Wayne Rooney Appreciation Thread

Rooney in Paris

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Do you think Sir Alex disagreed? He would tell people that Ronaldo was going to be the best player in the world, even at 18.
I mean you're clinging to this poor argument like it's some kind of gospel - even if Sir Alex felt that way, he would have been wrong (as he happened to be about several things) concerning those players at that age. Rooney was very obviously better at a young age, with an impact on the team and a capacity to drive and create fear that Ronaldo didn't have yet - there were flashes of brilliance and of what was to come, but his consecration came much later.
 

GifLord

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Except he wasn't really really awful. He was in teams who were consisting of garbage like Lingard and Depay, what did you expect of him? At times he was our best CM despite never being one in his career.
Nah he was really awful. Poor first touch, his speed was gone, could barely move at time from the spot.. And Van Gaal made it even worse by trying to shoehorn him into midfield. He was done at top level back then.

He then he went on Paddy Crerand show on MUTV and defended himself acting like there was nothing wrong with him and we should respect him for all the shit he did in the past - thinking about it now feels like a ronaldo dejavu interview with piers :lol:
MUTV started censoring callers aswell who criticised Rooney.... He was done at 2014-15. And then Mourinho came and played him until he broke the Charlton record :houllier:
I admired the young Rooney but god did i hate the late Rooney he was so bad.
 

Kostov

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Nah he was really awful. Poor first touch, his speed was gone, could barely move at time from the spot.. And Van Gaal made it even worse by trying to shoehorn him into midfield. He was done at top level back then.

He then he went on Paddy Crerand show on MUTV and defended himself acting like there was nothing wrong with him and we should respect him for all the shit he did in the past - thinking about it now feels like a ronaldo dejavu interview with piers :lol:
MUTV started censoring callers aswell who criticised Rooney.... He was done at 2014-15. And then Mourinho came and played him until he broke the Charlton record :houllier:
I admired the young Rooney but god did i hate the late Rooney he was so bad.
You can make a compilation like that from just about anyone in the game and it tells feck all. We paid 50m pounds for a CM and he plays like that 80% of the time, he will complete half a decade on the payroll. Rooney obviously declined and was nowhere near the player he was in his prime, however playing in a team consisting of lottery winners and under clowns like Moyes and LVG certainly did not help his phasing out of the team. In many games he was still head and shoulders our best player.
 

GifLord

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You can make a compilation like that from just about anyone in the game and it tells feck all. We paid 50m pounds for a CM and he plays like that 80% of the time, he will complete half a decade on the payroll. Rooney obviously declined and was nowhere near the player he was in his prime, however playing in a team consisting of lottery winners and under clowns like Moyes and LVG certainly did not help his phasing out of the team. In many games he was still head and shoulders our best player.
Has nothing do to with poor team mates. Fergies' last team was pretty average on paper bar a few exceptions and he did well then.
The decline was very obvious to see and the fanboys just like you right now even back then couldn't see it - just like with Ronaldo
He couldn't run, couldn't pass, couldn't dribble past a player due to decline of speed, his first touch became a laughing stock not to mention his finishing....

 

Kostov

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Has nothing do to with poor team mates. Fergies' last team was pretty average on paper bar a few exceptions and he did well then.
The decline was very obvious to see and the fanboys just like you right now even back then couldn't see it - just like with Ronaldo
He couldn't run, couldn't pass, couldn't dribble past a player due to decline of speed, his first touch became a laughing stock not to mention his finishing....

Yes I know you are big with videos and gifs but often full of shit as well. Fanboy is something I am not ashamed to say about Rooney. Loved him ever since I first time saw him tearing it up as a kid. I also said he obviously declined but "awful awful" is hyperbole better saved for the absolute dogshit we have witnessed through out the years post Fergie.

