Wayne Rooney Appreciation Thread

[Blackbeard]

I never really understood why Utd fans still hold it against him for threatening to join City. He could see what the glazer’s were doing to the club and the poor transfers coming in. He didn’t owe anything to Utd and ended up signing a new contract anyway.

Ronaldo on the other hand openly flirted with Madrid and jumped ship as soon as he could to give them his prime. What made me laugh at the time was that interview he gave when he said he had won everything he could with Utd as some sort of justification for leaving. Surely he should have left Real then after winning the league and champions league with them once.

 

[Witchking]

Wanted him gone from the 2016 season itself as he was stinking the place out. But he is an absolute true legend for United. Won everything. Gave his all. Hopefully he comes back as a successful manager at United and helps United win more. Even in 2009, i was if the opinion that we would be fine as we still have Rooney and till Fergie retired, it was true.

 

[krazyrobus]

Legend, but left a bitter pill in my mouth getting astronomical wages for 2/3 years bouncing around between being a subpar striker and a faux midfielder.

 

[matherto]

I never really understood why Utd fans still hold it against him for threatening to join City. He could see what the glazer’s were doing to the club and the poor transfers coming in. He didn’t owe anything to Utd and ended up signing a new contract anyway.

It’s amazing that people can’t imagine how angry it makes you when your best player comes out, calls the club shit and tries to leave for your bitter rivals.

The salient points about club ownership and investment were true and we all knew it but you don’t want any of your players to openly do what he did.

 

[TheReligion]

People forget how poor he was in his last 3 seasons here. He held the team back during that period.

As for the young Rooney, he never fulfilled his true potential because he was never the main man in his prime but boy what a career he still had.

Last three seasons?

He got 14 goals, 15 goals then 8 goals.

Its also no coincidence that when he left we are yet to win another trophy..

Yes his performances dropped as he got older but he still helped us win an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa. Our only trophies since Sir Alex left the club.

 

[BerryBerryShrew]

It’s amazing that people can’t imagine how angry it makes you when your best player comes out, calls the club shit and tries to leave for your bitter rivals.

The salient points about club ownership and investment were true and we all knew it but you don’t want any of your players to openly do what he did.

The bolded is important because City aren't really our bitter rivals now let alone then. They think they are but they aren't. If the Roonster had threatened to leave for the Scousers I would have considered it unforgivable but City? At the time I was annoyed, but I'm over it now.

 

[Strootman's Finger]

Legend, but left a bitter pill in my mouth getting astronomical wages for 2/3 years bouncing around between being a subpar striker and a faux midfielder.

it was more like 4/5 years

 

[manutddjw]

Was there any proof that he wanted to join City? I know City were open about it and all the papers were writing about it (they make stuff up to sell papers all the time). Rooney has been very honest about his life and career and he’s always maintained he never would’ve signed for city and that his preference was Madrid or Barcelona.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

It’s amazing that people can’t imagine how angry it makes you when your best player comes out, calls the club shit and tries to leave for your bitter rivals.

The salient points about club ownership and investment were true and we all knew it but you don’t want any of your players to openly do what he did.

Depends on your standards, I guess.

It has later transpired that Rooney only did this as a calculated move (designed by his agent) to get an improved contract. It was business, if you like. He immediately apologized to his teammates and there was never any bad blood there.

If you're outraged by the fact that he would do that (business), then fair enough - but then the number of United greats who has never done or said anything remotely problematic would be...slender. There's hardly anyone who hasn't threatened to leave (either by saying so directly, or by openly enough having discussions with other clubs) in some shape or form.

Personally, I've always found it laughable that some of our fans consider the Rooney incident unforgivable while at the same time seemingly having no trouble stomaching Ronaldo's "slavery" comment (and his behaviour in general surrounding that incident).

(No: I am not accusing you, personally, of anything with regard to this. These are general remarks.)

 

[matherto]

The bolded is important because City aren't really our bitter rivals now let alone then. They think they are but they aren't. If the Roonster had threatened to leave for the Scousers I would have considered it unforgivable but City? At the time I was annoyed, but I'm over it now.

Nah, City are up there even if they’re still the noisy neighbours.

I agree it would’ve been worse if it was Liverpool but those two are the two you don’t do what he did with, especially for the purposes of getting a better contract. If he’d left (or at least tried too in order to rinse us) for Barca or elsewhere it wouldn’t have stung as much as it did being City.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jun/21/manchesterunited.premierleague1

(I was wrong about this in the other thread - it was actually reported on at the time, or at least mentioned more or less at the time, by a major outlet. But it never got much attention.)

Anyway, it merits mention here. For obvious reasons.

 

[Strootman's Finger]

Last three seasons?

He got 14 goals, 15 goals then 8 goals.

Its also no coincidence that when he left we are yet to win another trophy..

Yes his performances dropped as he got older but he still helped us win an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa. Our only trophies since Sir Alex left the club.

