Rooney is the playmaker we need... i love his composure... his passings are sublime. And he can score too. The perfect Scholes replacement.
Is this the start of Rooney's transition into midfield?
- Thread starter Carl
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Hope so.
That's actually disrespectful to Scholsey if Rooney sitting in his own half popping passes about with Stoke putting zero pressure on our midfield actually warrants a comparison to him. Rooney should never be starting in midfield ahead of the likes of Cleverley evem, forget being compared to Scholes.
Fergie simply used a specific type of game to ensure one of his best players gets on the ball which helps recover his form. That's all there is to it IMO.
Absolutely not, if Rooney is going to continue to be seemingly undroppable regardless of form the last place he should be is midfield, can you imagine him there on one of his off days giving the ball to the opposition over and over and over again?
as was I. in fact at the start of this season I even suggested Rooney would end up playing in central midfield this season because of RVP. i was laughed out of it then. its nice to be right.
On form Wayne Rooney can play in midfield no problems... the less critically acclaimed off-form Wayne Rooney would be a walking disaster zone in midfield (with added restricted opportunity to bag a goal to mask over the terrible performance).
In short, I think we may see him play more there from time to time, but it won't be a regular thing.
In short, I think we may see him play more there from time to time, but it won't be a regular thing.
I don't think playing a couple of games a season in centre mid really counts as him being converted into a centre mid. Even Rafael's done that. I actually didn't think he played that well, took too many risks with his passing and needed a few touches each time. Most of the time these risky passes came off (without really achieving anything) and he definitely imposed himself on the game more but he still looks at least a dozen games away from being a good option there, IMO.
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-n...eld-role-manchester-united-after-display-1956
Few quotes from Rooney, I wouldn't say he was 'coy' as talkshite says but at the same time, he sounded more open than I would have guessed. Not sure how I have formed it, I believe there were quotes/interviews to back me up, but I didn't think he WANTED to make the transition originally, that he most enjoyed playing as a striker...
Few quotes from Rooney, I wouldn't say he was 'coy' as talkshite says but at the same time, he sounded more open than I would have guessed. Not sure how I have formed it, I believe there were quotes/interviews to back me up, but I didn't think he WANTED to make the transition originally, that he most enjoyed playing as a striker...
I've seen this said a lot, but let's be honest it's completely different in CM isn't it..
In CM he would be asked to perform a different set of tasks - to keep it simple for the most part, attempt less risky passes. It's far more common for an attacking player to have games where nothing comes off form them than CMs. This happens because their duty is to be creative and to make things happen. Their markers are tighter, the gaps for their passes are smaller. There is less margin for error in the attacking third. They are also less involved, which leads to a loss of rhythm.
I think we'll see Rooney in midfield in a few years time.
That would be all well and good... but then an off-form game from Wayne Rooney often does involve poor technique, mis-control, and the fecking up of simple 5-yard passes... which are the very basic things you need to be doing right when you're in CM.
In fact, even when he is playing terribly, his long passing still is the one thing that generally remains consistant.
In fact, even when he is playing terribly, his long passing still is the one thing that generally remains consistant.
I hope so, I've always felt Rooney's abilities are more suited to midfield than attack, he lacks a bit of flair. For example, that backheel shop RvP did for the penalty, we will never see Rooney do stuff like that, i.e. creating something out of nothing. I think he might enjoy the added possession that comes off it.
Good post this Rowem.
Less risky passes.....like the simple 5 yard passes he fecks up repeatedly when having one of his days....
Is there any point in anyone replying to you if you're going to take one part of a response, quote it out of context, and make a snarky, pedantic comment?
Even an on form Rooney would probably not fare very well against top midfields/midfielders. A bit of context is needed because playing against Stoke isn't how we measure players at United.
Certainly is. Why would Sir Alex move him away from AM and into midfield to gain confidence? He looked a lot more comfortable with everything in front of him. Some of his mistakes as an AM comes with his back to goal and allowing the opposition to step in and nick the ball from him. You have to earn the space and steal a march on those around you and be ready to move with the ball once you receive it. As is the case with any position Rooney plays, it depends on how he applies himself. His energy levels were good and he played on the front foot.
You wouldn't think it, looking at some posts around here. A decent performance against possibly the worst team in the league at the moment who's entire football philosophy is hoofing it from one box to the other, completely bypassing midfield and sitting back.
exactly
just because he's playing there against Stoke, when the league is practically over doesnt mean that we will see him there long term
however, the likes of Anderson need to start looking for a new club
Are you joking?
