SSN: Rooney deal to D.C United agreed in principle

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AgentP

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That's a sad end to his Everton stay. He shoul have gone to MLS last year itself.
 

peridigm

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Honestly I'm really happy. I will go see DC play now!
When does the new stadium open? I've not watched DC in person since 2007. I used to attend 6-10 matches per year but RFK is a shithole and I stopped watching them altogether when they gave the job to Olsen.
 

idmanager

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It's very rare for a player as good as Rooney once was, and he was a special talent for a good few years, to be well into a decline by his late 20's and then totally finished by the time he's 30.
Really? Very rare? Torres? Kaka? Same era. And they were ballon dor podium finishers.
Probably very rare means a couple of top players every year
 

limerickcitykid

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Side track a little bit - Who's the best player in the MLS currently? Can Wayne go there and achieve it?
Giovinco, Bradley is massively important but I guess wouldn't say the best, David Villa, Miguel Almiron, and Jozef Martinez off the top of my head. Probably missing someone.

If he comes and plays up top he could potentially put in Robbie Keane like performances but if he plays midfield for a shit DC United then he probably won't do much.
 

elmo

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People bring up the 2012 season as evidence he wasn't declining but I really think he's been on an increasing decline (slow at first) since 2010/2011. Which is scary given he was only 25/26.

Rooney in 2006-10 was a completely different player, regardless of what role he was given. Physically he just started to go and that was a huge element of his success as a player.
His downfall started in the Bayern games in 09/10 to be honest, I think he rushed back from injury too soon and it was made worse when he played for England over the summer instead of recuperating properly. Coming back from the offseason overweight as usual, he probably wasn't in full fitness for over 6 months and it was just all downhill.
 

reddaz71

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Hes been finished for 7 years and done extremely well to milk millions off the back of his reputation in that time!
 
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The Bloody-Nine

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If he sees it as some kind of relaxing holiday to coast into retirement he's in for a shock. The fans will slaughter him.

Gerrard found it very tough.
 

Loublaze

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Really strange move for Wayne. Not in terms of moving to the MLS but going to DC United. Washington is nothing like going to LA or even New York and just not the sort of place I think will suit him at all.
Why do you think that? Washington is a great place to live especially if you're rich. The quality of life in DC is much higher than that in L.A, NY, Chicago and Miami. There are many better places to live in the US than the major cities. I don't think Rooney will be left wanting for anything in the DC area.
 
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Loublaze

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Side track a little bit - Who's the best player in the MLS currently? Can Wayne go there and achieve it?
Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron (both of Atlanta United) are the best players in the league right now and have the deadliest partnership. Miguel is a number 10 and Martinez is a no 9. Bradley Wright-Phillips is still one of the best players in the league as well. Rooney will struggle in the MLS and its not only because he's finished its also because DC United is currently one of the worst teams in the league. They are bottom of the eastern conference standings
 

RedB4ndiT

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Wow. If this goes through, I'll definitely watch my very first MLS game just to see Rooney. Then my next one will be Zlatan's team vs. Rooney's!
 

Chairman Steve

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I'm amazed he's already getting shipped out. I thought he'd get two seasons then go to the states but wow, even Everton want to palm him off.

Sir Alex was right back in 2013 when he seemingly wanted to sell him. The man has a sixth sense to know when a player should be let go.

Rooney is just not good enough anymore and really hasn't been for five years. It's mental how Moyes gave him that contract and LVG counted on him as one of his main players. It's funny how he seemingly never thought about getting into body conditioning even when around the likes of Giggs, Ronaldo, Ibra and Henrik Larsson. He'll be letting himself go in retirement a la Ricky Hatton.
 

devilish

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We talking about the same Rooney who holds the club goal scoring record?
He's also been here for a decade or so mostly when the club was at its heights in history. Before you speak about loyalty he kept the club in ransom twice.

Players with his potential should end up rubbish at 30-31 especially since he was well managed and barely ever suffered from career threatening injuries. The reason he's in this situation is because he didn't cared of himself.
 

maniwin

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10 goals in 31 appearances for Everton this season, not world beating but really not a bad return. You'd think from some of the comments here that Rooney was Johnny Vegas trying to play top flight football.

I think he'll do well in America, for a season or two.
His stats wasn't bad either in his later years with us , but this is one example how statistics can be the biggest lie. His overall ability has deteriorate so much till it disturbs the whole team. You need to watch him week in week out to realise that he is just stinking the place around whether he scored or not doesn't matter.
 
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Bastian

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I get that he wants to secure a final payday, but to join an MLS team that's just opening their new 400m stadium (yeah, read a bit) and have struggled for years and have a shite team the expectations will be quite huge and there is pretty much no way that he can deliver. What's his angle? Does he have a marketing scheme going on in the US?

