Manchester United Banter Archive April 29 2014

29 Apr 2014 23:26:37
Other than Garay who would be realistic to buy as a CB in the same mould i.e. experience, leadership etc.
Any other suggestions because I rate Garay and IMO we should move mountains to get him

Klopp played as a CB after being converted from a striker ;)

But seriously Hummels, Thiago Silva, Mehdi Benatia, but all seem settled within their clubs and are highly valued.

Given each of these may be unattainable Garay seems to be the best option, but I do worry that we have missed our chance to sign him during last summer and January.

I think Hummels would be at the top of the list but if we are going after Reus I can't see them letting both leave. Maybe Garay, I think Mangala is off to City. There aren't too many good options, let's just hope it isn't Vlaar as the press quote haha.

Fabian Schar, the boy from Sociadad and Laporte from Bilbao and the guy from Villareal is also a high quality young defender. There are a lot more quality guys out there than just mangala and Garay.

How about Martinez from Bayern? He's not 1st choice there and Manchester United is hardly a step down for him.

29 Apr 2014 19:56:34
long time reader eds but I hardly get anytime to post as I am always on the go cause of work I thank all the eds to keep this site goong as it is just super fun now on to my main point. We all are trying to figure out a system in which we can fit rooney rvp and mata I think a diamond can work well wit someone lik carvalho playing at the base of the diamond

fabregas/ kroos/ strootman/ modric/ pjanic

any of the two playing either side and mata playing at the top of thw diamond wit wazza and rvp up top I think could work with width comimg from shaw and rafael just lik for bayern their fullback are so far up the pitch ithink dis can wrok toughts please especially ed2 if u can spare sometime thank you all

{Ed004's Note - I'm not sure there is enough pace between RVP Rooney and mata all teams need that pace look at Madrid tonight with it}

004, that's why we need a very quick left-winger/left-forward and James Wilson on the bench. James Wilson is lightning quick with the finishing ability of Van Persie. He would be a great replacement for Van Persie around the 75th minute when defenders' legs are tired.

{Ed004's Note - I am not sure Rooney has the technical ability to play in a quick passing team}

Really not at all sure about Rooney's future. As I have said in an earlier post, if there is an advanced playmaker in a midfield 3 it should be Mata. Januzaj should get as much game time as possible and then we need either Reus or Lucas Moura for that pace and skill. Januzaj is no slouch either.

30 Apr 2014 11:01:03
this dimond that I m talking about would nly work in a quick passing system I remember argentina playing it in 2006 WC and played some of the best football in the entire tournament.The pace would come from the wing or in dis case our fullbacks but ed makes a good point can rooney fit into it is a bit of a question mark

004 not sure I can agree, when we had our best team with Ronaldo and Teves and rooney, some of our best play was lighting fast counter attack football and rooney looked good then with Ronaldo and co.
as for now, I don't think we can fit mata, rooney and RVP in one team without getting over run in mid, we got to drop one and for me the one to drop would be rooney, or make him play along side carrick

{Ed004's Note - Agree with what? I think Rooney should be dropped because he lacks the explosive pace he once had that made him so difficult to deal with. Now he relies on brute strength and his first touch has gotten worse}

Oh I am all for dropping Rooney, was speaking on former glories for him for when you said " I am not sure Rooney has the technical ability to play in a quick passing team" as I felt he DID (past) have the technical ability's back then when he was surrounded by Ronaldo and Teves, not now like, I can only see him along side carrick, I won't be sad to see rooney leave, but he was once good at playing at a fast pace, not now thou like you say

29 Apr 2014 21:34:19
I can't believe people on here are actually considering letting Van Persie go? He is TWICE the striker off Rooney! Rooney had his best season in 09 as a striker, 34 goals. If we play him up top every week from now on he won't do it again because that was Wayne Rooney at his peak! Pace, power and passion! He had the world at his feet then, if he was a true professional he'd be up there with Ronaldo and messi! Van Persie won us the league last season, and for me is one of the best out and out strikers in world football! let's not forget he's got 17 goals this season and he's hardly played. Robin offers better movement, better hold up play and most importantly more goals! He can score any types of goal too. All the people who want him gone can bring up his injury record, but here's the question did you want us to get rid of players like Ole Solksjaer? This is van persies first season with injuries in 3 years! He is our best player imo and I can't believe people want rid of him!

