MERGED: Rooney signs new contract!

Spoony

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Fair enough, relating to the commerce and image side of it, it made good sense. But it's a case of biding our time. It's only time before another pops up. Rooney's just one of many the clubs had. But this was peculiar moment for the club where I guess the player leaving would have hurt the image greatly.

Also, I don't believe the above relates to one needing the other more. It's just that every club goes through cycles and in this particular one, we're rebuilding and hence it makes sense to hold on to your aces. It's just sensationalist to say that.
I think he would've gone had Ronaldo been at the club. I'm not sure our sponsors and marketing men would be happy to see United without a 'marquee' player. Yes, it's pretty sad but that's the game at the top level.
 

jojojo

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I was chatting to a Barcelona fan the other day. Last week, Messi responded to a question about other clubs with a, "the future, no one knows." Yet the thing that strikes you about that, is just how few clubs a player like Messi could actually go it without it being a step down.

It struck me that it's a lot easier for a player like Robben, Villa or even Zlatan to move - to clubs that can pay the wages, and have aspirations, rather than having to stick with those who have (recent and past) history as well - yet they haven't moved far. They stayed with old money.

Now I don't rank Rooney in the same bracket as a player as Messi but in terms of the overall package of player, global marketing weight and P.R name recognition he's right up there.
 

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Tottenham’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto Rips Into "Dirty Prostitute Shagger" Rooney

ekotto.jpgTottenham Hotspur defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto, best known for his laid-back, "couldn't give a f**k, tbh" approach to professional football, has laid into his Premier League peers, singling Wayne Rooney out for special attention as a "dirty prostitute shagger."

Ekotto recently told French football magazine So Foot:

The tendency in football at the moment is that as long as you're not a prostitute shagger then it's OK, it's no big deal.

Wayne's not very well and it's a dirty thing for his wife to know he had relations with a prostitute. He was seeing the same bird for seven months.

"Wayne's not very well"? Apparently Benoit has given Rooney the benefit of the doubt and put his infidelity down to some sort of mysterious mental illness.

Cameroon international Ekotto delivered more musings on modern football during the interview, underlining that his involvement in the game is a lifestyle choice rather than a passion:

I understood from a very early age that it didn't interest me to work in an office for 1,000 euros a month, see the same faces every day and work 45 years to buy a house. That's a rather sad life.

I was gifted at sports and quickly tried to find a cushy number. And today I have a great job. I work a maximum of two hours a day and I do it to make money, like anybody else in the world.

The 26-year-old full-back continues:

The whole problem with football players is that they really take themselves seriously. We kick a ball around and we earn 100,000, 200,000 or even 300,000 euros a week. We don't improve the world. It's not like we invented hot water. We just kick a ball.

But sometimes when these guys go out, you'd think they were rock stars.

I could understand that you wear dark glasses at night time when you do open-heart surgery and save lives, but not if you're a footballer.

I'm not in the same world as most of the people in football. I really don't like this world.

Ekotto wouldn't be a proper footballer if his statements weren't laced with hypocrisy — The Spoiler is almost positive we've seen a picture of him clad in sunglasses and fur coat (in the middle of the night) — but it's refreshing to hear such a frank and honest opinion from a Premier League footballer, no?

This post, written by Richard Gilzene, is republished with permission from The Spoiler. Go there often if you like soccer stuff.

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@deadspin.com

Now that is unwarranted. A bit part player to comment on the exploits of a player of another club.
 

amolbhatia50k

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I think he would've gone had Ronaldo been at the club. I'm not sure our sponsors and marketing men would be happy to see United without a 'marquee' player. Yes, it's pretty sad but that's the game at the top level.
Agree with this. I think we've made a decision which we were cornered into in a way, looking at the larger scheme of things. If this was 2008 and we had THAT squad, Rooney would have been booted out. Then again he'd be an even bigger spastic to claim a lack of ambition despite being in the best team in the world.
 

Escobar

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nice little jibe at all the workers who spend most of their money on tickets to watch their team play.
 

Kelvin

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Man City Still Chase £60m Wayne Rooney Despite New Contract

Manchester City are reportedly set to make a £60 million move for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, despite the 25-year-old star recently signing a new five year deal at the club.

Manchester City have not given up hope of securing a deal for Rooney, hoping the strained relationship between Rooney, his manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United fans will force issues that lead to his exit from Old Trafford.

Weeks ago, Rooney looked certain to depart Manchester United after stating the club did not meet his ambitions, but Ferguson managed to convince the England international that he should remain at the club.

Promises of additional transfer funds from the owners helped Rooney make his decision, but reports suggest that Rooney is still isolated at the club and is still far from being forgiven by his teammates and the Manchester United supporters.

Many have referenced the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract months before leaving Old Trafford for Real Madrid. Recent performances in both domestic and European competitions have suggested Manchester United can cope without the presence of Wayne Rooney, who has been lacking form for several months.

Manchester City are reportedly keen to bring in more big name signings to push for a title challenge – something that seems out of their reach at present. Speculation suggests that Rooney tops the list of potential transfer targets for the Eastlands outfit. If they set their sights on him, the sum of money that would be involved in the transfer may prove too much for Manchester United to refuse.

