Touche mon ami .. touche !Haha cheeky, it's true though. Seems a bit ridiculous you don't have a statue of paisley outside Anfield but you had one of Moyes for a while
Does Rooney deserve a statue?
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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?
Much as I respect your opinion mate Ruud wouldn't have taken 10 years, he was a 2 in 3 man so circa 7.
Well it wasn't really an opinion mate so much as fact. Or what i thought was fact i made a mistake in my last post, was thinking Ruud was at United for 6 years but it was only 5. So he actually averaged 30 goals a season over 5 years.
This is my opinion on it, Ruud left at 30 so i doubt if he had stayed until he was 35 he would have still averaged 30 goals a season until that age. On the same token had we signed him 5 years earlier than we did at 20 i still doubt he would have been averaging 30 a season from that age.
Now if we signed him at 20-22 and he stayed 10 years i have no doubt he would have broken the record but not by a mountain of goals. And that was my main point a top striker like Ruud or Shearer etc. would have broken the record given ten years. But not just any old striker, Cole and Hughes played here for 8-9 years and never came close to breaking the record. And i rate both those players highly, it really is an amazing achievement for Rooney to have scored 250 goals for us in 500+ games.
It's relevant to the people holding up things outside of on-pitch action
I see very few people mentioning Rooney's private life. I do see you repeatedly pointing out Best was an alcoholic(as well as the other unpleasant remarks).
Interested to know why Best being an alcohol would have anything to do with a statue decision. Are you attaching some sort of more judgement to the condition?
Of course it's a minority. The rest of us aren't pedantic.
I'm trying to look at this as objectively as possible because, right now, when I think of Rooney I think of a player who is milking the club.
Thinking back though, he is one of the longest serving United players in modern history. Many fans like to beat him with two sticks:
1. The first transfer saga where he questioned the club's ambition
2. His last contract renewal.
Looking at each of these, I can't really blame him.
For 1 above, we had just lost the best player in the world IIRC and replaced him with the likes of Obertan and Valencia. As our top player at the time, he had every right to question the club's ambition.
For 2 above, I think we all have very short memories. The Moyes season (that is the one he renewed in) was one of the worst seasons in the club's history on the football field all things considered. Rooney was our best player that season IMO. From his own perspective, he could've easily moved to a club with a much rosier future. The truth is, at that point in time we needed him more than he needed us. His contract reflected that.
Now reading through this site, there's quite a few modern players put forward who supposedly deserve a statue before Rooney. Some examples include:
1. Ronaldo - a player who likened his employment by our club to that of a slave. A player who left just as he was hitting his peak.
2. Rio - a player who was getting tapped up by Chelsea while playing for us.
3. Vidic - our leader who jumped ship as soon as the going got tough (might I add the same season Rooney signed a new contract and stuck by the club).
I've included these three players as they are widely considered much more popular than Rooney. On the facts though, Rooney has done so much more for this club than any one of them. I'm not quite sure why we're so harsh on Rooney. I'm guilty of it myself. But out of all the modern players, I actually feel he deserves a statue more than any others. After all, he is actually the only one of the key SAF players who stuck around.
Thinking back though, he is one of the longest serving United players in modern history. Many fans like to beat him with two sticks:
1. The first transfer saga where he questioned the club's ambition
2. His last contract renewal.
Looking at each of these, I can't really blame him.
For 1 above, we had just lost the best player in the world IIRC and replaced him with the likes of Obertan and Valencia. As our top player at the time, he had every right to question the club's ambition.
For 2 above, I think we all have very short memories. The Moyes season (that is the one he renewed in) was one of the worst seasons in the club's history on the football field all things considered. Rooney was our best player that season IMO. From his own perspective, he could've easily moved to a club with a much rosier future. The truth is, at that point in time we needed him more than he needed us. His contract reflected that.
Now reading through this site, there's quite a few modern players put forward who supposedly deserve a statue before Rooney. Some examples include:
1. Ronaldo - a player who likened his employment by our club to that of a slave. A player who left just as he was hitting his peak.
2. Rio - a player who was getting tapped up by Chelsea while playing for us.
3. Vidic - our leader who jumped ship as soon as the going got tough (might I add the same season Rooney signed a new contract and stuck by the club).