Rooney finished the:
  • 13/14 season with 19 goals and 22 assists;
  • 14/15 he finished with 14 goals and 6 assists;
  • 15/16 he finished with 15 goals and 6 assists;
  • 16/17 he finished with 8 goals and 10 assists.
As I said his decline was obvious, he had absolute nightmare games, but playing in a team that struggled to create and score goals under incompetent managers and subpar teammates he was hardly our biggest problem.
 

Frank White

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Wonder if it's only are lot that can turn a appreciation thread into shitting on said player :lol: You have to be a genuine freak to make compilations like that Gogglebox one. Anyway loved Rooney and always will do, spent majority of my childhood shouting Rooney after every shot i'd smash over at the park.
 

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Yes I know you are big with videos and gifs but often full of shit as well. Fanboy is something I am not ashamed to say about Rooney. Loved him ever since I first time saw him tearing it up as a kid. I also said he obviously declined but "awful awful" is hyperbole better saved for the absolute dogshit we have witnessed through out the years post Fergie.

Rooney finished the:
  • 13/14 season with 19 goals and 22 assists;
  • 14/15 he finished with 14 goals and 6 assists;
  • 15/16 he finished with 15 goals and 6 assists;
  • 16/17 he finished with 8 goals and 10 assists.
As I said his decline was obvious, he had absolute nightmare games, but playing in a team that struggled to create and score goals under incompetent managers and subpar teammates he was hardly our biggest problem.
Full of shit
I still remember shit like MY CAPTAIN SHALL ALWAYS PLAY when he couldn't even play as a forward anymore and Van Gaal tried to shoehorn him into midfield. Jesus christ.
He got to those numbers because he kept playing CONSTANTLY no matter what kind of PERFORMANCES he showed he was never DROPPED. He was so full of himself that he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.
Some of you just love rewriting history when it comes to your favorite players and completely ignoring how bad it truly was
 

Van Piorsing

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Can't even imagine how much good prime Rooney could do to our current attackers. Everyone he played with had that additional boost from his aggressive style, vision and push for goal - Tevez, Van Nistelrooy, Saha, Van Persie and yes - young Ronaldo too.

United legend in good sense of the word and who knows maybe it's not over of his United adventure. Rejoining as part of staff could be on the books if he'll progress as manager / coach further. Maybe someday.
 

Foxbatt

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Every player comes to the end of their careers in top class. Rooney's came once SAF ended as manager.
Nothing wrong in saying that he was a top world class player at his peak.
 

Idxomer

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He was ok at best in 14/15 and awful in 15/16 bar a few games, he was outperformed by two teenagers in the latter season.
 

Tom Van Persie

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He was ok at best in 14/15 and awful in 15/16 bar a few games, he was outperformed by two teenagers in the latter season.
IIRC he was good towards the end of the 14/15 season when we were pushing for top four and yeah he was poor in that 15/16 season. I remember him putting in some terrible performances and getting quite a lot of stick and Neville defending him like mad on MNF. Funny that he was still starting for England in the Euros in 2016.
 

Van Piorsing

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Full of shit
I still remember shit like MY CAPTAIN SHALL ALWAYS PLAY when he couldn't even play as a forward anymore and Van Gaal tried to shoehorn him into midfield. Jesus christ.
He got to those numbers because he kept playing CONSTANTLY no matter what kind of PERFORMANCES he showed he was never DROPPED. He was so full of himself that he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.
Some of you just love rewriting history when it comes to your favorite players and completely ignoring how bad it truly was
I remember that too. Team was of course in deep need of rebuild (as always), but Louie clearly pushed every responsibility on Wayne in that time.

Almost same thing he did to Schweinsteiger when everyone knew the chap was attacked by form dips plus injuries and Bayern simply knew when to get rid. Then when Schweini simply gave up and start looking for a new club, Louie jumped on him telling how disappointed he is.

That's just bad management through harsh decisions. Telling Rafael to f*ck off to give us football genius in Darmian is still a haunting nightmare from LvG era.
 

Frank White

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I remember that too. Team was of course in deep need of rebuild (as always), but Louie clearly pushed every responsibility on Wayne in that time.