What do people who actually watch the MLS think? Is the pace there like 20 times slower than in normal football? Will he have a 2 metre radius in which to operate?

And DC, he's not even getting a bit of sun.
 

wub1234

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I'm 100% sure that Rooney could stay at Everton if he really wanted to. He's just not willing to play for a paltry £50,000 per week. I'm sure Everton would keep him if they could get him on such a contract, but you can't expect Wazza to live off £2.6 million per year, minus tax, plus endorsements (so way more than £2.6 million per year).

I have no problem with footballers getting what they can get, but it makes me laugh when they claim to 'love' a club, or whatever. If Rooney truly loved Everton, he wouldn't have left them for United in the first place. No-one would blame him for doing that; he had a very successful career as a consequence. But don't pretend that you love Everton, it's ridiculous.
 

Gazza

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Really strange move for Wayne. Not in terms of moving to the MLS but going to DC United. Washington is nothing like going to LA or even New York and just not the sort of place I think will suit him at all.
Strange, apart from the weather in summer I’d have said the opposite. He maybe doesn’t want the flash or busyness of LA or NY.
 

Loublaze

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I get that he wants to secure a final payday, but to join an MLS team that's just opening their new 400m stadium (yeah, read a bit) and have struggled for years and have a shite team the expectations will be quite huge and there is pretty much no way that he can deliver. What's his angle? Does he have a marketing scheme going on in the US?

What do people who actually watch the MLS think? Is the pace there like 20 times slower than in normal football? Will he have a 2 metre radius in which to operate?

And DC, he's not even getting a bit of sun.
Its slower than PL football but its not as as slow as you might think. Right now the league is probably the most competitive its ever been. Zlatan and Schweingsteiger have actually struggled with the pace and the adaptation to the different pitches and conditions across the stadia in the league. Rooney shouldn't expect it to be a cakewalk. Most DC United fans would rather the club focused more on its academy and scouting networks and realize Rooney alone won't save them from mediocrity. He might sell tickets though but I don't expect anything like the hype and following Beckham got when he joined Galaxy years ago. DC gets way more sun than Manchester so it can't be that bad for him.
 
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Loublaze

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I'm 100% sure that Rooney could stay at Everton if he really wanted to. He's just not willing to play for a paltry £50,000 per week. I'm sure Everton would keep him if they could get him on such a contract, but you can't expect Wazza to live off £2.6 million per year, minus tax, plus endorsements (so way more than £2.6 million per year).

I have no problem with footballers getting what they can get, but it makes me laugh when they claim to 'love' a club, or whatever. If Rooney truly loved Everton, he wouldn't have left them for United in the first place. No-one would blame him for doing that; he had a very successful career as a consequence. But don't pretend that you love Everton, it's ridiculous.
Could be he just loves money and values personal gain more.
 

Bastian

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Its slower than PL football but its not as as slow as you might think. Right now the league is probably the most competitive its ever been. Zlatan and Schweingsteiger have actually struggled with the pace and the adaptation to the different pitches and conditions across the stadia in the league. Rooney shouldn't expect it to be a cakewalk. Most DC United fans would rather the club focused more on its academy and scouting networks and realize Rooney alone won't save them from mediocrity. He might sell tickets though but I don't expect anything like the hype and following Beckham got when he joined Galaxy years ago. DC gets way more sun than Manchester so it can't be that bad for him.
Thanks for that. Interesting what you say about the DC United fans, they're well informed then. I think Rooney is far from the level Zlatan's at. Zlatan has lost his pace but his quality is still there and he's got great physical strength, and most importantly, he's a professional. It would surprise me greatly if Rooney's move to the MLS would be anything other than an utter shambles.
 

limerickcitykid

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I'm 100% sure that Rooney could stay at Everton if he really wanted to. He's just not willing to play for a paltry £50,000 per week. I'm sure Everton would keep him if they could get him on such a contract, but you can't expect Wazza to live off £2.6 million per year, minus tax, plus endorsements (so way more than £2.6 million per year).

I have no problem with footballers getting what they can get, but it makes me laugh when they claim to 'love' a club, or whatever. If Rooney truly loved Everton, he wouldn't have left them for United in the first place. No-one would blame him for doing that; he had a very successful career as a consequence. But don't pretend that you love Everton, it's ridiculous.
How much do you think he'll be making in the MLS?
 

peridigm

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I get that he wants to secure a final payday, but to join an MLS team that's just opening their new 400m stadium (yeah, read a bit) and have struggled for years and have a shite team the expectations will be quite huge and there is pretty much no way that he can deliver. What's his angle? Does he have a marketing scheme going on in the US?