Coalan
i can't believe people want to get rid of ANY of our best players .
but i'm sure you posted the other day about selling rooney who has been our best player this year.
double standards?

Jred by my post I mean if we have to let one of these 2 players go! There are players in the squad who need to go. Wayne has been good this year, he's looked good in what's been a shocking season for us.

It's like some people are too thick to understand that sometimes, in order to move forward as a team, you might need to sell players who drag you down, no matter how good they are.

Fabregas is a magnificent player, but he needs to be sold by Barcelona because even though he has the statistics, he lacks the technical ability and close control of other Barcelona midfielders, thus he drags the team down. Ibra and Eto had to be sold too.

Ozil, who was easily as good as Rooney in his Madrid time, was sold to accommodate Bale and move to a quicker, more counter attacking 4-3-3.

Gomez was sold by Bayern despite scoring more goals for them than Mandzukic would ever dream of, but he was and the team moved forward.

Rooney needs a free role in a 4-4-1-1. He can't play as a striker because he is neither smart enough to spot the space he should run into, nor disciplined enough to hold a role up top. He can't play as a number 10 because he has the touch of a raging bull and the vision of a semi blind old Yorky, and he pushes too far forward or drops too far back, thus effectively emptying the space a number 10 should occupy.

Rooney needs to have a free role, and he's good at having one. Give it to Rooney, who passes it first time to the wings, where the wingers run forward and cross it, with the targetman up top occupying the defenders, Rooney scores the knockdowns. Valid tactics back in the day, but now it's gone. You only get a free role if you are Messi, ROnaldo or Suarez. You don't get a free role if you're Silva, Mata, Ozil, Kroos, Ribery, much less Rooney.

I said it before and Ill say it again. Rooney is a second striker, not a number 10 nor a number 9. He would perform brilliantly at Juventus with Llorente there, he would be the biggest flop since Torres if he moves to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern, because they will not play to his strengths, and neither should we.

People need to get over this obsession with Rooney. He is the attacking version of Gerrard ( less intelligent, and fatter ). He will be involved in everything, and might look good because of it, but few top teams would give a player such freedom ( Juventus do it with Vidal though ). Give me a Pirlo, Xavi, Iniesta, Scholes or Zidane any day of the week. People who have a position, a tactical role, and they follow it.

Mata is a number 10. He is a playmaker first and foremost, and it's obvious with his positioning, movement, technique and vision. ROoney has none. He is strong, and he can score, which is about it. Classic second striker.

Robin Van Persie is a striker. He is a goalscorer first and foremost, and it is obvious with his positioning, movement, technique and finishing.
Rooney has finishing. he is strong, likes to " get involved ( wander off imo ) and he can score. Classic second striker.

Gone are the days where people have free roles. Everyone has a position. The game is now solely relying on tactics, and everyone has a tactical role. Rooney never really was intelligent enough to fully comprehend a role in a system. People talk about high football IQ, now he doesnt, he has a good long range pass and he can score.

If I was the manager, the first think I will do is sell Wayne ROoney. I'd sell him before buying or selling anyone. I just don't get it, Reus has a superior goal recored and he plays wide ffs.

Just to see how great Rooney really is, Manchester City, Barcelona, Madrid, bayern, Psg, Juventus and even Monacco had no interest in him when he looked for a way out. Only Mourinho, who is notorious for his constant attempts to weaken rivals, and is hardly someone whose brand of football is inspiring, wanted him.

Mick
Are people to thick to understand or are they to thick because they have a different opinion to you.

I don't think Rooney needs sold for a variety of reasons none of which I will go into as I've no doubt my football intellect is way beneath yours.

Moyes played Rooney and people at united not just moyes gave him a new contract . But Mick knows far more than these people.
Jose wanted him in fact pretty much put all his eggs in one basket to get him. But what does Jose know compared to Mick .

There is a massive difference between opinion and fact also banter and preaching .

I pray to God Mick that our next manager knows as much about football as you

I think whatever Mick said makes sense Jred.

Here we go again.

No, I don't think that people are thick because they want Rooney to stay, but because they simply don't understand the opposing point of view.

Jred you come out and you say that Rooney is our best player and we should never sell him. From a different perspective, Rooney is a player given too much freedom, money and pampering and ultimately it limits the set of tactics we could employ.