I've included these three players as they are widely considered much more popular than Rooney. On the facts though, Rooney has done so much more for this club than any one of them. I'm not quite sure why we're so harsh on Rooney. I'm guilty of it myself. But out of all the modern players, I actually feel he deserves a statue more than any others. After all, he is actually the only one of the key SAF players who stuck around.
Being from NI I'm a big GB fan
The point is GB did a lot worse in his life and is still held up as a club legend. Yet Rooney gets stick from his own club supporters and play down his achievements
When he wins the Ballon d'Or
Actually they are not just a minority, the haters are a tiny, irrelevant minority. And their problem is that Rooney is a scouse, nothing else. They don't really care about Rooney wanting to leave... it's just an excuse, these people wanted Rooney to leave since the day he arrived because he is a scouse. If "leaving" was an actual factor, they'd have a much bigger problem with Pogba... who ACTUALLY LEFT, and we had to PAY 90 MILLION to get him back! And yet, nobody complains about Pogba... but some guys still complain about Rooney "threatening" to leave!!! It's silly! Wage negotiations are wage negotiations, it's nothing new or exceptional. It is only an excuse for some haters, nothing else.
Anyway, Man Utd is now a GLOBAL brand. There are millions of fans. The vast majority of them don't care about "scouse", they don't even know what it means and why it is "important" (hint: it isn't!). They don't care about "threatening to leave" or contract negotiations. They DO care about our ALL-TIME top scorer. In ten years, Rooney will be more famous than he is now! In 20 years his record will seem eternal!
And he will get a statue, definitely! It is important for our GLOBAL BRAND to recognize the ALL-TIME scorer! A statue is marketing, and GOALS are the essence of football.
You are right!
And you forgot:
4. Pogba. Who actually left. Because he wasn't playing at 17 or 18 years old... can you believe it? And he wasn't here to help us the previous 3 years that we needed midfielders. And we actually paid a shitload of money to bring him back!...
Amazing, isn't it?
Well... Pogba isn't a scouse. That's the only explanation.
'Does Rooney deserve a statue of nick?'
That's the thing, a statue isn't marketing, it's one of the rare thing that you do because you mean it. And no one asked for a statue of Pogba.
A big fan but repeatedly likes to point out Best was an alcoholic for some reason. You obviously think having a drink problem is morally wrong. An unpleasant way to look at a condition. Would you talk of depression (he also suffered with) in the same way.
He didn't walk out on United, he retired from football. A world away from flirting with another club to get more millions.
As I said before though, very few people have cited Rooney's personal life. You're the only poster I've seen who repeatedly brings up stuff like this.
@nick2004 The more you write the more im convinced you are Paul Stretford.
Then you should read the thread again
And he didn't retire, he played football again for several teams
The clue is in the "2004"
When he left it was with the intention of retiring from football. That tells you the state of mind he was in at the time. To use that against him as a negative along with alcohol addiction is poor form. I'll leave it there to not derail the thread.
Rooneys record is fabulous so I'm not taking anything away from him.
Other players would have scored more goals if they had stayed the same time...some of the ratios of Van Nistelrooy, Taylor and Viollet were outstanding.
In fact Jack Rowley scored over 250 but some weren't included because they were wartime. He lost 7 years of goalscoring and would have scored over 300.
Rooney may well get a statue in the future...who knows...but comparing him to players loved by virtually everyone is not like for like.
Other players would have scored more goals if they had stayed the same time...some of the ratios of Van Nistelrooy, Taylor and Viollet were outstanding.
In fact Jack Rowley scored over 250 but some weren't included because they were wartime. He lost 7 years of goalscoring and would have scored over 300.
Rooney may well get a statue in the future...who knows...but comparing him to players loved by virtually everyone is not like for like.
Crouch was taller. And he had more hair. And if he had been at United and if he had stayed here for 20 years, he would have scored 300 goals, more than Rooney. And he would be worth a statue, taller than Rooney's!
Club and Country top goal scorer, and no one knows how and when could his numbers be broken! Of course he deserves to be honored the way it should be.
I'd like to see this.