Goals aside, he was beyond awful, and it was more like 4 to 5 years. He managed to score a couple goals, but his overall effect on the team was extremely negative. We were a counterattacking team, and when we broke, and someone passed to Rooney, 99 out of 100 times he would stop, turn, and pass the ball back. Defending team recouped, momentum killed, attacking move over. On top of that, once he lost a bit of pace his poor first touch was exposed, he no longer had to the speed to recover from it, so quite often our attacking moves would break down in that manner, again, massive momentum killer.

 

[Champ]

Wayne Rooney had a poor first touch??

First I've ever heard about that.

 

[Fully Fledged]

Once he tried to get away. Rooney had a dick of an agent. But he always have everything on the pitch and didn't go public with his issues with United.
I know he has scored some memorable goals for us including the overhead against City but for me one of the best was what he created in the FA Cup Final for Our first goal. He picked it up almost on the halfway line and create the cross in the CP box.

I don't know that he actually wanted away or hard-balled a new contract. Plenty of players have used us to get better deals where they are,

 

[Stacks]

A bit of revisionism. Great player but a bit of a twat at times. Got a bit irritating with that CM shit in the end thinking he must play there despite being shit at it.

 

[TheNewEra]

Wayne Rooney had a poor first touch??

First I've ever heard about that.

That final season he did, it was brutal everything just bounced off him.

Before his decline his first touch was insane.

 

[Fully Fledged]

That final season he did, it was brutal everything just bounced off him.

Before his decline his first touch was insane.

He had a big drop off I don't think anybody would argue with that.

 

[Luka Mora]

Wayne rooney epitomised what he meant to pay for United. Only a few players I can say that about, when it comes to true passion alongside keane, becks and giggs

 

[Andycoleno9]

5 Premier league titles
1 Champions league
1 Europa league
1 FIFA club world cup
3 league cups
1 Fa cup
4 charity shields
Best goalscorer in our history.

Gave his whole career to this club, played on multiple positions and always gave his best on the pitch.
Yes, he gave transfer request (privately, in meeting with his manager) BUT at the end he stayed.

To sum it up; with all due respect to our other legends, Rooney (for me) is the biggest United legend.

 

[Abraxas]

An absolutely top player. I preferred young Wayne. He seemed to have a bit of fire taken out of him by the end. I liked the version that played like a street footballer. Yes he got sent off once in a blue moon but I think it was worth it for the package that he was.

He did dent his own reputation with his antics around that contract renewal. No point pretending that doesn't matter. It does - it's something you didn't see from other legends. But is it enough to tar him? I don't actually think so, I think he has enough credit in the bank and his performances and efforts overshadow that by far. It's a minor asterisk for me.

 

[Bilbo]

Another fine example of 'no matter how much you do for this club, many of our fans will eventually find a reason to hate you'

 

[TheReligion]

Another fine example of 'no matter how much you do for this club, many of our fans will eventually find a reason to hate you'

Spot on

 

[Spoony]

Another fine example of 'no matter how much you do for this club, many of our fans will eventually find a reason to hate you'

Not me guv. He's a legend in my eyes.

 

[MZX7]

I'm so glad I have always been a Rooney fan and never got on the Ronaldo bandwagon.

So glad. Clearly only one legend between the two. Hats off to Rooney!

 

[Parma Dewol]

 

[Hammondo]

The bolded is important because City aren't really our bitter rivals now let alone then. They think they are but they aren't. If the Roonster had threatened to leave for the Scousers I would have considered it unforgivable but City? At the time I was annoyed, but I'm over it now.

I really think it's more of the case they don't see us as rivals anymore.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

It took Ronaldo's shithousery for this thread to be made?

For me, Rooney has always had my appreciation, and I was always baffled as to why there was a lot more animosity shown towards him in comparison to Ronaldo.

Yes, Rooney asked to leave but that when he felt the club was in a bit of a decline, and although we won titles and cups after that, he was right. Replacing Ronaldo with Obertan, Owen and Valecnia, who to be fair to him, was a solid 7/10 every game, wasn't exactly showing ambition.

That being said, despite all of that, Rooney stayed and eventually went on to become our record goalscorer, whilst Ronaldo couldn't wait to leave at the first sign of interest from Madrid.

Fast forward a few years, and I'm glad some of you lot who mugged Rooney off have finally got to see what a cnut golden boy Ronaldo really is.

 

[Kostov]

Legend, but left a bitter pill in my mouth getting astronomical wages for 2/3 years bouncing around between being a subpar striker and a faux midfielder.

We were paying Ashley fecking Young 120k a week, amateur footballers like a Lingard 100k a week and so much dross on our payroll over the last 10 years and you have an issue with what Rooney got? Even now with retrospective view? Wonder what you think about Ronaldo getting 500k a week and playing like Heskey this season.

 

[2mufc0]

This place was so toxic about him in his last few years.

