11 Apr 2014 09:05:36
There is a threat further down the page where it is mentioned that we are playing better without RVP in the team. At first glance I would agree with that, but there is more to it than that in my opinion. We have looked better as a team recently because we have played a certain formation with just one up front, rather than because of who is up front. I think it is unfair on RVP to say we are better without him when we haven't given him the opportunity to play in that formation with him as the lone striker instead of Rooney. Personally I think that that is Rooney's best position. I also think that RVP is a better centre forward that Rooney. I said this a few weeks ago, and haven't changed my mind. Moyes has a decision to make about what is best for the team, rather than keeping individuals happy.
A conundrum for the manager, but one he needs to solve and stick with going into next season.

1.) 11 Apr 2014
We did give him the chance to play up top on his own, last season if u remember, and we all know how that went compared to this! RVP is our best striker and it really grinds my gears how people are now throwing him on the trash heap because we are struggling. If he was up top on his own and allowed to keep his training regime we would be top 4 at least!

2.) 11 Apr 2014
CTR, fair point but I was of course referring to this season. Now that we have Kagawa and Mata playing well together, I am sure RVP would get back to scoring for fun again. People go on about his injury record, but over the last 2 seasons it is no worse than Rooney's. The difference is Moyes is so preoccupied by keeping Rooney happy that he will still play him when he is not fully fit. Don't take me wrong Rooney is a good player, but he is the sort of player that has to be 100% fit. Some players can get away with playing at 90% fit, buy I don't think Rooney can, and it shows.
Like you said, RVP is our best striker and all this talk of ditching him is nonsense.

3.) 11 Apr 2014
Really it depends if rumours of him being unhappy are correct, but we certainly need Mata behind the striker I think

4.) 11 Apr 2014
I don't think people are throwing RVP 'on the trash heep'. They are realising that Rooney is Moyes blue eyed boy and that Mata needs to play in the number 10 spot so the natural conclusion is that RVP is dropped. Personally I would of had Mata behind RVP but it doesn't seem to be going that way. Let's see what happens when both are fit, hopefully Moyes doesn't stick Mata back on the left and go 4-4-2 again as if that is the case then I would rather RVP be sold to facilitate a formation change and style in football.

The amount he is injured though surely means that we won't have too many selection head aches, normally one of the two is injured at any one given moment in time. It all depends if RVP and Rooney are willing to be rotated.

5.) 11 Apr 2014
I agree Fresh, RVP is the better striker. Without RVP how keen would Rooney be to stay 100% fit or would he revert to the very poor fitness level he displayed last season. To play Mata wide on the left is a criminal waste.

6.) 11 Apr 2014
It's pretty simple really. Rooney has a good season and we finish 7th and win nothing. Van Persie has a good season and we win the league by 11 points. If we are to improve next season, then we need our best striker to remain fit. Rooney playing as the striker is a backward move. Sure he will score goals, but he isn't anywhere near as good as a fit Van Persie. Ideally we want to see both Van Persie and Rooney fit and playing well at the same time. Something we haven't had the pleasure of seeing yet apart from one or two glimpses. I am sure Moyes is looking at a way of playing all of the players in suitable positions. There are suitable formations if you have the correct personnel and I am sure by September Moyes will have the players he wants playing the way he wants. We need the owners to back the manager this summer. Penny pinching is not going to get this club back to where it should be.

7.) 11 Apr 2014
CTR, try to understand our point of view. RVP and Rooney both being in the team leads to Rooney, Mata and even Januzaj/Kagawa paying out of position. ( januzaj plays on the left because Mata is on the right, and he has to stay on the wing to keep width ).

I don't believe many posters on this page want RVP out just because. I personally want him out because we don't play well with 2 strikers, and formations such as the 4-2-2-2 ( PSG and City in their title winning seasons ) are a couple of levels above Moyes' tactical abilities. So it's either play Rooney and RVP, with Rooney as a number 10 ( thus minimizing our creativity, and playing our most technical players out of position ), or bench one of them.

