Was 10 years of Rooney at United too many?

This is Rooney's tenth season at Old Trafford and whilst there's no denying Rooney remains ever popular with some fans, there is quite a large proportion of fans who remain indifferent to him.

Yes he offers a lot to the team but even the most loyal United fan would tell you he's not the focal point he should be. He's certainly no Ronaldo, Cantona, Keane or Robson. The problem is he's being given more and more responsibility to walk in those legends shoes. But do they fit?

Some say the best way for everyone would have been out the door in the summer Sir Alex left. It's beyond doubt that if Sir Alex had stayed on for another year Wayne was already out the door - such had their relationship broken down. But even with Sir Alex leaving the logical choice would have been for Wayne to go too.

It would have been refreshing for his career to go and try it out at a new club and United could have turned a new page and absolved themselves of the issues Rooney still causes.

Those issues being his petulance, his inability to lead and his past mistakes of disrespecting the club.

Yes the relationship has moved on and there's every chance Rooney will stay at United now until the back end of his career. But does he have enough time to regain the trust of the most loyal and staunch United fans? And will he like us look back at what might have been if he'd cut his losses the summer before last and moved on?

He gets criticized because he's fat, stupid, ugly, bald etc. etc. but even in United's worst ever season under a clueless coach he scored 17 goals and assisted 10 in 27 starts with absolute crap servicing him. Rooney is the unluckiest star player of all time. First he's playing on the wing and second fiddle to Ronaldo, then SAF refuses to buy midfielders and moves Rooney all over the place, then the most clueless manager of all time destroys United. Oh yeah, and RvP occupies his space as well. When was the last Rooney played consistently in his favourite position in a functioning team? Oh yeah, 09/10 when he scored 26 goals in 32 starts and United fans were convinced that he's the best player in the world after Messi and Ronaldo. If you sell Rooney you will be left with a 31 year old on the decline and a completely unknown striker in the Manchester United and Premier League context.

yes Rooney 09 10 was amazing, maybe they would have knocked out Bayern if he didn't get injured ( it wouldn't have been enough to win against Inter anyway )

If Rooney was professional , we would have been an epocal player as Messi and Ronaldo
He was even much better than Ronaldo to 20 years to be fair

instead he was just Rooney.
90% of CFs would dream to be as Rooney.

I don't think 10 years were too many though , Rooney is basically one of most consistent players of EPL history , who was really consistent as him ?

So he can't be a problem imo

Not at all, Rooney has been the one constant in that team for the last decade. I think I've seen him play every position but Keeper.

They went to 3 champions League finals, he scored a peach of a goal in one although they got destroyed by a better team (not much he could do about it) 2/3 times.

They won a ton of league titles some with with inferior talent to other teams.

He has one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen with that overhead kick against City when they first started to get chesty and like another poster mentioned look at the service he was provided.

I remember the CL final against Barca the first one and me and my friend were arguing over who was going to win and people forget this now but Man United were favored to win and I looked at the team sheets and just said outside of Keeper and 1 CB position I don't think United has one better player in the starting 11 than there opposite in the Barca team and I have no clue how there favored to win this game.

It's easy to see now, but what him and SAF achieved with that collection of players is outstanding. They won the EPL by like 15 points and then finished 7th the next year after SAF left. Never underestimate the power a great coach has over how players perform.

Not saying LVG is a bad coach he's a great coach but United is a dumpster fire right now. They are paying for years of SAF, Rooney, Giggs and Scholes getting every ounce of talent out of there players and not buying to offset when that generation moves along.

This isn't Rooney's fault. If you switched him and Benz right now everyone would still think Rooney is world class, and United will be fine they just are playing catchup as of right now.

Not to mention this comes from a purely La Liga point of view but I think United the most popular team in the EPL should have a great English player in the side. I really don't know what more people want Rooney to accomplish?

From the Rooney point of view, I can understand why maybe he would think about a change. But at the same time, who would REALLY want him? I think he would have ended up moving to another PL team, Chelsea or heaven forbid for Utd fans, City. Is that really the new challenge he wants?

I feel like he wanted the treatment Bale got and ended up at Madrid, or Barca. But it seems neither team really want him, and I think I can see why.

No. People are quick to hate on him because he's ugly and they don't like him off the pitch. He might not be the main man anymore but he still has a impact that would be missed.

I don't know if you've noticed but every English player of the last 10 years or so bar Scholes and Beckham is hated on. There's one big reason for it all.

What waffle

Who hates on Terry, Rio, Gerrard or various others, in terms of football?

The Franchise wrote:What waffle

Who hates on Terry, Rio, Gerrard or various others, in terms of football?

You can't be serious.

Gil wrote:I don't know if you've noticed but every English player of the last 10 years or so bar Scholes and Beckham is hated on. There's one big reason for it all.

Good grief Gil.

There's difference between hate and harsh truths.

Saying John Terry is slow isnt hate, its fact.

Saying Gerrard isnt a "top top player" (in the mold of a Messi, a Cristiano) its also a fact.

I have no idea what people have said bad about Rio's game, I dunno what you would say..other than the last 4-5 years of him being "past his best" which again, is fact.

Fußball wrote:When was the last Rooney played consistently in his favourite position in a functioning team?

as a matter of fact, his most preferred position is that of an attacking midfielder/ playmaker and he has played almost the entirety of last season in that position.

Coming to the question, theres no denying he is one of the better players playing the game right now,  one of the most versatile, hardworking, and consistent one.
He is a complete cf.