I never said I understand more about football than Moyes or Mourinho. Moyes was a massive flop here, so it's fair to say some of his decision did not turn out right. I believe the over reliance on Wayne Rooney is one of the reasons that got us where we are.
Mourinho wanted Rooney and sent an official bid knowing full well we would never accept 30 million for him. What it did is turn Wayne Rooney's head, made him push for a move, made him all angry and confused and what not, and got him to sign a mega contract he does not deserve. And before the Rooney story they wanted Cavani and Falcao, so the Rooney fans use the CHelsea stick to beat us with, despite him not being one of their first targets.

Now how about Ferguson, who not only restricted his role, but also wanted him out. Or Guardiola who wanted nothing to do with him at Barcelona and Bayern. Or Real Madrid who could certainly do well with a striker. PSG? City? Monaco? Wait a second. Nobody wanted Rooney!

I think Mick hit the nail on the head. Completely agree!

Dj really, well let's have a look at it micks post is well written but does it stand up
1.Fabregas is a magnificent player, but he needs to be sold by Barcelona because even though he has the statistics, he lacks the technical ability and close control of other Barcelona midfielders, thus he drags the team down. ( I'm far from convinced fab needs to be sold or that he lacks technical ability and close control)


2.Ozil, who was easily as good as Rooney in his Madrid time, was sold to accommodate Bale and move to a quicker, more counter attacking 4-3-3. ( Madrid wanted to sell de Maria, ozil had been playing in the wide role. He was top assist maker playing counter attacking football under Jose, bale was bought because he was the next galactico, Madrid would of liked to keep ozil )


3.Rooney needs a free role in a 4-4-1-1. He can't play as a striker because he is neither smart enough to spot the space he should run into, nor disciplined enough to hold a role up top.(No he doesn't, he may of been given a free role over the last couple of years, but he played wide when ronaldo was at the club, he played as the lone striker in 2009. As United's squad started to decline Rooney was given the job of getting on the ball more).
4. He can't play as a number 10 because he has the touch of a raging bull and the vision of a semi blind old Yorky, and he pushes too far forward or drops too far back, ( his goals and assist from the 10 role are better than any in Europe over the last 3 year)

5 Give me a Pirlo, Xavi, Iniesta, Scholes or Zidane any day of the week. People who have a position, a tactical role, and they follow it. ( that applies to every player in the squad)

6.Mata is a number 10. He is a playmaker first and foremost, and it's obvious with his positioning, movement, technique and vision. ( There is a reason Jose sold him . he won't do anything when the other team have the ball. Add to that he is far to slow when in transition from back to front )


7.Just to see how great Rooney really is, Manchester City, Barcelona, Madrid, bayern, Psg, Juventus and even Monacco had no interest in him when he looked for a way out. Only Mourinho, who is notorious for his constant attempts to weaken rivals, and is hardly someone whose brand of football is inspiring, wanted him. ( what a silly way to judge a player, what other clubs tried to sign ronaldo?. Did psg have other targets could juve afford him did city need him. Which other clubs than United wanted Mata )

I actually agree with micks point totally that you may have to move good players on and a new manager may well want to move Rooney or rvp or Mata on. But football can be played in a varietie of ways and there is 2 sides to every argument.

So to label people thick for having a different view to you is b*******, Mick makes some good points but there is a counter argument to each one it's no where near set in stone .
And if you agree with it or not every person's point is valid there are actually no experts on this site

Mick
When united sold ronaldo who else wanted him.
Make no mistake I never said rooney is our best player or that he should never be sold.
He is one of our top players and there is an awful lot of things I would change improve about our squad before I sold rooney.
Or sold rvp for that matter like you suggested last week.
A new manager may come in and decide that mata or rvp or rooney are surplus but that is a different argument than they should be sold . You can make an argument that they shouldn't be sold for various reasons.

Both sides would be valid because there are pros and cons for both arguments.

There have been some ridiculous things on here about rooney like trying to rate him by which teams may or may not be interested in him.

A couple weeks ago there was a question from Mumbai Boy (I think). It read: would we prefer Klopp and sell Van Persie or would we prefer LvG and sell Rooney? My reply to that was if any manager had sense they wouldn't sell either. I stand by that. We are at a stage where we need to keep our best players. If we didn't have a lot of cash and Rooney was sold at the expense of say Shaw, Cesc & Reus, then I would go for it. BUT and this is important here, we DO have money to spend. So there is no need to sacrifice any of our best players.

