I remember the episode really well, I live in Manchester, worked looking at OT at the time. Time has moved on and you can try and paint all the pictures you want. Obviously you have strong feelings on the matter but at the time this wasnt a wishy washy story. This came out of the blue part way into a season, and it was happening. It was everywhere at the time. Not Rooney wants to leave and might go here, here or here......it was BANG Rooney is going to force through a move from City to United.
I'm trying to paint a picture?
Hardly mate i'm simply basing my understanding of the episode on quotes from those actually involved. As opposed to tabloid speculation and gossip from people in Manchester or elsewhere which no doubt was just being regurgitated from tabloid stories anyway.
How exactly was Rooney going to force a move to City out of interest in your opinion?
Didn't work out for Heinze a few years before when he tried to go to Liverpool.
You're trying to paint it like it was some minor speculation, this was mid way through a season. If you're Sir Alex you don't just decide mid way through a season to make it public just because he's said he won't sign a new contract especially when speculation is rife. When SAF came out in his press conference he was confirming what EVERYONE knew at the time. Then Rooney came out with his statement. But yeah sure, he had nowhere really to go to. Maybe a nice trip abroad, who knows eh? We can sort all that out later.....let's just let everyone know now that I'm not signing a new contract.
Could be wrong but i seem to remember Ferguson saying he decided to go public because he was annoyed the fans were chanting for Rooney to come off the bench vs West Brom when behind the scenes he had told him he wanted to leave.
Don't know if you've read Fergusons book but it's gives a pretty detailed version of the events surrounding this episode. Worth a read if you haven't already.
Was there really any speculation about Rooney going to City before SAF went public about the situation in his MUTV interview? Can't say i remember any, again i could be wrong.
But then he changed his mind and got a massive pay rise......but it was ambition that he stayed for? Jesus do me a favour.
I don't know why he changed his mind or if the contract he eventually signed was worth more than what was on offer the two previous times he turned it down. Do you know if the contract was worth more?
Ferguson seems to think it wasn't about money, he could be lying or wrong of course. But it's all we really have to go on.
Really? He came out part way through a season when speculation was EVERYWHERE that he was going to force a move to City.....to confirm he wanted to leave, the manager came out and confirmed it (but he never handed in a transfer request? ((he just did it) , although at the time he had no idea where he was going to move to, the city links came from nowhere and Rooney had no idea where he would move, just decided at that point to announce he wouldn't sign a new contract......then purely on the basis of AMBITION, changed his mind?
Again didn't Ferguson go public before Rooney?
Rooney and/or his agent told Gill twice he wouldn't be signing another contract. He told Ferguson in person that he wouldn't be signing another contract, according to SAF's book.
So if you consider that a transfer request fair enough. But i'm almost certain he wouldn't have lodged a written transfer request and lost out on a fair bit of money. Which was my point.
I can't wait for that fat bloke in red (Not Rooney this time) to climb down my chimney in a few weeks with the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny.
You'll be waiting as long for Santa mate as you would for an actual quote from someone involved to surface, that confirms there was anything in the Rooney to City story beyond tabloid bollocks.