2017/18 Wayne Rooney

[joey_macmo]

I dont do statistics in football. I get that some people do but it is not a statistic based sport due to far too many variables.

His positional indiscipline is easy, he is bombing around everywhere trying to throw tackles in etc (commendable I suppose) but when we get the ball back there is not outlet as he is then behind the play.

Players play in positions for a reason, otherwise you would just chuck 11 players out there wherever and hope for the best.

He was at left back tracking a runner becaus he was playing wide left. Bizarre that you think this is Rooney’s fault and not the managers.


You can’t say stats don’t work in football when it directly contradicts your point about his passing. You say is erratic, the facts say it’s more accurate than most.

 

[Adam-GOTTV]

He’s playing far too much than he should have to and that isn’t his fault. However, (in my humbler opinion) he’s still one of our best lads.

 

[Deckard2049]

Nope. Many of them were fed up with him. From 12/13 onwards. We've embarrassed ourselves by fawning over him. He's past it, Sunday proved that.

It’s amazing how the people who watched him week in and week out for years have completely irrelevant opinions because he now plays for us. United fans watched him decline and from the time they signed van Persie he’s never been an important player for them. Mourinho handled his downfall well last year but instead of letting him sign off in the MLS we decided to give him his final hurrah because his PJ’s were royal blue.

 

[ianefc]

It’s amazing how the people who watched him week in and week out for years have completely irrelevant opinions because he now plays for us. United fans watched him decline and from the time they signed van Persie he’s never been an important player for them. Mourinho handled his downfall well last year but instead of letting him sign off in the MLS we decided to give him his final hurrah because his PJ’s were royal blue.

He's done. The big fat patatoe head.

 

[bring the ghost on]

Well, another utter nothing stats shows his pass completion percentage of 77.8% is still better than Niasse 65%

Niasse is the most shocking passer of the ball in our entire team, most of the time he passes it, the ball goes out of play.

Rooney's passing is only a fraction below the best among the attackers in Gylfi and Davies (both 80.3%).

Gylfi has been one of the poorest attackers in the team and there is no flattery in having a lower success rate than him. I'm a fan of Davies, but he's not had a great start to the season, mostly due to being chucked into games in which we're fighting a losing battle at half time.

Is he expected to ignore those situations and just stay within his "area of the pitch" regardless of what happens in other areas of the field?

Yes, that's exactly what he's meant to do, if that's what the manager wants him to do. There is being passionate, and then there is running around chasing the ball and losing position constantly. After all the years of playing under Ferguson, you would expect that he would have learned some positional discipline, he seemed to forget/abandon that as soon as Ferguson retired.

And I also don't understand why when he left his position, there can't be a team mate who will cover his initial position.

Because we need to maintain a shape as a team, not be chasing around covering the space Rooney has left based on his whim/whichever position he decides to play in for the next 5-10 minutes.

We're not talking about swapping wings or dropping from No 9 to No 10, we're talking about a player who veers all over the pitch and has a visible negative impact on how the team move the ball.

 

[Papa Shango]

He was at left back tracking a runner becaus he was playing wide left. Bizarre that you think this is Rooney’s fault and not the managers.

You can’t say stats don’t work in football when it directly contradicts your point about his passing. You say is erratic, the facts say it’s more accurate than most.

I'm not saying it is anyone's "fault". He want's to do too much. And hold on, I never mentioned about him throwing in a tackle at left back! He does it all over the pitch. It's not even a bad thing as such but we need to keep our shape. So it is really bizarre that you are trying to jump on something there...

I can say stats don't work in football. I already did.

I don't get how it contradicts anything I said. Pass accuracy is a rubbish stat as well as it does not come with any context. Is passing a ball 5 yards successfully 20 times better than playing 10 out of 20 killer through balls that lead to goals for example? It is not a stat based game, it does not work.

 

[Soap]

He's not yours, he left United last season, do keep up.

Careful Elong, we wouldn't want you getting banned again

 

[Elong]

Careful Elong, we wouldn't want you getting banned again

Have another drink.

 

[PeregrineT]

Rooney would be a great 70th minute sub. But thats all he should be. Its clear he doesnt have the fitness anymore, and making him a late sub means his opponents are now tired, which allows him to play a little slower like he is, but still use the abilities he does have left.

 

[blue61]

Rooney would be a great 70th minute sub. But thats all he should be. Its clear he doesnt have the fitness anymore, and making him a late sub means his opponents are now tired, which allows him to play a little slower like he is, but still use the abilities he does have left.