What do people who actually watch the MLS think? Is the pace there like 20 times slower than in normal football? Will he have a 2 metre radius in which to operate?

And DC, he's not even getting a bit of sun.
The pace is high because there are generally young athletic players in the league.

DC is hotter than hell and humid as feck in the summer. He will get plenty of vitamin D.
 

simonhch

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I get that he wants to secure a final payday, but to join an MLS team that's just opening their new 400m stadium (yeah, read a bit) and have struggled for years and have a shite team the expectations will be quite huge and there is pretty much no way that he can deliver. What's his angle? Does he have a marketing scheme going on in the US?

What do people who actually watch the MLS think? Is the pace there like 20 times slower than in normal football? Will he have a 2 metre radius in which to operate?

And DC, he's not even getting a bit of sun.
The MLS is a fast paced league, but the tactical sophistication, and technical quality is very poor. The playing surfaces and stadiums are usually very good quality. It’s like an upmarket version of League One or the Championship, in terms of quality. Some of the teams are shockingly poor.

If Rooney can be arsed, he’ll coast it in this league. I was watching Schweinsteiger play for the Fire a couple of weeks ago (at the stadium). The guy can barely run any more, he makes Juan Mata look like Usain Bolt; but he was still a cut above anyone else on the pitch. And his decline was as radical and comparable as Rooney’s. He just dropped off a cliff when he joined United. People forget that this is a league where an aged Robbie Keane was amongst the most feared players, and Bradley Wright-Phillips was top scorer. A 32 year old Rooney isn’t going to struggle with the quality. The heat maybe, but definitely not the quality or the physicality.

This is how I imagine it will prove with Rooney. For all the hate he gets on this forum, he still has an excellent football brain, good movement, a nice passing range, a decent shot, and by MLS standards, exceptional technical ability.

I prefer to remember his time here with great affection. He was part of one of the best teams we’ve ever had. His work rate and team work was exceptional. He was really the key to giving Ronaldo the license to become the free roaming monster he became.

He has unequivocally declined quite startlingly but it’s not that surprising given he was playing first team football since he was 16. People pile the hate on Rooney, but it’s not his fault the club gave him such a ridiculous extension. What was he supposed to do? Refuse it?

People who think he can’t cut it in the MLS are bonkers. They are both ridiculously exaggerating his decline and hilariously overestimating the quality of MLS. Any DC player, or the player of any MLS club is going to be excited at the prospect of playing with one of the true legends of the game. They’ll learn a lot from him. The guy has done it all and seen it all. You don’t finish your career as the all time top scorer for Manchester United and England, unless you were a brilliant player who had a brilliant career.

Candidly, the agenda of some of the fans on here against him is fecking pathetic (I’m not saying you, just FYI). The guy has gone, was part of our most successful ever era, is not responsible for the decisions of his managers, and just enjoyed a half decent season for his boyhood club. Respect for him for giving that last move a go. I’m sure he could have gone to China or elsewhere for massive money; but he tried to complete unfinished business at Everton.

Every time I’ve seen him interviewed he comes across as a very nice young man, and seems to be helpful and humble. But people remain disparaging about his character. The fat jokes are just another sad, desperate attempt to disparage a United great.

I wish him all the best in America. People just need to let go of their hate. His good times here, vastly outweighed the bad.
 
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simonhch

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Its slower than PL football but its not as as slow as you might think. Right now the league is probably the most competitive its ever been. Zlatan and Schweingsteiger have actually struggled with the pace and the adaptation to the different pitches and conditions across the stadia in the league. Rooney shouldn't expect it to be a cakewalk. Most DC United fans would rather the club focused more on its academy and scouting networks and realize Rooney alone won't save them from mediocrity. He might sell tickets though but I don't expect anything like the hype and following Beckham got when he joined Galaxy years ago. DC gets way more sun than Manchester so it can't be that bad for him.
Neither Zlatan nor Schweinsteiger have struggled with the pace. They’ve struggled with the massively shite players around them. Both the Galaxy and the Fire are amongst the worst teams in the league. There’s only so much they can do. You aren’t signing either of those players to cover tons of ground, and be the engine room of your team. You are signing them (in footballing terms, rather than commercial) for their leadership, experience, and technical quality. But if they are surrounded by players who aren’t making the right runs, who aren’t providing a cohesive platform for them to showcase their ability, what do people expect? Both players are slow, and have been for years, but just recently played in a top class league at a faster pace. - Neither are struggling with the physicality or pace of MLS, but rather the quality of their team mates.

