Wayne Rooney: 5 years on

[BlackToffee]

Wel,, 5 years on, has he improved. It really depends what people expected and what needed to change. At Everton he wanted to do everything, and thought he was a match winner.

Many of his goals won or saved matches. Same now with utd. He is more of a team player. I would say that he needed to do that anyway, and that would have been the case with us.

He has improved in terms of goals. He regularly gets 15 per season. Not a bad return really.

Slightly contradicting my earlier comment when he was with us, he had the potential to be a match winner. "Rooney's gonna get you" wasn't sung for nothing.

I think his "problem" is that he is still "potentially" world class. But he was that at Everton, and I think that is what has not developed. into world class, such as Ronaldo, who is almost guaranteed to turn matches.

I'm not trying to put him down because he left us, but trying to address the issue. He's improved, but I think that he is more a "bit part" player within Utd.

 

[Neiler]

Not the player i thought he would be! But still a bit gutted about how we spent the cash we got for him:

AVDM.
Simon Davies.
James Beattie
Per Kroldrup.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Not the player i thought he would be! But still a bit gutted about how we spent the cash we got for him:

AVDM.
Simon Davies.
James Beattie
Per Kroldrup.

I thought in a direct sense it was spent on guys like Cahill, Bent and Kilbane as they were who came in that summer. Scary to think back to the reactions of that summer and how down fans were, only for us to finish 4th the next season. Remakable.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

I think he has, he was a world beater at Everton surrounded by a team of average, ageing players. He was bound to look better than he actually was.

At Utd he's around players who are on his level so it doesn't stand out as much, he's still a quality player. He still scores twenty goals a season as a second striker and creates his fair share aswell.

He's more of a team player nowdays, he doesn't try and win games on his own and run down blind alleys anymore. He's a better all round player in my opinion.

 

[Brownie]

Is he as exciting to watch as he used to be? Maybe not. Is he a more complete footballer? Definitely.

It's easy to forget how good he was as recently as last season. Just because Ronaldo scored 736 goals, Tevez and Rooney get overlooked somewhat. When he's fit and playing well he's still regarded as one of the top players in world football.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Wouldn't get anywhere near my world eleven.

 

[Neiler]

I thought in a direct sense it was spent on guys like Cahill, Bent and Kilbane as they were who came in that summer. Scary to think back to the reactions of that summer and how down fans were, only for us to finish 4th the next season. Remakable.

If i remember correctly mate, we signed Bent and Cahill before Rooney went, Kilbane signed the season before. As rooney went right at the end of the transfer window (which i will never forgive him for) we never got a chance to spend the wedge in that window. In the subsepuent next transfer window we signed, Beattie and Micky on loan following Gravason leaving. The one following that we signed Davies, AVDM, Kroldrup, Neville, Micky, and Ferrari on loan.

Excluding Nev and Arteta probably Moyes's poorest period in the transfer market was when he had a bit of wedge.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Messi recently includud him in his world 11 and he's considered one of the best strikers in the world over here. have to agree that he's developed in teamwork but not individually. Also probably true that he doesn't need to win matches on his own now as he's surrounded by matchwinners.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

In terms of strikers I'd put Eto'o at the front with the likes of Torres and Ibrahimovic all ahead of Rooney. Remember after Euro 2004 he only managed to score something like a goal per year for England (stand corrected - he got 5 goals in 4 years). His form has picked up recently but until he repeats his Euro 2004 performances on the biggest of stages, ie a major national tournament or a CL final, then I can't see how he can have progressed.

After all, at United his record stands at 90 goals in 219 games, which isn't really any better than Yakubu's (103 in 241 whilst in England), despite playing in a much more creative team than Yakubu. I doubt many would place the Yak amongst the very best strikers in the world.

Whilst it would be churlish to suggest he's not a very fine player I think the expectation was that we would have our very own Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka level player on our hands, and I don't think with any honesty we can say that.

 

[mezzrow]

I'm going to lob in a couple of thoughts I'ver had about Rooney from a perspective no one else here can have, I think. Premier League football is a recent interest, so I don't know Rooney back beyond his last couple of years. The more I see of this guy, I think "this guy is Pete Rose." This may not mean much to non-Americans, and particularly non-Americans that are not of my old Boomer generation (just turned 56. Glad to be here.)

From his origins, to his start with the hometown club, to his immediate impact on the whole culture of the game, to his approach to the sport, to his ability, to his general sack 'o spuds appearance, to his condition of being embedded in a team that will go down in legend (they will, face it, they will) he's just freaking Pete Rose! This degree of resemblance between two athletes from two sports and two countries and two generations is a difficult thing to see, but if you know both these guys and look at it from this perspective, I think I becomes clear. It also serves as a highly cautionary warning to young Mr. Rooney about the way that life can lead if you give in to your worst impulses.

If you can follow, or care to follow, this strange direction of discussion, please respond. Many thanks to you Blues for teaching me the game.

 

[davek]

In terms of strikers I'd put Eto'o at the front with the likes of Torres and Ibrahimovic all ahead of Rooney. Remember after Euro 2004 he only managed to score something like a goal per year for England (stand corrected - he got 5 goals in 4 years). His form has picked up recently but until he repeats his Euro 2004 performances on the biggest of stages, ie a major national tournament or a CL final, then I can't see how he can have progressed..

The most overrated player in Europe. Peter Crouch with good PR.

 

[Rook]

I woudn't put Zaltan anywhere in my top 100 let alone my top 11. Honestly I think I'd rather have Crouch. At least no one has told the nacho man to "don't play like s*&^." before putting on as a sub.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The most overrated player in Europe. Peter Crouch with good PR.

He has a much better goals/game ratio than Rooney both for Inter and Sweden. You could add David Villa, Henry, Hiquain, Pato to the list as well.

 

[davek]

He has a much better goals/game ratio than Rooney both for Inter and Sweden. You could add David Villa, Henry, Hiquain, Pato to the list as well.

Does it when he wants to. The only time I've ever seen that feller stand up and be counted in a big game is when Inter had to win last match of the season to secure the title away from home in the p**ing down rain and he came up with a couple. Flatters to deceive, IMO.

How anyone could dispute Rooney's credentials as one of the best in Europe at what he does is beyond me, but there you go. Bursting the back of the net isn't the only measurement.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Not sure I know quite what it is that he does do at the moment, so fluctuating is his position. If he's a wide striker then the likes of Messi and Ronaldo have surpassed him, with Ronaldinho before them.

If we're talking of him as a second striker then I'd put him on a par with guys like Totti and Del Piero. Both decent enough players but I wouldn't say either have lived up to their billing.

Euro 2004 was a landmark event as it marked the first major tournament for both Ronaldo and Rooney. If you compare their careers since then you can see visibly how much Ronaldo has improved and it's very hard to say Rooney has kept pace, despite having by far the better tournament and his injury at the time being blamed for Englands exit.

You have to remember that of his 19 goals for England, 9 of those were scored in the year he represented England whilst with us. The remaining 10 goals took him 4 years.

Of course 5 of those goals came in 1 month last autumn and that is the kind of form he needs to keep up for me to regard him as one of the worlds finest, which I believe on his form whilst at Everton is where we have to be regarding him.