Almost same thing he did to Schweinsteiger when everyone knew the chap was attacked by form dips plus injuries and Bayern simply knew when to get rid. Then when Schweini simply gave up and start looking for a new club, Louie jumped on him telling how disappointed he is.

That's just bad management through harsh decisions. Telling Rafael to f*ck off to give us football genius in Darmian is still a haunting nightmare from LvG era.
Just took a trip down memory lane to see some of the teams he played in towards the end and jesus christ they're a thing of nightmares some of them. So to say people wanted Rooney to play regardless of performances going off of the players available in some of them teams I wouldn't blame them :lol: even a crocked Rooney was better than the shower of shite on some of them teams.
 

Strootman's Finger

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Except he wasn't really really awful. He was in teams who were consisting of garbage like Lingard and Depay, what did you expect of him? At times he was our best CM despite never being one in his career.
He was beyond awful, he was detrimental to how the entire team played. He got slow, and he got cowardly. The two things that made him the player he was were gone, nothing left.
 

Van Piorsing

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Just took a trip down memory lane to see some of the teams he played in towards the end and jesus christ they're a thing of nightmares some of them. So to say people wanted Rooney to play regardless of performances going off of the players available in some of them teams I wouldn't blame them :lol: even a crocked Rooney was better than the shower of shite on some of them teams.
This is interesting topic on it's own, because When Mourinho stepped in, he slowly let Rooney go, but in the same time opted for even older Zlatan, but then again Zlatan returned for a short time a needed mindset and leadership to win something.

If only Rooney had Giggsy's health to play football, think United could have a decent chance to win more trophies after 2014. Still can't require much more from him, he did absolute best for the club on the pitch. Legend in so many regards.
 

Foxbatt

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Full of shit
I still remember shit like MY CAPTAIN SHALL ALWAYS PLAY when he couldn't even play as a forward anymore and Van Gaal tried to shoehorn him into midfield. Jesus christ.
He got to those numbers because he kept playing CONSTANTLY no matter what kind of PERFORMANCES he showed he was never DROPPED. He was so full of himself that he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.
Some of you just love rewriting history when it comes to your favorite players and completely ignoring how bad it truly was
That he became shit is something no one is disputing. He was terrible in his last two years. But he pulled out a blinder in the FA Cup Final against CP. The fact that he was brilliant in his career at United is something no one can deny.
 

Jeppers7

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That's a ridiculous comment. Rooney was way better then Ronaldo. Ronaldo wasn't that great the first 3 years. He was all show and no product.

Even at Sporting Ronaldo wasn't that great. He was just a bunch of tricks. While Rooney was influencing games at Everton.

When we first got Rooney the hype around him was incredible. They weren't calling him the white Pele for nothing. Ronaldo just didn't have that hype. He was a skinny boy who wanted to do stepovers. I understood Ruud's frustration with him. He just didn't have that football brain that Rooney has. Granted Ronaldo worked his socks of to become what he did. However I felt that if Rooney even put in half the work Ronaldo did he would of been better than Ronaldo, close to Messi.

Rooney was naturally talented. You could tell how he played. Ronaldo has a work ethic like no other. It didn't come natural and that's why he has a robotic style about him.
Ronaldo won our player of the year award in 03/04 and was the catalyst behind our FA Cup win never mind influencing the odd league game. Ronaldo was brilliant in us winning a trophy at 18. Your comments around Sporting are ridiculous. He was so good every big club in Europe was after him. He was so good that he ripped our entire team apart in a similar nature to that which caused Rooney to resort to kicking him in the air, in a similar nature to that which helped us get past Arsenal in the FA Cup semi and win the final with ease, and which saw him win player of the year in 03/04.

As for Rooney and hype it was incredible, he was never going to be Pele, would it have been had he been Portuguese?

Perhaps I’m wrong and you and many other Rooney fans are right. Perhaps Rooney was better than Messi, perhaps he was the second coming of Pele. Perhaps Ronaldo was the second coming of Gary Neville who just made the most of his talent through hard work?