Jred, I don't label people thick because I disagree with them. Fact is, I disagree with pretty much everything GCU has had to say in the last couple of months, especially on the Moyes front, but I see his point of view, and I respect it.

I don't pretend I have a high football knowledge or even sports education. Fact is, I was one of the few who wanted ferguson out in 2012, because " despite being the best manager of the modern era, his old school style of coaching limits the team's flexibility and he is believing his own legend as in he cannot go wrong ". The next season he won the league with relatively average players.

I don't think anyone is thick or dumb or what not because they want Rooney to stay, but because some do not make the effort to understand the opposing point of view.
There are 2 major opinions on the matter, and I'm pretty sure both sets of fans have a point, and they both say Rooney is a great player.

1- you have those who believe that Rooney is a great player. He has an undoubted presence and always comes up with the good. He always gets involved in the play and drops back to help defend. And as a team lacking in world class stars, we should not be selling our best players.

2- You have an opposing view that centers around the fact that despite his undoubted quality, Rooney limits our options in terms of tactics, and he wanders off and doesn't hold his position, and dropping back is not a sign of hard work, since he could be working hard pressuring opposing defenders, but he doesn't and drops back.

I belong in the second category. Rooney under SAF played as a striker where he performed best, but he lost the pace and agression, not to mention match practice, that made him a great striker or his ability to play on the wing.

As a number 10, that many seem to think is his best position, he is found lacking. Compare him to Silva, who is a better passer, more creative, a better dribbler, has more vision, has much better first touch and his close control is far, far superior. He also tends to maintain his position as a number 10, constantly offering an passing option for TOure and Fernandinho to pass to. He neither takes up their space, nor moves too far forward so that he is too far and they have to pass it to the wings.
ROoney does not, he can't find the pockets of space that mata and Silva can. he drops too far back thus why you see Cleverley and Carrick simply passing it sideways, because he's next to them, or he is too far forward, thus the distance is too great and the midfielders have to pass it to the wings.

I thought that ROoney can play as a striker, which is why Moyes could have sold RVP, but if the game against Everton proved anything, it's that he cannot maintain a position up top and he will get bored, drop back, and leave a lot of space open thus stiffling our attack.

1- over 50 % of Catalan fans want Fabregas sold. he gets booed off most matches when things are not going Barcelona's way. He does not play " the Barcelona way ", he is too direct and not as good as the others in close spaces, nor pacy enough to play on the wings. And despite his good goal/assists return, a lot of fans want him out ( despite the fact that he did everything to go back there )

2- yes, they wanted Di Maria out before Ozil, but they still sold him to accmodate Bale, and they are better for it. Ask any Madrid fan who was their best player in the last couple of years bar Ronaldo, 90% of them would say it's Ozil.

3- It was 3 years, 10 kilos, and a whole lot of touch since then. Yes, we might have needed him to be on the ball more with our lack of uality around the pitch, but now we don't. We have mata, Kagawa, Januzaj, van Persie and whoever we get this summer who are significantly better on the ball that Rooney ever was.

4- Again, a second striker playing as a number 10 will get you goals. Play ROnaldo or Messi as a number 10 and they will get a whole lot of goals, but that will not improve the team. They need to play in their natural position, and w have yet to determine Rooney's.

5- I meant players with a fixed tactical roles. Xavi is a central midfielder and a ball conduct. Iniesta in the most advanced of a midfield 3 who plays on the left when needed. Scholes and Pirlo are deep lying playmakers. Zidane is a number 10. messi is a false 9 and Ronaldo is a wide striker. Rooney has a free role, and we don't know what fixed role he should have.

6- Yes, Jose sold him because he does not fit in his system. Now, similarly, I believe we should sell ROoney because he does not fit in our system. But I believe he would be a great success at Juventus, not so much at Chelsea. At Juventus, since they play with a target man, they can afford a deep lying striker who can wander off all over the fied, and drop back when defending. bayern can't, Barcelona can't, Madrid can't, we can't.

7-ROnaldo was a ballon d'or winner, and the best player on the planet. He was not sold to any other team because noone could pay 100 million for him except Madrid. Rooney on the other hand cannot get into the PFA team of the year. See the difference?