Man City Still Chase £60m Wayne Rooney Despite New Contract
here we go again :rolleyes:
 

jojojo

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Many have referenced the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract months before leaving Old Trafford for Real Madrid.
Ronaldo signed a new contract in March 2007 and left in June 2009 - so yes, it was months, but it was 27 of them.

I've still seen no rational explanation for the idea that Rooney might have signed so United could get a better price for him. Of course if I was feeling sufficiently Machiavellian, I could assume United re-signed him, but always intended to sell and just didn't tell Rooney/Stretford that. Don't see it though.
 

Rednails

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After all the negative press reports from the Dubai trip, today's tabloid headlines about the neighbors complaining about the Rooneys chav birthday party for Kai and finally after seeing that he is going to be the giant guy on the biggest bonfire on Nov 5th, I can see him moving abroad.

Wayne Rooney to burn on bonfire - Telegraph
 

Devil may care

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We are going to be needing a fit and firing Rooney as the tougher games start to come thick and fast, hopefully things will settle down soon.
 

Number7

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Man City Still Chase £60m Wayne Rooney Despite New Contract

Manchester City are reportedly set to make a £60 million move for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, despite the 25-year-old star recently signing a new five year deal at the club.

Manchester City have not given up hope of securing a deal for Rooney, hoping the strained relationship between Rooney, his manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United fans will force issues that lead to his exit from Old Trafford.

Weeks ago, Rooney looked certain to depart Manchester United after stating the club did not meet his ambitions, but Ferguson managed to convince the England international that he should remain at the club.

Promises of additional transfer funds from the owners helped Rooney make his decision, but reports suggest that Rooney is still isolated at the club and is still far from being forgiven by his teammates and the Manchester United supporters.

Many have referenced the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract months before leaving Old Trafford for Real Madrid. Recent performances in both domestic and European competitions have suggested Manchester United can cope without the presence of Wayne Rooney, who has been lacking form for several months.

Manchester City are reportedly keen to bring in more big name signings to push for a title challenge – something that seems out of their reach at present. Speculation suggests that Rooney tops the list of potential transfer targets for the Eastlands outfit. If they set their sights on him, the sum of money that would be involved in the transfer may prove too much for Manchester United to refuse.

Man City Still Chase £60m Wayne Rooney Despite New Contract
here we go again :rolleyes:
Why do you even post this shit?

Surely you're bright enough to seperate reputable sources from the obvious bullshit?
 

jojojo

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After all the negative press reports from the Dubai trip, today's tabloid headlines about the neighbors complaining about the Rooneys chav birthday party for Kai and finally after seeing that he is going to be the giant guy on the biggest bonfire on Nov 5th, I can see him moving abroad.

Wayne Rooney to burn on bonfire - Telegraph
There's no point to him moving to Spain then - they always set fire to effigies of players, politicians etc at fiestas.

 

Devil_forever

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Ronaldo signed a new contract in March 2007 and left in June 2009 - so yes, it was months, but it was 27 of them.

I've still seen no rational explanation for the idea that Rooney might have signed so United could get a better price for him. Of course if I was feeling sufficiently Machiavellian, I could assume United re-signed him, but always intended to sell and just didn't tell Rooney/Stretford that. Don't see it though.
Here's my theory:

What if City had submitted a bid, which we accepted and agreed to a transfer in the summer but got Rooney to sign a new contract, just to kill the saga off in the media, with Rooney knowing full well that the transfer will go through because otherwise I can't see Rooney agreeing to sign a contract whereby he puts his destiny straight back in the club's hands. It might explain why SAF was so sure that the saga would be put to bed, why he said that they were meeting the owners and why Rooney did that ridiculous U-turn in the space of 2 days. The reason why I'm inclined to give this some credence is the fact that I can't see SAF putting up with anyone who would question him so publically.

Anyone else agree or am I completely off?
 

NextSeason

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Here's my theory:

What if City had submitted a bid, which we accepted and agreed to a transfer in the summer but got Rooney to sign a new contract, just to kill the saga off in the media, with Rooney knowing full well that the transfer will go through because otherwise I can't see Rooney agreeing to sign a contract whereby he puts his destiny straight back in the club's hands. It might explain why SAF was so sure that the saga would be put to bed, why he said that they were meeting the owners and why Rooney did that ridiculous U-turn in the space of 2 days. The reason why I'm inclined to give this some credence is the fact that I can't see SAF putting up with anyone who would question him so publically.

Anyone else agree or am I completely off?
Your completely off. We would never accept a bid from City for our best player.
 

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that seems the most plausible explanation except he handled it very poorly, most likely because of terrible advice by his agent.
My take exactly. His agent probably told him not to worry, trust him and all that, do as he says and he'll get him a great contract. I do believe Rooney never realised how far it will all go.
 

golden_blunder

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto, best known for his laid-back, “couldn’t give a f**k, tbh” approach to professional football, has laid into his Premier League peers; singling Wayne Rooney out for special attention as a ‘dirty prostitute shagger’.