It probably is just coincidence that I felt Rooney was more on the level of great players like Scholes and Becks when I first saw him than Zidane or Ronaldinho. Perhaps it’s pure coincidence and obviously merely graft above talent that took Ronaldo beyond a Gary Neville type make the best of your robotic talent to GOAT level player.

It’s pure luck that my assessment of both players and their ceilings was absolutely spot on back then.
 
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Jeppers7

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I mean you're clinging to this poor argument like it's some kind of gospel - even if Sir Alex felt that way, he would have been wrong (as he happened to be about several things) concerning those players at that age. Rooney was very obviously better at a young age, with an impact on the team and a capacity to drive and create fear that Ronaldo didn't have yet - there were flashes of brilliance and of what was to come, but his consecration came much later.
It is gospel and it isn’t a poor argument. How was he wrong? He felt Ronaldo would go on to become the best player in the world. Unless you want to hide behind a paper thin argument of Messi. Sir Alex was spot on. He simply saw the talent level.

You and many are missing the point. Gary Neville outperformed Ronaldo in 04/05 but he was not a better player than him. Rooney was a great player but he was never a better player than Ronaldo in terms of ability or potential. He outperformed him early in their careers but Ronaldo had the talent to get to levels that Rooney couldn’t and wouldn’t.

Also Rooney was a very streaky player from 18 to retirement. He averaged about 15 goals a season and scored in patches.
 

Rooney in Paris

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Perhaps I’m wrong and you and many other Rooney fans are right. Perhaps Rooney was better than Messi, perhaps he was the second coming of Pele. Perhaps Ronaldo was the second coming of Gary Neville who just made the most of his talent through hard work?
You have basic comprehension problems mate.
 

Jeppers7

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You have basic comprehension problems mate.
Do you want to respond like an adult instead of a child. The poster I replied to said all of which I responded to. If you haven’t got anything to add don’t bother responding to posts.
 

Foxbatt

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No one who saw them and understood football would think that a teenage Ronaldo was better than a teenage Rooney.
The fact that Ronaldo later became one of the best in the world is something no one would doubt either. The record shows it.
 

Rooney in Paris

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Do you want to respond like an adult instead of a child. The poster I replied to said all of which I responded to. If you haven’t got anything to add don’t bother responding to posts.
You're twisting people's points, and brought in Neville for some odd reason. I think the overwhelming response (in fact, unanimous I believe?) has shown you were mistaken about your appreciation of them as young players. Of course Ronaldo's career is overall better, no one would dispute that, but during the early stages, that was not the case.

Also, SAF believing from the start (got a link?) that CR would become the best in the world isn't the zinger you think it is - it only goes to show literally what he says, that he would become the best. It has no bearing on what they were at the time.
 

Jeppers7

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You're twisting people's points, and brought in Neville for some odd reason. I think the overwhelming response (in fact, unanimous I believe?) has shown you were mistaken about your appreciation of them as young players. Of course Ronaldo's career is overall better, no one would dispute that, but during the early stages, that was not the case.

Also, SAF believing from the start (got a link?) that CR would become the best in the world isn't the zinger you think it is - it only goes to show literally what he says, that he would become the best. It has no bearing on what they were at the time.
Yeah no worries...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...-Sir-Alex-told-Ronaldo-best-player-world.html

https://www.givemesport.com/1308758...id-to-him-about-cristiano-ronaldo-in-2004/amp

It speaks a lot of the ability he had regardless of being outperformed by lesser players. As for this thing on work ethic...Ronaldo was ultra professional but you don’t flick a switch like Ronaldo did in 06 on the back of hard work. The switch is the natural ability coming to the fore when a young player matures. Hard work brings gradual gains. Not instant transformation.
 
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2cents

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09/10 Rooney would be the ideal CF for us right now I think.
 