I would like to see Rooney in central midfield, or playing as a number 9, and being good at it, but I just don't see it. he played as an attacking midfielder under Ferguson, and he wanted out, fair to say he will not be playing central midfield any time soon.

Again, my views are mine, and this is how I see things. I don't think people are thick because they don't want Rooney sold, but because they either can't, or won't attempt to understand opposing views.

Look at it this way, if Suarez, with all his antics, and a significantly higher price tag on his shoulder, wanted out, there would be a whole lot of teams interested. If Rooney wanted out, who would be in for him? You see what I mean?

Now i'm perfectly OK with a manager coming in and getting the best out of Rooney, as long as it does not hurt the team the way it has this season.

But there in lies the issue and as I have said there are always 2 sides.
The same fans booed xavi and wanted him out of the team in his younger years for various reasons.
Madrids transfer system is a farce and is built around selling shirts as much as any thing they also sold robben and sneijder .
Did madrid sell ozil for tactical reasons or did perez want bale and would sell anyone to get the next " big name "


You can make an argument for both sides I could give 10 reasons to sell rvp you give 10 to keep him and vice versa.
It has nothing to with being to thick to understand its a difference in opinion.

Madrid didn't just buy bale, they spent 144mill euros in the last season.bale, isco, illaramendi, carvajal, and casimero.they could of bought bale without selling ozil but sold him and got another 4 players as well as bale 3 in similar positions to ozil.

29 Apr 2014 21:03:55
Peps certainly had his arse tanned tonight with his boring brand of football

29 Apr 2014 19:42:02
On a different note
it seems bale has won the madrid doubters over has he won some of the doubters on this site over

I don't think Bale really had doubters.
Some, including myself, said he is not worth 100 mils, and imo he has not yet proved to be worth that kind of money. He probably will in the future, but it's not a given.

Another reason for us doubting him is that he chose Madrid over us. Now even though Madrid is the most attractive club for most footballers out there, we tend to take it heavily that a player would rather move to them than here ( some did not want to get Eriksen a couple of years back because he said he would like to play for Madrid one day ). You cannot under estimate the pride of a Manchester United fan, and few things would hurt us more than knowing we will never, ever be a more attractive, successful, or even famous club than Real Madrid ( fair to say we're on the next level, with Bayern, Milan, Barcelona and Liverpool )

Lol Jred, its uncanny but I am 99 out of 100 times in agreement with you. Wasnt Bale just an athlete or a runner who was supposed to go downhill?

Deeps
something like that, most overrated player in the epl?

He's a good player, but he isn't worth £85m. If he's worth £85m then Ronaldo is worth £170m. Messi £200m.

Deeps, I think Walcott is the athlete you are talking about. They say if he was Brazilian, he would be a dustman :)

Syd
i never rate a player by how much a club are willing to pay for them

I still can't understand why Thiago Alcantara left Barcelona for more playing time to go to a team crowded with midfielders and just sit on the bench.
He only made 14 appearances this season.

I think he would of been great at United.

Syd, I take it on record then that you think Messi is a better player Ronnie! Lol

Jred, I know, me neither. Bale has turned out better than I expected, I will give him that.

Deeps, I would always choose Ronny over Messi, he is proven in the EPL. We know he could do it again.

Nailed it sydney with bale and price

Mick
You can't of read the site much last season

I can't ever believe anyone can rate Messi higher than Ronaldo. Take Messi out of Barca and put him into United for eg, and he would be half the player. He needs the likes of Iniesta and Xavi who are clever and create the space and opportunities as well as the link up play. Ronnie can literally win games single handed. But then again, I take Sydney's comments with a pinch of salt :-)

This year ronaldo has been better but I think messi is the better player.
I understand the whole messi plays in a great team but so many of his goals are individual efforts .
Ronaldo also plays in a great team but at the end of the day I think it comes down to personal preference, very close call

29 Apr 2014 16:29:01
I really hope we go all out on our transfer business this year. We need to pick the right players that suit the managers requirements (namely 4-3-3 if LVG comes in). For me it would be:
Carvallho - Would be a great shield in front of back 4
Strootman or Cabaye (missed a trick on both of these last year)
Kroos or Fabregas (please!)
Reus
Shaw - in the scheme of things worry that the money will be too steep and better spent elsewhere so maybe a cheaper left back

Really hope we integrate some of the loan/youth lads next year and get rid of some dead wood/players that do not suit the managers system (Fellaini/Nani/Cleverly etc.)