 

[Revaulx]

Another fine example of 'no matter how much you do for this club, many of our fans will eventually find a reason to hate you'

I’m afraid that lots of fans believe that players should be as emotionally attached to the club as much as they (the fans) are.

Rooney’s posturing with City to get an improved deal in 2010 was certainly annoying at the time, but I find the notion that it should “leave a bad taste” 12 years later to be absurd.

The ridiculous contract extension Moyes/Woodward gave him in 2013 when he was showing the first signs of being on the slide was a great deal more annoying, but that was hardly Rooney’s fault.

 

[Trequarista10]

It took Ronaldo's shithousery for this thread to be made?

For me, Rooney has always had my appreciation, and I was always baffled as to why there was a lot more animosity shown towards him in comparison to Ronaldo.

Yes, Rooney asked to leave but that when he felt the club was in a bit of a decline, and although we won titles and cups after that, he was right. Replacing Ronaldo with Obertan, Owen and Valecnia, who to be fair to him, was a solid 7/10 every game, wasn't exactly showing ambition.

That being said, despite all of that, Rooney stayed and eventually went on to become our record goalscorer, whilst Ronaldo couldn't wait to leave at the first sign of interest from Madrid.

Fast forward a few years, and I'm glad some of you lot who mugged Rooney off have finally got to see what a cnut golden boy Ronaldo really is.

Agreed. Rooney flirted with an exit, Ronaldo actually did it. The weird double standard never sat right with me. We were also better than Madrid when Ronaldo left us. If he stayed we would have had considerably more success.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Very happy that Ronaldo won't break Rooney's record.

Would have been even more insufferable if he did.

Rather a player that truly bleeds red to break it.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I'll admit I lost love for Rooney when the City thing happened but even if he had his head turned a couple of times it was mostly done privately and with no intention to harm or bring the club / team mates down. And on the pitch he was just such a perfect team man. Whether in his older years in CM or the rest of his career, Rooney always put the team first and never shirked responbility. Even in his last few years where he surprisingly put up decent numbers he was never someone who lacked effort.

My appreciation for him has only grown post his retirement.

 

[krazyrobus]

We were paying Ashley fecking Young 120k a week, amateur footballers like a Lingard 100k a week and so much dross on our payroll over the last 10 years and you have an issue with what Rooney got? Even now with retrospective view? Wonder what you think about Ronaldo getting 500k a week and playing like Heskey this season.

Rooney was collecting almost 3 times what they were collecting while playing at the the level of Lingard and Young. So yes, I have an issue with that, if you get paid highly, I expect the output to match the pay. I didn't even want us to sign Ronaldo in the first place, I expected him to hamper our progress and him signing derailed OGS's progress and yes, I think the exact same thing about him.

 

[Jeppers7]

Rooney is a difficult one, ended up playing his best years and most of his career but could easily have ended up at City or Chelsea. There’s also the feeling that as great as he was he didn’t fulfil his potential or perhaps was playing to his potential at 18.

His lack of dedication, discipline and self belief didn’t help him in the modern game, I’d have him way below players like Scholes, Giggs and Keane, but then above the players he would sit around.

 

[Revaulx]

I'll admit I lost love for Rooney when the City thing happened but even if he had his head turned a couple of times it was mostly done privately and with no intention to harm or bring the club / team mates down. And on the pitch he was just such a perfect team man. Whether in his older years in CM or the rest of his career, Rooney always put the team first and never shirked responbility. Even in his last few years where he surprisingly put up decent numbers he was never someone who lacked effort.

My appreciation for him has only grown post his retirement.

Very much so. In some ways that made his declining years even more painful.

I’m sure that genetic and lifestyle factors didn’t help, but the number of times he was rushed back from injury really took its toll on his longevity. SAF was occasionally guilty of it, but the ridiculous pressure on him to perform at the 06 and 10 World Cups did him no good at all and just seemed to be rewarded with abuse from Ingerlund fans. Moyes rushing him back for the CL really finished him off; he was never the same player thereafter, despite still putting up good numbers.

 

[berbatrick]

You might be right to be fair. He definitely tried to join City in 2010 and so whilst he's a legend, the sugar coating of Rooney's time doesn't sit perfectly well with me.

Thought it was Chelsea in 2010?

 

[EtH]

You’re beautiful, Wayne.

 

[berbatrick]

3 world-class seasons:
06/07 was exceptional. He had better numbers twice later, but he was a scarier and more rounded player then. Out-of-this-world goals. Not that far off Ronaldo, who himself was top 3 in the world.
09/10 was very very good (the away game vs Milan stands out), but it was more poacher than all-rounder. 11/12 great numbers masked a decline in general play.

Otherwise a very good striker who could also play on the wing or 10. Unfortunate that his 2 goalscoring peak seasons coincided with narrow title losses. Quite a big game player - seemed to score a lot against Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, City.

 

[MUFC OK]

Thought it was Chelsea in 2010?

Manchester United in shock as Wayne Rooney targets move to City | Wayne Rooney | The Guardian