Ekotto recently told French football magazine So Foot:

The tendency in football at the moment is that as long as you’re not a prostitute shagger then it’s OK, it’s no big deal.

Wayne’s not very well and it’s a dirty thing for his wife to know he had relations with a prostitute. He was seeing the same bird for seven months.
“Wayne’s not very well”? Apparently Benoit has given Rooney the benefit of the doubt and put his infidelity down to some sort of mysterious mental illness.

:lol:
 

phelans shorts

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto, best known for his laid-back, “couldn’t give a f**k, tbh” approach to professional football, has laid into his Premier League peers; singling Wayne Rooney out for special attention as a ‘dirty prostitute shagger’.

Ekotto recently told French football magazine So Foot:



“Wayne’s not very well”? Apparently Benoit has given Rooney the benefit of the doubt and put his infidelity down to some sort of mysterious mental illness.

:lol:
I think that was lost in translation, probably saying something like he must have mental issues to do such a thing, mental issues not as in illness but more to do with a lack of respect.
 

Escobar

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It all looks like a negotiating ploy. I'd say Rooney had no intention of leaving Man Utd and his agent hyped it up to get more like £200k/week than £150k/week.
by now, I agree with that. I assumed that Rooney tried to play hard ball and put pressure on United, threatening them to leave the club if they dont match his demands. After a while, Fergie got all pissed off and made that press conference, putting all the pressure back on Rooney. Et voila, he crumbles, and a new deal is signed within days. The Rooney press conference and his concerns about us not being good enough or not buying top players was just an attempt to not look like a money hungry twat... which obviously failed pretty bad.
 

Woodzy

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Isn't he the same player that he doesn't even like football, and that he only plays it 'cos he's decent at it?
 

Sparky_Hughes

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Whilst I stll think he will be gone in the summer I dont belive he is daft enough to move to city, they could offer him £500000 a week and most of it would need to be spent on security!
 

B Cantona

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I can't believe how my feelings on Rooney have changed in such a short space of time

It was such a fecking own goal, and all probably due to wanting to get a few more quid

It's just killed it for me, I don't care about him one bit, part of me wishes he had left now

I just can't get my head round how it was worth it for him?
 

EricaNo7

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I can't believe how my feelings on Rooney have changed in such a short space of time

It was such a fecking own goal, and all probably due to wanting to get a few more quid

It's just killed it for me, I don't care about him one bit, part of me wishes he had left now

I just can't get my head round how it was worth it for him?
have to agree with you entirely here, brad
 

FreakyJim

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I wish he'd left but as it seems we cannot afford to lose a big name player like him.

Club bigger than player times are long gone.
 

OneUnited24

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My take exactly. His agent probably told him not to worry, trust him and all that, do as he says and he'll get him a great contract. I do believe Rooney never realised how far it will all go.
Come off it, at the end of the day no matter how much a agent wants to force a issue its the players decision to give the go ahead. I doubt that statement was published without him at least giving it a once over, or in his case another advisior to read it to him and explain what it means. Maybe he did just do it as a ploy but seriously all he had to do was release a statement saying he wants to leave and wishes the club luck, not "i want to leave because i have question marks over the ambition of this club".

Seriously part of me just wished he had left
 

Donut

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I can't believe how my feelings on Rooney have changed in such a short space of time

It was such a fecking own goal, and all probably due to wanting to get a few more quid

It's just killed it for me, I don't care about him one bit, part of me wishes he had left now

I just can't get my head round how it was worth it for him?
I feel the same, but this could all change quickly once he starts banging them in again. Football fans are fickle and all that...
 

Pogue Mahone

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The biggest mistake was fans (myself included) kidding themselves the new breed of young footballers could ever be as loyal as Giggs, Neville and Scholes. The game has changed completely. They were one of a kind.

As fans we can keep on supporting every player that pulls on a shirt or we can beat ourselves up about the precise motivation behind every player that signs a new contract and exactly how long we can hold onto them if/when they get offered stupid money from a sugar daddy at another club.

I know what I'll be doing. Appreciating every last day that Giggs, Scholes and Neville keep playing, while making damn sure I don't start kidding myself about what is motivating their team-mates to keep on playing for Manchester United. I'll be supporting the shirt, not the talented yet self-absorbed young millionaires who happen to be wearing it.
 

Denis' cuff

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Come off it, at the end of the day no matter how much a agent wants to force a issue its the players decision to give the go ahead. I doubt that statement was published without him at least giving it a once over, or in his case another advisior to read it to him and explain what it means. Maybe he did just do it as a ploy but seriously all he had to do was release a statement saying he wants to leave and wishes the club luck, not "i want to leave because i have question marks over the ambition of this club".

Seriously part of me just wished he had left
you only have to look at the time Rio merked him with the pet's home prank. Rooney couldn't wipe his arse without consulting "Paul". I'd say he was led into it but honestly don't see much diff between this and Keane/Rio's wrangle with contract issues
 

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Latest rumour doing the local rounds is that Rooney scarpered to Fergie's for a week when the Jen T story broke. Apparently Rooney always wanted to stay and Fergie has used him to get funds out of the Glazers - after all, SAF couldn't go back on his "no value" and "they've always backed me" crap could he?