It's not simply a case of Fergie said it. Look at the context of the situation. Fergie simply said he asked to leave. Rooney's camp spins the story by crowing Rooney never submitted a formal transfer request. We all know he didn't otherwise it would be well-known information. So his camp is just arguing against something which is non-existent. And somehow I'm supposed to think they're more credible than a manager who's about to retire? You should use "try to keep an open mind" otherwise you have put yourself in a perpetual circle of being open to every possibility. This includes the possibility that you are open to the fact that you are completely wrong which doesn't really help what your point. Plus Rooney has requested to leave before right? the history of the situation is not in Rooney's favour. That is his fault.
I've not read any of these articles but haven't there been some reports that Rooney didn't even ask to leave? Aren't some suggesting he didn't put in a formal transfer request but he also didn't put in an informal transfer request, he just simply expressed disappointment at how he's been used? People can say that's still an example of him thinking he's bigger than the club but I'd bet the majority of our top players have complained about being left on the bench in important games at one point or another. We know Ruud did, we know Scholes did, I'd bet Giggs did...it's really not a big thing. To get to where they are they have to be hugely competitive and hugely ambitious. What sets van Nistelrooy and Rooney apart from Scholes and Giggs is that one side put in a transfer request and the other didn't. According to Sir Alex van Nistelrooy asked to leave three or four times. To this day people still argue about how much truth there is to that claim and the same thing's happening here with Rooney.
It's not an insult to Sir Alex to believe he might be stretching to truth a bit to reach an outcome which he believes is best for the club. He does it all the time. Believing that Ruud or Rooney didn't actually ask to leave on multiple occasions is not taking their side, it's simply acknowledging that Sir Alex will feed the media what he wants them to know and a lot of that will be half-truths or blatant lies. That's not a slight on Sir Alex either because the way the media work forces people in influential positions to feed them constant lies. Otherwise they'd have nothing to say or the truth would be torn apart to create some
sensational story which creates some sort of turmoil. Knowing how to use the media to his (and the club's) advantage is one of his biggest strengths.
Let's say there is some truth to the suggestion that Rooney simply expressed displeasure at being left on the bench in important games and played in a position which he's not really suited to. Like I said I think most players in his position would do the same but that's besides the point. If you look back at that Sir Alex press conference after his formal transfer request you'll come to one of two conclusions: he was genuinely, deeply upset or he played a blinder in the mind-games department. If he was upset then this could be his parting swipe to a man he felt betrayed by - and who could blame him? We've seen from loads of these past altercations that Sir Alex can be pretty vicious in his retribution and he has no problems throwing (ex-) players under the bus if need be.
If he wasn't upset and he was simply getting in a pre-emptive strike to eventually force Rooney into making the decision which best benefited the club, then why is it such a stretch to believe he's done the same again? The moment was clearly delicately planned and timed. He "asked to leave a few weeks ago" so he could have simply announced it at the time, but no, he waited until his last few moments in Old Trafford. It was clearly a tactical move and a clever one at that. Is it so hard to believe that Sir Alex then took "Rooney's unhappy with how he's been used in recent weeks" up a level to "Rooney's unhappy here and has asked to leave" if he felt that would put a bit of pressure on Rooney to shape up and get back to his best? Or is it so unthinkable to believe that he stretched the truth to make Moyes' job a bit easier following a discussion where Moyes has expressed doubts about how Rooney would react to him? I don't think so. And that doesn't mean I'm stabbing Sir Alex in the back the moment he's walked out the door.
You're giving other people grief for their polarisation of the issue but your suggestion that we're "taking Rooney's word over Fergie's" only serves to do the same. You can believe Sir Alex stretched the truth without thinking Rooney did no wrong. Rooney was the one who made the transfer request last time which now means people will believe he's done the same again much more readily. That's why it worked with van Nistelrooy too; we know he reacted badly to the Carling Cup final "snub" so it's not that unfathomable to think he might've reacted poorly on a couple of previous occasions that we weren't aware of. Ruud of course denies this and we'll never know who's telling the truth. Likewise if Rooney was in tip-top shape and top form all the time then people would be less willing to cut off all ties with him.
I just think comments like these are hilarious:
Rooney is almost dead to me. He really has to move heaven and earth in order to win back just a fraction of my respect.
Well, if we allow Rooney to stay now, then we can never laugh at anyone ever again. We've succumbed to a player who's not even that good and let him boss us around and treat us like crap, several times. It makes us a bit pathetic, doesn't it?
I think the fact that I honestly don't care about whether he stays or goes says it all, really ... for me not to give a single feck whether he stays or goes says a lot about the kind of character he is.
The prick.
As if what he's done is completely unforgivable and unthinkable. As if what he's done is something you could never imagine one of our
legends doing. Oh no, we're Manchester United fans, our club has real integrity and only keeps players that devote themselves to the cause entirely. Cantona would
never have considered leaving United, no way, not the same Cantona my dad tells me stories about. He might have had a few character flaws but he was completely devoted to Manchester United from the moment he came 'til the moment he retired. Except that time he thought about leaving to Inter in much the same circumstances as Suárez wanting to go to Madrid (aside from us being title-challengers, of course). And Keane, what a hero, the epitome of the Manchester United spirit and a paragon of loyalty. He'd
never go against Sir Alex's wishes to try and get himself a bit of extra cash. No siree.
The funny thing is many of the same people that want Rooney sold are the ones who fawn over the mystique of the glorious Georgie Best, yet if they were around in Best's days and privy to his many United-related misgivings at the time they'd be calling for his head before he's even had a chance to win that European Cup final with us... The same people that are crucifying Rooney for this off-the-field stuff are the same people that get outraged when people do the same about Keane (who made many of same mistakes, and more). The same people that say "We as Manchester United fans should judge those who've played for this club solely on how they perform on the pitch" are the same ones that jump at the chance to stick the boot in to Rooney. Of course Keane contributed more on the pitch than Rooney but clearly that's not the point.
George Best was an alcoholic wife beater who destroyed a liver he'd been given in a transplant.
(Sucks to say, but he was)Yet in threads about Best people tend to avoid speaking about how he behaved and remember him for how he played on the pitch. With Keane, people do the opposite.
We as Manchester United fans should judge those who've played for this club solely on how they perform on the pitch and ignore the personal bollocks, of course some of our players are gonna be cnuts.
feck off, hope he gets sold
On that topic, let's go back to Keano's words of advice for Rooney back in 2010.
"Players and managers fall out all the time," said Keane. "It's part of life.
"If I was to offer advice to Wayne, who is a good lad, I would tell him to make sure he looks after number one.
"Players are pieces of meat - that's how I look at it. When your time's up, your time's up.
"Luckily for Wayne he's at a good age and he's fit."
Along with Keane, David Beckham and Jaap Stam are other players who have left Old Trafford after falling foul of Ferguson, although he does not believe Rooney's exit is inevitable.
"It depends on the situation and whether you have been lied to or not," he said. "But, as usual, we are second guessing what has gone on at the club, which is dangerous."
