off and lose focus so to make something robotic you've got to be better at it.

We know how to create the right positions more often, how to create overloads and the likes. Granted we've always known but never in so much detail and never has it evidenced itself as much in how the game is played now. Even the worst players on the field are technically much better than they were 20 years ago and they're coached with minute detail compared to then as well.
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A perfect description of the current United team!
 
matherto said:
Analytics and coaching have fine tuned the game haven't they? We know more about everything than we did 20 years ago.

The evidence of it is the fact that football has become more robotic and systemic. You can only do that with better coaching and better training, analysis shows you what works and what doesn't and then you fine tune it.

Humans aren't robots, we make mistakes, we misremember, we switch off and lose focus so to make something robotic you've got to be better at it.

We know how to create the right positions more often, how to create overloads and the likes. Granted we've always known but never in so much detail and never has it evidenced itself as much in how the game is played now. Even the worst players on the field are technically much better than they were 20 years ago and they're coached with minute detail compared to then as well.
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Some might think they know more than we did 20 years ago. For no more reason than 20 years have passed.

I'm just not seeing any actual specific examples of how attackers position themselves better.

I don't think overloads is enough. Mainly because they've been around forever. United were better at that 20 years ago than they are now.
 
Marwood said:
Some might think they know more than we did 20 years ago. For no more reason than 20 years have passed.

I'm just not seeing any actual specific examples of how attackers position themselves better.

I don't think overloads is enough. Mainly because they've been around forever. United were better at that 20 years ago than they are now.
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If you don't think the current way football is played is down to better everything then I don't know what to tell you really.

The closer we get to perfection, the more it must mean we're better at it, surely? Perfection in this case being robotisation. It's the same stuff, just better. Well, unless you're United of course.
 
matherto said:
If you don't think the current way football is played is down to better everything then I don't know what to tell you really.

The closer we get to perfection, the more it must mean we're better at it, surely? Perfection in this case being robotisation. It's the same stuff, just better. Well, unless you're United of course.
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I'm just interested to know what people mean when they say x,y,z has improved.

I rarely get an answer that's all. So in this instance you think attackers position themselves better than they used to. But I don't think you really know what that actually means because you can't specifically explain how.

It's just an assumption something has improved because of the passage of time.
 
Marwood said:
Genuinely not being pedantic but good positioning is vague.

How are attacking players positioning themselves better than they were 20 years ago? And what is meant by "efficient"

I labour the point because whenever somebody says after 95 years of professional football we've now discovered a new thing it always seems to be a bit wishy washy. Never specific.
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Just a bunch of words without any real meaning really, you'd think he's talking about the 1950's and not the 2000's.
 
Samid said:
Where is the great man ranked amongst the all time greatest United players?

Is he the best United player this century?
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He was easily the best footballer we’ve had since Ronaldo left the first time.

Gave us probably our best moment since winning our last CL in Moscow. Overhead kick in the derby. That was one of the most famous goals in English football history and pure magic.

His assist for Van Persie’s volley was ridiculous in 2013 too. Again probably our second best moment since winning the champions league in 2008.

The guy was truly world class and I think underrated by opposition fans.

Until Bellingham perhaps the most naturally gifted English footballer since Bobby Charlton? He’s around the top 3 English players for pure footballing ability ever if you ask me.

Didn’t score the most goals but could do absolutely everything already at 16/17.
 
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Naturally gifted
Genuine world class
Record holder
The White Pele

Wish him all the very best
 
Marwood said:
I'm just interested to know what people mean when they say x,y,z has improved.

I rarely get an answer that's all. So in this instance you think attackers position themselves better than they used to. But I don't think you really know what that actually means because you can't specifically explain how.

It's just an assumption something has improved because of the passage of time.
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It's not an assumption. General play has improved in all areas, hence positioning has improved. The evidence is in the ability of teams to execute the plan more often and the fact that most teams now play similarly on a regular basis, yes some better than others but in the main, the standard has improved all around. Teams have way more technical ability throughout the squad now than they did 20 years ago, the baseline has improved massively ergo attacking, defending, etc has improved.