Now let's look at it this way. We want to pay our best players at their best positions, but we also need to have balance in the formation. Therefore only one striker can be played. And there can only be one winner here according to Moyes. RVP is classier, more intelligent, better with the ball at his feet, and most probably a better finisher .

But it's easy to forget Wayne's qualities. He's strong, a warrior on the field, more of a leader than RVP, more suited to a pressing game, defending from the front, younger, less injury prone, quicker, stronger, and just as good a goalscorer ( when in his natural position, out of an england shirt ).

So the only reason some people want RVP out is for us to play a 1 striker formation, and start playing better football. That's not going to happen with both Rooney and RVP in the team, so one of them has to leave. Most want Rooney to be sacrificed, but since he signed a new contract, and has yet to remove Moyes' tongue from his hole, Rooney staying on is the safer bet.

8.) 11 Apr 2014
One held the club to ransoms over wages twice one choose united to win trophies over money. I know my choice is

9.) 11 Apr 2014
Sydney, how would you incorporate Rooney, Mata and RVP then in the same line up in an effective and modern formation? Bear in mind we would also need to fit Kagawa or a new winger in there and have at least two in midfield. What would you do?

10.) 11 Apr 2014
Acker,

Yes RVP is playing for free, its a no brainer.

11.) 11 Apr 2014
Given they have both had spells out injured and next season is likely to be the same, I hope we keep both. If DM has to select one or the other now and then so be it. SAF often used to decide between Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov in certain games and in the big games Rooney working hard defensively amd attacking from wide has worked for us before.

12.) 11 Apr 2014
Fresh the only way I can think of would require some top class full backs to provide width when attacking. Almost use a 4-2-2-2 formation, with Rooney dropping off RvP a bit.

Acker, you say that but RvP wouldn't have made the move had Arsenal not been a more competitive team, it's not like it was a massive dream for him to play for United he just wanted a decent chance to win silverware just as any top professional footballer would want. Does Rooney being the 3rd highest ever goal scorer for United not mean anything to you?

I'm not saying I love Rooney and dislike RvP, I'm just saying I find it annoying when people try make Rooney out to be the devil while RvP is an angel lol.

13.) 11 Apr 2014
GSD2 I'm sure RVP will be surprise to find that out! Let keep both and except that RVP is the better player no brainer

14.) 11 Apr 2014
If you play Rooney up top you have a more fluid interchangeable front line.

Did anybody see g Neville comments about modern day 10s needing to do more than just look good. Need to work for the team and score goals
Mata last 3 seasons played 135 games scored 33
Kagawa played 95 scored 23
Rooney played 118 scored 67
That's a big difference

15.) 12 Apr 2014
Both will be needed as I read a stat yesterday that rooney has been injured and kurt more than RVP since 2011.

The only thing I don't like is building around Rooney a new team. IMO he is not good enough to build a team around.

Finally, he was very poor the other night on the biggest stage. If he was not right then he should have never played and if he was he went missing.

RVP was cheap looking at what striker are going for and we would be stupid to sell him, when fit he is our best striker without a doubt.

16.) 12 Apr 2014
Exactly Shahram. It would be bonkers to sell Van Persie and replace him with an inferior Rooney.

17.) 12 Apr 2014
Sydney

I don't think we will sell RVP. With Rooney's age he is also quite injury prone and we would be exposed if we lost RVP.

If we sell RVP and rooney for some reason gets a long term injury we are screwed depending on Bambi and a midfield that scores almost no goals.

18.) 12 Apr 2014
Exactly Shaz. I'm not even sure there would be enough time to sell him and Hernandez and bring in an adequate replacement IE Costa/Cavani. The WC will be RvP's main concern this summer. RvP's always being sold when he's injured or not scoring, but he scores an hat-trick and that notion disappears ;)