EtH

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It is gospel and it isn’t a poor argument. How was he wrong? He felt Ronaldo would go on to become the best player in the world. Unless you want to hide behind a paper thin argument of Messi. Sir Alex was spot on. He simply saw the talent level.

You and many are missing the point. Gary Neville outperformed Ronaldo in 04/05 but he was not a better player than him. Rooney was a great player but he was never a better player than Ronaldo in terms of ability or potential. He outperformed him early in their careers but Ronaldo had the talent to get to levels that Rooney couldn’t and wouldn’t.

Also Rooney was a very streaky player from 18 to retirement. He averaged about 15 goals a season and scored in patches.
You are talking absolute nonsense.
 

Jeppers7

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You are talking absolute nonsense.
Do you want to expand on that ? Do you feel SAF was wrong ? Do you feel that Ronaldo did not go on to prove he was levels above Rooney ? Are you disputing that Rooney scored in streaks and had periods every season where he wasnt scoring ? Are you yet another sheep who felt Rooney was the white Pele when he was nothing like ? He was a great player to the extent that Scholes, Becks, Giggs etc were but he was no more than that at all. Ronaldo is GOAT level talent which, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks because they were evidently wrong, I could tell from his debut onwards.
 

Jeppers7

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Not within the context of the debate we're having here, though. That's the entire point.
Rooney was a lesser player than Ronaldo. Only Rooney fans in a United forum will ever claim otherwise. Ronaldo is hall of fame. Rooney is united hall of fame.
 

EtH

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Do you want to expand on that ? Do you feel SAF was wrong ? Do you feel that Ronaldo did not go on to prove he was levels above Rooney ? Are you disputing that Rooney scored in streaks and had periods every season where he wasnt scoring ? Are you yet another sheep who felt Rooney was the white Pele when he was nothing like ? He was a great player to the extent that Scholes, Becks, Giggs etc were but he was no more than that at all. Ronaldo is GOAT level talent which, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks because they were evidently wrong, I could tell from his debut onwards.
I replied to you in detail on the last page and you ignored it. Why are you bleating on about Ronaldo in this thread ?

Go to any one of the active Ronaldo threads, FFS.
 

Jeppers7

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Again, completely missing the point.
Not really….in isolation you could say that but this post is not in isolation it has context. The context being as I have already stated

1. At 18 despite being inconsistent, on his best days he displayed the ability to tear teams apart, including United and Everton.

2.At the same age he was the driving force in united winning the fa cup, in a team of excellent players (also had a big impact on Portugal getting to euros final)

3.SAF believed Ronaldo had the talent that would make him the best player in the world.

4.Ronaldo’s transformation in terms of end product was the flick of a switch, not gradual progress because that natural talent had always been evident even if widely ignored by the media.

5. You can outperform somebody without being a better player than them and whilst most saw performances and based a judgement of ability on one player simply being more mature. I saw talent and Rooney was never as talented. Rooney was the sum of his parts at 18.

In any case I’ll leave it here and let you lot believe that Rooney was the second coming of Pele and better than Messi, Maradona and Best but simply didn’t put the work in.
 

Jeppers7

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I replied to you in detail on the last page and you ignored it. Why are you bleating on about Ronaldo in this thread ?

Go to any one of the active Ronaldo threads, FFS.
:lol: Go and read page 1,2,3 of this thread. Or is it just pro Ronaldo comments you take issue with?
 

Jeppers7

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I replied to you in detail on the last page and you ignored it. Why are you bleating on about Ronaldo in this thread ?

Go to any one of the active Ronaldo threads, FFS.
I got to metatarsal and stopped reading. So now Rooney would have been Pele if not for that injury? How many other excuses do you want for him not becoming a player he was never going to be. The reason he looked so good at 18 was that he was the sum of his parts at 18 which is extremely rare, but he never looked more talented than Scholes to me so I didn’t see him going on to become one of the best players who ever lived….which he didn’t. He was a brilliant player non the less, just as is true with Scholes. Absolutely brilliant players.