I can only put that down to coaching, fitness and analysis generally being better than it was 20 years ago. Like I said, humans aren't robots so it's noticeable when they get more robotic, it means they've been drilling it into them repeatedly in a more targeted way.
 
Son said:
He was easily the best footballer we’ve had since Ronaldo left the first time.

Gave us probably our best moment since winning our last CL in Moscow. Overhead kick in the derby. That was one of the most famous goals in English football history and pure magic.

His assist for Van Persie’s volley was ridiculous in 2013 too. Again probably our second best moment since winning the champions league in 2008.

The guy was truly world class and I think underrated by opposition fans.

Until Bellingham perhaps the most naturally gifted English footballer since Bobby Charlton? He’s around the top 3 English players for pure footballing ability ever if you ask me.

Didn’t score the most goals but could do absolutely everything already at 16/17.
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Charlton
Gazza
Rooney

on natural talent alone, then you have the likes of Scholes, Hoddle, Barnes, Waddle Bellingham, Wilshere, Sturridge, Beckham, Trent, Foden.,
 
Watching all his goals on MUTV now.

What a player.

Totally forgot about the headband wearing Rooney, must have been after he got the hair line fixed.
 
Oranges038 said:
Watching all his goals on MUTV now.

What a player.

Totally forgot about the headband wearing Rooney, must have been after he got the hair line fixed.
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Wasn't it because he got a cut on his forehead that required stitches?
 
matherto said:
It's not an assumption. General play has improved in all areas, hence positioning has improved. The evidence is in the ability of teams to execute the plan more often and the fact that most teams now play similarly on a regular basis, yes some better than others but in the main, the standard has improved all around. Teams have way more technical ability throughout the squad now than they did 20 years ago, the baseline has improved massively ergo attacking, defending, etc has improved.

I can only put that down to coaching, fitness and analysis generally being better than it was 20 years ago. Like I said, humans aren't robots so it's noticeable when they get more robotic, it means they've been drilling it into them repeatedly in a more targeted way.
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Don't agree with your assumptions at all. Ten hagg said that with the current players he has he can not play like he did at Ajax. Because technically they aren't that good. If anything I think the opposite of you, technically players are worse now. It's more about being athletic.

Just compare our team from 2008 to now. Technically no comparison. I can't think of one player that is technically better in our current squad then anyone from 2008. We even used to have a segment called trick box on the man und web site. Haven't had that for a while now.

General play has improved? How so? Would 2009 Barcelona not destroy all teams out there right now? Even the current man city team?

Defending has improved? Our currant defense is brutal to watch. Do you not remeber how solid defensively we used to be. Our back line of Rio, vidic, and evra with who ever at rb was one of the best defenses I've ever seen.

Imagine a team today with Rooney, Ronaldo, and tevez as our Frontline. Technically far superior to anything we have right now.

A midfield of Scholes, Keane, and Carrick.

A backline of Neville, Ferdinand, vidic, and evra,

And in goal van Der Sar.

Our 2008 team was miles ahead in attacking, defending, general game play, passing, and technically superior to our current team.

If anything analytics have made the game worse. Where the players can't think what to do if something doesn't work so they recycle the ball. Because they don't know how to think for themselves. If anything general play is worse now then it's been for a long time.
 
Impulse said:
Wasn't it because he got a cut on his forehead that required stitches?
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Maybe so, I never bothered to look it up. Was just enjoying watching him bang in goals from all angles again, whatever abou the goals you kind of forget just how good his movement, positioning and anticipation was.
 
Hughes35 said:
Shame he peaked when he was about 21 really. Such a good player, literally had everything.
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Watching highlights from the 2004 euros and it feels like he peaked then :lol: he felt like an unstoppable force that would have bulldozed every team single handedly
 
I think he’s more well thought of than Ronaldo these days to United fans. I prefer Rooney anyways.

Ronaldo these days is clowning in Saudi pretending he’s still 25 again after dragging us through the mud.

Showed it again this past week with deluded comments about French football and Haaland. Zero class and a weird human being all round.
 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

On a serious note, what is Rooney doing playing ultimate team with these streamers ?
 
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