He’d have a statue at any other club in the PL. Our standards for statues are pretty high but I wouldn’t be against it.
If he gets it there should be "They say he is a legend" quote written somewhere.
Statue hitting the ball in the bicycle kick
No. Flirting with City alone is enough to not warrant a statue.
Also, does it ever snow in LA? Does a Scouser get a statue outside Old Trafford? No.
Also, does it ever snow in LA? Does a Scouser get a statue outside Old Trafford? No.
Absolutely! Top goal scorer for club and country.
Won every single trophy available with the club, massively important player in our success during his time here.
Ticks every box for a statue. I vote for him in his celebration pose after the overhead kick (or the overhead kick itself.)
Won every single trophy available with the club, massively important player in our success during his time here.
Ticks every box for a statue. I vote for him in his celebration pose after the overhead kick (or the overhead kick itself.)
Not a chance he will get it. Keane, Scholes, Giggs all played at highest level for many years, we won't have enough space to fit all the players who deserve it.
Yes. He's our all-time top goalscorer.
Absolutely
Only if the statue comes with a recording of the whiskey commercial that plays everytime people go near it.
Yes. The pose right before he strikes the volley against Newcastle (one of my favorite United goals)
Sorry, but no. If Giggs and Scholes don't have one, he surely shouldn't have one especially before them and several other players from the last couple of decades
Keane, Giggsy and Scholsey deserve one before Rooney. Don’t forget he hold the club to ransome!
Footballer wants more money. Shock. Who wouldn’t want more money? I’m sure most people here have asked for a pay rise, and for footballers, the best way to do that is threaten a move to your rivals. Messi did it, and he’ll probably get 10 statues at Camp Nou when he finishes. Ramos did too. A club legend has leeway to push the boundaries a bit.
For me, he’s the top goalscorer of all time for us and England, and was part of the most successful period in our illustrious history. Get him a statue outside OT.
I don't care that he held the club to ransom. He deserves a statue. But yeah, how many players of ours deserves a statue? Unless you want the stadium grounds looking like the Pantheon, I'd find another way of honoring his contributions to the club.
He should ask City for a statue since he made them famous with that bicycle kick goal and he wanted to play for them also. We might as well give Tevez a statue too while we're at it. Just because you were a great player doesn't mean you deserve a statue outside Old Trafford.
You have to look at the person themselves. Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton. They were loyal to the bone, Icons. Alex Ferguson is almost seen as a god. They are Manchester United through and through. People like that deserve a statue. Paul Scholes deserves a Statue. Roy Keane deserves a statue. Eric Cantona most definitely deserves a statue. Wayne Rooney who would have played for Man City does not. I don't care how many goals he scored or how good a player he was. Loyalty is everything to football fans. You have to be a great player, a decent human being and you need to be United through and through. Evra deserves one ahead of him.
Weirdly, at first I would have said no as it wouldn't seem right for a variety of reasons that others have mentioned. However, for some reason the suggestion of a statue of Rooney in action, striking the ball on the volley or the overhead kick, makes perfect sense and feels completely right.
Why would he deserve a statue? A legend no doubt but not every legend gets a statue. If he gets one then Giggs and Scholes deserve one too.
The Tevez comparison is ridiculous because he played two seasons and actually did go to City. Saying Evra deserves one ahead of him is also plain stupid. Rooney had his faults, but Scholes once didn’t turn up for a game. Keano had to be locked up. Cantona booted a racist fan, rightly, but still, he could have handled it differently. Giggs was just horrid. Rio missed a drugs test. Humans make mistakes, although Giggs’ one was particularly bad.
These are all worse misdemeanours than threatening to go to City just to get a pay rise when he obviously wouldn’t have done anyway. Remember, he came round instantly when Giggs and Neville spoke to him the next day. At the end of the day, you can’t say off-the-field stuff should detract from him getting a statue when he only made one mistake and still stayed to become our outright top goalscorer. Only a few post-war legends iirc conducted themselves perfectly while at United, including the likes of Fergie, Busby, Sir Bobby, Edwards, Law and Robbo. Even the likes of Ronaldo angled to leave about 10 times.
For what Rooney did, he deserves a statue imo.