But having said all that I am a firm believer still of the notion that giving rooney a 5 year contract last year and letting him eat 300k a week (making him literally undroppable from the first team ) is the biggest crime this club has committed in the whole of the horrendous last season, even bigger than signing moyes clown that is.

I like English players but I am a fan of English football

He could have been much more, but he's still a world class player and had a great career.

For me, if Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry & Ferdinand were born in other countries they would be far more respected in the game.

Scholes is revered more than the others because he quit on his country while Beckham's reputation is still intact because of his fame and good looks.

I think Cole is the only other one of the "Golden Generation" who's still admired but he isn't as loved outside of England. For me, he's up there with Lahm, Zanetti, Maldini etc the greatest fullbacks of his era.

Lumiere_Blanche wrote:

Fußball wrote:When was the last Rooney played consistently in his favourite position in a functioning team?

as a matter of fact, his most preferred position is that of an attacking midfielder/ playmaker and he has played almost the entirety of last season in that position.

I'm fairly certain Rooney didn't want to play behind RVP and it was one of the reasons why SAF simply dropped him towards the end of his tenure.

The Franchise wrote:From the Rooney point of view, I can understand why maybe he would think about a change. But at the same time, who would REALLY want him? I think he would have ended up moving to another PL team, Chelsea or heaven forbid for Utd fans, City. Is that really the new challenge he wants?

I feel like he wanted the treatment Bale got and ended up at Madrid, or Barca. But it seems neither team really want him, and I think I can see why.

Always surprised me that Madrid weren't all over him, nevermind not even rumours like the Falcao ones. Not only is he superior to Benzema but actually a very marketable player as well.

Gil wrote:For me, if Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry & Ferdinand were born in other countries they would be far more respected in the game.

What are you talking about? The biggest Rooney critics are Englishmen. Case in point: this thread. Case in point: all English media outlets after every single England tournament.

I've always been of the opinion that if Rooney was kept as Man Utd's true CF/number 9 striker, he could've surpassed Shearer's record by now.
Such a clinical finisher and can score almost all sorts of goals. I get he has a great work rate, but besides that I've never understood this as playing him as a 10 or LB, or RB, or CB, or CM. You get my point, he just ends up all over the place sometimes, and that's a waste really of his goal scoring ability.

I'm just puzzled that ManUtd extended his contract 5 more years and give him 300k/week. That practically makes it impossible for him to leave as I can't really see any club wanting to pay a sizable transfer fee plus match his wages.

Fußball wrote:

Gil wrote:For me, if Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry & Ferdinand were born in other countries they would be far more respected in the game.

What are you talking about? The biggest Rooney critics are Englishmen. Case in point: this thread. Case in point: all English media outlets after every single England tournament.

If Rooney were Spanish (for example) the English press would describe him as a technically gifted and hard working forward who happens to be a bit odd looking and is struggling to learn English. But because hes English the English press describe him as a fat, bald and illeterate footballer of average quality

Persoanlly I agree with Gils post

Agreed with Futbol.

Always felt kinda bad for Rooney. As a player I actually like him- his little outbursts, ugliness, and rage aside. Never really got to have much of a go at his favorite position for a lot of the years he's been at Man U.

It's a tick in his favor that he is so versatile that he has been able to be moved around and still be effective.

I think Rooney had the potential to be World class and showed that potential in his first few years.

Then at United because Sir Alex had Ronaldo he adapted Rooney's game and turned him in to a more of a cog within a team than a stand out talent.

Still a top player but for me he never became what he could have been.

As for other English players that would stand out on the world stage. Terry Scholes and Cole are the only 3 definite picks in my opinion.

Carrickature wrote:As for other English players that would stand out on the world stage. Terry Scholes and Cole are the only 3 definite picks in my opinion.

I dont think I've ever seen someone whose not a Chelsea fan say that about John Terry

I don't like him as an individual and the same goes for Cole. But as footballers they would be an asset to any side in world football as would Scholes.

Anyway, return the favour and take a look at my vlog. If you like it subscribe and leave a comment.

here in Italy he was always rated very highly . and much respected as player, rarely I've listened comments on his presumed defects . About it I disagree with Gil , he is more appreciated than Beckahm surely.

I agree with main man Fussball , for me the biggest Rooney critics are Englishmen.

He is always so scrutinized , and when United or England don't win , it is because of Rooney.

TBF he reminds me Totti for it .
Totti is having so much respect and tribute expecially now, because when you watch a player old 38 to be difference maker you can only show respect for it  and besides  he is less antipatic and unsportsmanlike now  

but until recently,  he was subject to similar criticism Rooney-esque also because he was great with his club in league but he wasn't dominant likewise in international level , and these judgements degenerated in things as " he is overrated " and " nobody rates Totti abroad " ( the most common urban legend said by his haters, but it's false, just watching also GL )

I've always seen many similarities with Totti-Rooney, because they were GOAT with their club and they 've been same thing with NT and for this reason they didn't get sometimes the deserved respect

I mean , Totti wasn't a ghost with Italia ( much better than Del Piero,for example ) but he wasn't great as in club and so many tend to exagerrate in negative  because the expectations were so high.

Same thing Rooney , for me he wasn't so scrub with NT, he played a fantastic Euro 2004 ( another similarity with Totti. They played their best tournament with their NT to debut, but then they didn't replicate same contribution , although some judgements are so harsh about it..)and also in last WC .. I mean , he scored 2 goals , I don't think he was the main guilty of the elimination , but others..

We tend to forgive nothing to our top players, and we regret them when they retire .
It will be same thing for Totti and Rooney.