Good points. He naturally has a different focus when he plays deeper. Throwing away passes as an off-the-boil striker doesn't equate to doing the same as a CM. Many CBs complete nine passes out of ten on their day - doesn't mean I'd play them anywhere else on the pitch. It's apples and oranges, really.
I don't know if he can make this transition well enough to start matches in a midfield two against top opposition - but there's little harm in trying. He has plenty of qualities which go well with a CM role and the experiment (if so it may be called) isn't all that bonkers.
Its not a snarky pedantic point, its a perfectly valid point. Moving his position is not going to have any effect on his off form days. I simply cannt see how having a player who cannt find a teammate five yards away directly in front of the defence is in any way a good idea. It would be fine if people could get out of this "He must play regardless of form " crap that seems to surround him but apparently the team isn't picked on form anymore.
This isn't the first time he's played there though, is it? He's excelled in that position before.
When? (Not having a dig, I genuinely don't remember)
Yup... Even then Rooney managed to make a few extremely awful passes, which a better team would have exploited. He was fine overall but it's not his position - especially as his control and short passing goes to shit when off-form... Can you imagine Rooney against Madrid? We'd get counter-attacked to death.
Played there a handful of times last season and was very good each time. Think it was during one of our many injury crisis.
Never against proper top oppo though I don't think but he got MOTM in at least 1 of the games.
EDIT: Or it may have been the season before.
Cheers, I still cannt remember though
Must be getting old.I thought that many, myself included, thought he did ok but looked like a striker playing in midfield, as opposed to replacement for Paul Scholes.
Seems Rooney has been naughty with Sparky's granny.
Yeh he doesn't look a natural there. I don't think anyone's suggesting anything other than that. That's not to say he couldn't develop there though.
Rooney on paper seems to have all the right attributes to play in CM. Drive, passing, good engine, good vision and has a very good shot - so offers an extra goal threat. Positional sense will come quite easily to him.
If SAF plays him there for the remainder of the season, we could then have a better understanding of how he would cope with it in the future. Signs are good though from the little of him playing in a 2 man midfield.
If SAF plays him there for the remainder of the season, we could then have a better understanding of how he would cope with it in the future. Signs are good though from the little of him playing in a 2 man midfield.
I agree 100% with this.
As other people have pointed out, Rooney can struggle with the simple 5-yard passes on a day off, but seriously, how much do you guys expect from a CM? Besides a couple of sloppy passes and ball-losses, can you find a single obvious weakness in Rooney's CM skills? I, for one, can't. We've been screaming for a dynamic and versatile box-to-box fighter of a midfielder for a long time now. Are we really gonna ignore Rooney because he can feck up a few simple passes? Isn't it Carrick's job to control the game in midfield in the first place? Didn't we want the other midfielder to create a boost forward, seeing as our CM's of recent years neither score goals nor assist?
Also, keep in mind that we have both Kagawa and RVP now. It's not like our team lacks players with good ball control. Whenever Rooney is in a pinch, then he can pass the ball in pretty much any direction where there's a teamplayer, and we're almost sure to keep the ball. Carrick, Kagawa, RVP and even Welbeck can keep the ball really well up front.
In previous seasons it didn't make much sense to play Rooney in a midfield-two. Now it makes perfect sense for me. For the first time in a long time, we have a proper AM in Kagawa. It's time for Rooney to shine elsewhere on the pitch. Cleverley, Anderson and Powell apprently needs more time(at least the two latter), and there's not THAT many class CM's on the market who we can get easily anyways. Push Rooney into CM and spend the money on some wingers with flair. Götze would be awesome.
---- Carrick - Rooney ----
Götze - Kagawa - Welbeck
---------- RVP ----------
BOOM! Treble 2014
Good post until the muppet finale.
Tongue in cheek, man. Tongue in cheek.
I too know that Zaha is gonna play on the right side next year
I really can't see Rooney having any kind of future in midfield, that ship has surely sailed by now.
Definitely at least once in Europe last year.
I still cannt remember it, it must have happened but Im drawing a total blank
How come? Isn't it mainly wingers, fullbacks and attacking midfielders who "get old" too quickly? Centrally, experience and versatility is gold. It's not like Rooney is completely fresh to the CM role either, nor is it far out of his reach in terms of skill set.
He played a few games there last season.
October/November 2011 he played in midfield and did very well.
Well, I'd argue that it is outside his skill set, but I can't be bothered going into that again.
More to the point, is he really going to suddenly learn the positional sense and discipline needed to play midfield at the age of 27?
Rooney has played several games in a midfield-two and countless games in a midfield-three(which isn't THAT much different). And he's already a versatile player. Do you really think it would take him that long to "learn" the positional sense? If so, then I think you underestimate Rooney.