Generate £30m to top up the outlay.

There is a chance we might sign two centre mids but I don't think we will sign three. Even with a 4-3-3, tthere is room for Mata, as long as the other two centre mids are solid defensively. Maybe Strootman and Carvalho who are very good defensively and can drive the team forward, along with Mata would be a class midfield. £30 million for Shaw is not over the top given his age, defensive ability, potential, and of curse the English quota. A player like Reus, Lucas, Sanchez, or Griezmann is definitely needed to add more of a threat in behind.

29 Apr 2014 11:45:27
Cech, Terry, Hazard & Eto'o all fit for Atletico tomorrow, I guess Jose did really play a weakened side at Liverpool. Cahill & Willian both never started either. Jose really did get one over on BR.

{Ed002's Note - I am not so sure that Cech will be fit for tomorrow Syd.}

I have them winning 2-1 or 1-0 tomm.

Whatever you say about Jose, he is right 9 out of 10 times. May sometimes be very dull, but he gets result, and ultimately it's a results business.

29 Apr 2014 11:12:11
I see that the Rooney bashing bandwagon is in full motion, and surprise surprise the usual suspects at it. They did it when he had a relatively quite season last year, albeit still our 2nd most productive player. They do it even when he has been our best outfield player this season. More than 20 assists and 20 goals, looked one of those rare ones arsed, when a lot of our primadonnas were throwing a strop. Now they are using Van Gaal as a stick to beat Rooney up. Obviously a lot of our esteemed posters in here have worked as LVG's assistant. They know for sure that someone who has just gotten a 5 year deal will be moved on because Van Gaal is going to make RVP the captain. LOL . Its just mind numbing, I really think Rooney gets under the skin of a lot of people in here and the fact that he is a scouser adds to it. Ever since he joined United, he has been the highest scorer in the Premier League and the second highest assist getter in the same period. But no, he just runs around, hits one or two 60 yard passes and is sh!t at everything else.

Deeps.

Who said Rooney will be moved on and that Van Persie will be made captain?

Amen!

Deeps, anyone can see that Rooney is a top player. But what people can also see is that he refuses to hold his position for more than 5 minutes, and because he needs a free role, he upsets the whole balance of the team. If he plays up front, he drifts back into midfield and rarely tries to run the lines. If he plays as a number 10, he pushes up into the striker's space, and constantly tries his patented cross field pass to the right wing. And if he plays in midfield, he just looks bored and disinterested.

Rooney will always get goals and assist goals. But he will always play as an individual. He doesn't have the fluidity of mind and body to link midfield and attack like Mata, or the striker's instinct and movement of RVP. He is a halfway house between a number 10 and a striker, and only looks his best when he has licence to play where he likes. In the modern game, top sides can ill afford to give a player a free role.

Van Gaal may well stick with Rooney, but only if he can stop his wandering and become a team player rather than a hard working individual.

Deeps. Totally agree and we had this all last year. And now he's been our best outfield player, they still have a go at him.
I think the fact that he's a scouser and he gets a shed load of money annoys a load of people. But anyone in his position will want the best deal, and United gave it to him. End of.
Lvg is not going to sell our best players.

Danny
Do you know that rooney has been told to hold his position or to maybe drop deep and get on the ball.
I have no idea what various managers have told him .

If rooney was the worse player on pitch some on this site would want to sell him .
If he was the best player on the pitch the same people would want to sell him .

I still rate rooney highly, I just happen to think he's not as good as van persie as a striker, he's not as good as mata as a number 10 and he's a complete mercenary who is only out for wayne rooney and wayne rooney only!

NM, no one has "had a go" at Rooney. I actually said in the post that I hope he stays for two more seasons. I think Deeps has misread something personally.

My point was RvP is LvG's chosen captain for Holland. Would it be completely out of the question that he chooses RvP to be captain for MU?

My other point was that 'IF' Rooney wanted to leave, If being the operative word. Then a character like LvG wouldn't have any problems letting him go.

I think Deeps may have misinterpreted what I said.