Is the correct answer.

 

[Furey1878]

Someone still loves you, Wayne x














You too @ianefc xoxox

 

[OnlyBlueWillDo]

Gives 110% every game, I can’t knock him, will probably end up with double figures for goals in the league.

All the success he’s had, and you can see playing for Everton means something to him.

It seems the thing to knock him but I’m not joining in, been one of our best players easy.

 

[knockerefc]

Rooney would be a great 70th minute sub. But thats all he should be. Its clear he doesnt have the fitness anymore, and making him a late sub means his opponents are now tired, which allows him to play a little slower like he is, but still use the abilities he does have left.

I don't agree with Rooney not being fit. He is fitter than most I reckon but he just runs out of position all the time wastes energy then needs to catch his breath like anyone. He sprinted past every other everton player when Leicester scored on the counter attack the other week.

 

[Alatar]

Niasse is the most shocking passer of the ball in our entire team, most of the time he passes it, the ball goes out of play.



Gylfi has been one of the poorest attackers in the team and there is no flattery in having a lower success rate than him. I'm a fan of Davies, but he's not had a great start to the season, mostly due to being chucked into games in which we're fighting a losing battle at half time.



Yes, that's exactly what he's meant to do, if that's what the manager wants him to do. There is being passionate, and then there is running around chasing the ball and losing position constantly. After all the years of playing under Ferguson, you would expect that he would have learned some positional discipline, he seemed to forget/abandon that as soon as Ferguson retired.



Because we need to maintain a shape as a team, not be chasing around covering the space Rooney has left based on his whim/whichever position he decides to play in for the next 5-10 minutes.

We're not talking about swapping wings or dropping from No 9 to No 10, we're talking about a player who veers all over the pitch and has a visible negative impact on how the team move the ball.

I think it's a bit odd to suggest that one of the most decorated players in English football doesn't understand about positional discipline while his many 20 year old team mates do. It's one thing to criticize his physical or technical abilities, but quite another to question his understanding of the game, because one doesn't lose that with age.

I have watched the Watford game again to try to find out what is it that you are talking about regarding his lack of positional discipline. Cmiiw, my best guess is that you think he should've stayed in the left wing as the left forward in a standard 4-3-3 in that game.

If you think that he has abandoned his supposed position on the left wing in that game, then I have to disagree. I think it's pretty obvious that he spent the entire first half in the center forward area, with Niasse playing effectively as a right forward as you bombarded the left side of Watford's defence throughout the first half.

I seems impossible for me that he would last 10 minutes being constantly out of position without Unsworth barking frantically at him, if that was not the plan for the game, or if he made the team to lose the intended shape.

He might only be accused of being out of position in the first half when he rushed back several times to the left side of the defence when under attack. Only after you changed your shape in the second half that he played as a left forward, and was never far from the touchline since then, if that is what you call positional discipline.

I think a lot of complex strategy are applied by a football team at the premier league level, much more than just picking a standard formation and players to fill the spots. Top level teams are too advanced to lose shape, certainly not because of one rogue player playing out of position.

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

I think it's a bit odd to suggest that one of the most decorated players in English football doesn't understand about positional discipline while his many 20 year old team mates do. It's one thing to criticize his physical or technical abilities, but quite another to question his understanding of the game, because one doesn't lose that with age.

I have watched the Watford game again to try to find out what is it that you are talking about regarding his lack of positional discipline. Cmiiw, my best guess is that you think he should've stayed in the left wing as the left forward in a standard 4-3-3 in that game.

If you think that he has abandoned his supposed position on the left wing in that game, then I have to disagree. I think it's pretty obvious that he spent the entire first half in the center forward area, with Niasse playing effectively as a right forward as you bombarded the left side of Watford's defence throughout the first half.

I seems impossible for me that he would last 10 minutes being constantly out of position without Unsworth barking frantically at him, if that was not the plan for the game, or if he made the team to lose the intended shape.

He might only be accused of being out of position in the first half when he rushed back several times to the left side of the defence when under attack. Only after you changed your shape in the second half that he played as a left forward, and was never far from the touchline since then, if that is what you call positional discipline.

I think a lot of complex strategy are applied by a football team at the premier league level, much more than just picking a standard formation and players to fill the spots. Top level teams are too advanced to lose shape, certainly not because of one rogue player playing out of position.

All very well and good, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are a better and more dynamic team without him on the pitch. As indeed were United for the the past 2 seasons.