As you stated, Rooney is going into a similar situation in DC. Shite team, who aren’t going to see a dramatic improvement by signing a similar sort of player. But drop Rooney into one of the better MLS sides, and he’ll be brilliant in such a mediocre league.
 

Raoul

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Its always sad when a famous player goes to MLS. Its like their career is coming face to face with the grim reaper.
 

simonhch

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I'm 100% sure that Rooney could stay at Everton if he really wanted to. He's just not willing to play for a paltry £50,000 per week. I'm sure Everton would keep him if they could get him on such a contract, but you can't expect Wazza to live off £2.6 million per year, minus tax, plus endorsements (so way more than £2.6 million per year).

I have no problem with footballers getting what they can get, but it makes me laugh when they claim to 'love' a club, or whatever. If Rooney truly loved Everton, he wouldn't have left them for United in the first place. No-one would blame him for doing that; he had a very successful career as a consequence. But don't pretend that you love Everton, it's ridiculous.
Well that’s just bollocks. He can love the club but still leave for somewhere where he’s going to win trophies and earn 5-10 times the amount. To suggest otherwise is absurd. This is still a job and he, like all footballers, have a limited window to make a lifetime’s worth of money.

Young Rooney left to join the biggest club in the country, to play under the greatest British manager of all time. Loving Everton, the club he grew up supporting, and joining United are not mutually exclusive.

I love my home town, but I still left to pursue better opportunities elsewhere. Hasn’t diminished my love for my home even one iota.

Your comment was half-witted at best.
 

wub1234

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Well that’s just bollocks. He can love the club but still leave for somewhere where he’s going to win trophies and earn 5-10 times the amount. To suggest otherwise is absurd. This is still a job and he, like all footballers, have a limited window to make a lifetime’s worth of money.
So I am to understand that if Wayne Rooney had stayed at Everton and played for Everton for 15 years that he wouldn't have been financially secure?

Everton pay all of their top players a six-figure salary per week. So on that basis, he would have earned in the region of £100 million during his career, before endorsements were taken into consideration.

I can't help thinking that probably would have been enough to stave off homelessness.

But not for one second would have I expected him to stay at Everton, just don't pretend that you 'love' the club, or some other such b*llocks. Or at least don't expect me to take that statement seriously. Anyone can say that they love anything, but actions speak louder than words.

The reason Everton want to get rid of him is because he's (completely undeservedly) the highest paid player at the club. Effectively, he's stealing from the club that he supposedly loves because he's absolutely nowhere near worth £150,000 per week.

If he truly loved Everton, he would be willing to take a pay cut right now, and be part of the squad, which he is still easily good enough to do. And he's already extremely wealthy, so he's hardly putting himself in a vulnerable financial position. And then, on top of that, he will still be paid a salary that would put him in the top 0.0001% globally in terms of income, while his net worth already puts him in the top 0.001% as well. Also, when he's finished playing football he will walk into any number of lucrative football-related positions, plus he has loads of business interests and assets.

But he won't even consider taking a pay cut for the club he 'loves' because he's greedy and self-serving. But he'll still come out and say that he 'loves' Everton. The words couldn't be more empty.

Meanwhile, it took Everton until the end of 2016 to agree to pay office staff £9 per hour. Imagine if Everton offered him that, how much would he 'love' the club then?
 

The Red Thinker

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He’d do well to score 5-10 goals playing in MLS for DC. They haven’t been relevant in 10 years.
5-10 goals? He scored 10 in that woeful Everton team. He'll score a good 15 in the slower-paced MLS. In fact, it might be ideal for him seeing as he won't be rushed every time he touches the ball. 32 is still young enough for Rooney to thrive in a less demanding league.
 

Slevs

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And people were worried about him 'smashing it' at Everton. Guy has been totally washed up for a number of years now and should have gone to the states/China ages ago.
It hurts to see this tbh. Growing up I looked up to him as the main player and driving force of the team. He had that fire and desire to win that you only see in winners.

Even in 2014, I was so sure he was going to make the big comeback and cement legend status. Man, it's cruel how the body just gives up sometimes.
 

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5-10 goals? He scored 10 in that woeful Everton team. He'll score a good 15 in the slower-paced MLS. In fact, it might be ideal for him seeing as he won't be rushed every time he touches the ball. 32 is still young enough for Rooney to thrive in a less demanding league.
He will be lucky enough to score 5.
 

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According to Sky Sports News and BBC Sport, Rooney has left the Finch Farm training base as the rest of the squad headed out for a training session, and no explanation has been offered yet. Sam Allardyce was quoted in his press conference this morning as saying Rooney had not asked to leave nor had there been a confrontation, but he is comfortable with any player who wishes to go.

Seems like a lot more is happening than Big Sam is letting on.
 
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