I know that Fergie was highly critical of his ability to hold position in his book. He claims that Rooney always reverted back to what comes instinctively to him, i.e. chasing the ball down. I also know that the reason RVP was brought in is Fergie wanted a striker who could run the line. Fergie obviously had a bone to pick with Rooney, but it was clear to all that he was increasingly frustrated with Rooney during his last season, trying to drop him back into midfield so that we could play a more traditional number 10.

In addition, consecutive England managers have failed to get the best out of Rooney in varying positions. The only other manager Rooney has ever had (aside from one Giggs game) is Moyes, and this season we have seen Rooney revert back to his tried and tested follow the ball approach.

Stretfordender1980, I agree with that. Although I never mind seeing Rooney in the number ten position. I actually think he plays that role well. Also the money stuff doesn't bother me, top players deserve top salaries, especially if you are playing for a top club and we are a top club.

Lol it was in a book.
ive read the book as well

Syd, didn't you say we should have sold Rooney? now you're saying you want to keep him for 2 seasons?

Last summer I said I would only contemplate selling Rooney if we signed some players first. IE Baines, Cesc & Reus. I wouldn't want to sell to a rival either. Now we know we have plenty of cash for a massive build I wouldn't sell any of our better players, we need to add players, not sell them.

{Ed002's Note - There is a constraint on squad size Syd.}

Rooney is our equivalent of Kim Jong-Un.

Everything goes through him and of course he is going to stand out compared to the rest if his role in the team/country is to dominate and dictate.

If RVP, Mata, Kagawa, Janujaz had the same treatment that Rooney receives (give him the ball that is your job) they would double up on his productivity.

Just like if the North Korean leader was replaced by a better leader there would be better results and the people would be happier. But nobody dare criticise or look further than their own nose!

The best manager in Europe ( Mourinho) would have taken Rooney as his main striker, given the chance, yet the experts on here would still get rid. Perhaps he comes looking for the ball because of the crap he has supplying him. Maybe some of those experts should apply for the utd job.

Ed002, what I mean is sell the likes of Nani, Anderson, Young, Hernandez & Kagawa and replace them with a better standard of player and promote some youth players. A few of the old guard will be leaving too so there will be enough space for five quality additions without having to sell our better players.

Porsche993, I still think Rooney would have ended up in the hole at Chelsea. Perhaps he would have played as a main for this season, but when they went for Cavani/Falcao/Costa this summer, he would have moved deeper like where he plays for us.

I think he would of played as a striker at chelsea, they needed a striker and jose wanted rooney .
He got rid of mata as he rates oscar and I can see why I think oscar is going to be a very good 10, only young as well .

Jred, I think Chelsea will sell Oscar within a couple of years. I think Rooney would have played this season as a striker obviously, but Chelsea would have bought one of Cavani/Falcao/Costa this summer and realistically Rooney would have dropped back. Chelsea don't really play 442. I guess it's all ifs and buts now.

You had RM tonight didn't you? They will just keep picking BM off now on the break.

Yer had madrid 4:1 ridiculous price imo.
they could of bought any of them 3 players last year when they where actually for sale.
would seem a bit strange let cavani and falcao Go to other clubs and then try to buy them the following year?
i think rooney would of been the cheaper option but they missed out and are still short of a striker.
i think rooney would of done well at chelsea he would of been a good fit in a jose team imo and saved them paying 50 mil this summer

I guess Cavani & Falcao chose PSG & Monaco over Chelsea, but now regret it. Both open to a move away. Costa wasn't really established like he is now. Chelsea want two of these three strikers this summer, so I think it's fair to say if they had signed Rooney last summer, that they would have wanted one of these three this summer. I don't know, maybe Jose would have went with the diamond that he used to play with Rooney & Costa/Falcao/Cavani upfront? I just think he would have had a main striker with Rooney behind. No doubt Rooney would have played as the main striker this season though, I agree he would have done quite well.

29 Apr 2014 09:28:55
Good morning Ed002, a week or so ago you gave an opinion on what you thought of LvG if he was appointed manager. Have you got anything to add to that now you have had more time to think about it? Thanks.

{Ed002's Note - I have not been thinking about it Syd. Whatever I said then will still be my view.}

I didn't expect a different view Ed, just perhaps a little extra to add. Nevermind, thanks for the reply.