Our Wayne Is Better Than Yours

[Tooj]

Our Wayne" Is Better Than Yours.

 

I am still haunted by Wayne Rooney. Even now, sitting in my exile in the rust-belt of the Midwest, his short Everton career boomerangs back into my mind again and again. I was there in the Park End the day Wayne scored that goal. Sat there, in what - looking back - felt like a Royal box seat for Rooney's coming-of-age - I wasn't sure exactly what I was witnessing. Was Wayne going to be another false dawn like Danny Cadamarteri, the dreadlocked 17-year-old who came into the world of football feet first and hit the ground running, like a precocious young chess champ seemingly intent on playing a pickup game of speed chess with the Grand Masters.

 

We all remember what happened the day Rooney came on against a bulletproof Arsenal side. Little snapshots flicker back into my memory. Wayne's goal; looping over Seaman like a vandal's brick, a Krakatoan eruption at Goodison, my dad letting off a minute long ecstatic scream at the final whistle, and listening to the feverish hoarse voices at the train station talking about "our Wayne". The rest of this fairy-tale remains unwritten; Wayne didn't go on to drag us into a golden age, instead he left for Old Trafford. But as long as I live in the U.S. - 3,300 miles away and sheltered from his successes with Man Utd - Wayne will occupy a strange limbo in my heart. Everton were of course compensated with millions of pounds for letting him leave, but the Wayne I knew, the bullish mercurial street-fighter, I wouldn't swap him for a wilderness of millions.

 

No matter how much dirt emerges about Wayne Rooney, no matter how much the Scouse genius runs roughshod over his "Once a Blue, always a Blue" oath of fealty with obnoxious and hypocritical badge kissing, I will always regard him as a footballing God.

 

To get over Rooney's departure to Old Trafford, I treated the new version of him as a different player - and it wasn't to hard to do. Sir Alex Ferguson has straitjacketed some of his wilder tendencies, turning his feral flair and atavistic aggression into the more controlled player he wanted him to be. Whilst at Goodison, Rooney notched up 15 goals in 67 appearances, a record that - on the face of it - is inferior to his goalscoring rate at United, where he has scored 52 goals in 124 league appaearances, but that isn't taking into account Moyes' softly softly approach. Of those 67 games for Everton, 27 of them were as a substitute, and the Everton side of that time doesn't hold a torch to the current United squad.

 

When watching Wayne now you see an awe-inspiring and excellent player; but I think that he could have become even better. The early Rooney - bursting past defenders, ruthlessly direct and blinkered, known to taunt defenders by putting his hands on his hips in mock boredom, who like a belligerent matchmaker, never ceased to revel in introducing the ball to the back of the net - won't be seen at Old Trafford.

 

Say what you want about your Wayne, but OUR Wayne had it all and in many ways was uncoachable. The glorious trajectory predicted by many for Rooney hasn't quite panned out and although he is the jewel in England's crown, he is overshadowed by others such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kaka, players who should have been his peers in the high altitude world of top class football.

 

Even Wayne's performances for England have suffered since he moved to Manchester. As an Everton player, Rooney scored nine goals in 17 games for England - but now he is playing under Sir Alex, his tally for England is a far more modest five goals in 25 games. Reading through the match reports during his time with Everton, you are struck by the fact that he was lauded by the press for his finishing and "killer instinct" - two things that have been removed in the lobotomised talents of the United version of Rooney.

 

Sir Alex Ferguson got it very right when trying to coach out Cristiano Ronaldo's showboating flair, but he got it wrong with Wayne, as the young Scouser's direct early self was more akin to the Brazilian Ronaldo at Barcelona - a footballing egomaniac, and a lighting rod for every attack - attributes that no longer are present in Rooney.

 

Manchester United's millions bought a star, but by separating Rooney from his boyhood club, they never got the legend.

[Geordie Boot Boy]

I was just reading this.  Rooney certainly doesn't inspire the same excitement that he used to at Everton and in his early days at Man United.  I don't think he's a worse player though, he just plays for the team more.  Reminds me of the big difference in Andy Cole's game when he moved to Man U.

[Shak]

Can understand what he's saying, but I think that Rooney now gives more to a team than anyone else in the entire league. While not the highlight reel that Cristiano is, he's still easily his equal in terms of how important he is to the team.

 

Still think there's a lot more to come from him as well. If he starts adding more goals to his game, he'll be scary good.

[Guest icemanblue]

Good article, that. Some very good points. His development does seem to have stalled somewhat.

[Shearer9]

I knew someone would bring up the Andrew Cole comparison, and it's probably an apt one.  Rooney is still one of the most effective players in the league, and if things revolved around him, not Ronaldo, he'd be a 20 goal a season man easily.  It is pretty amazing that ManUtd have been major players in 4 different competitions and will play something like 60 games this year using really only 2 forwards.

[Thespence]

His work ethic is up there with the best. On Sunday he was all over towards the end.

[M4]

Bit of romanticised view, which he's entitled to. But he's certainly taken on another dimension since going to ManU.

 

Might be a step under the Messis or Kakas but he's still world class already.

[Nobody]

I rate Rooney as one of the best players on the planet. He's something else, I can't think of a current player like him. He works incredibly hard for the team, has great vision, lovely touch and you won't see him being outmuscled by many players.

The only reason most don't see him as a competitor for the best player in the world is becuase he isn't as full of tricks as Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka etc.

[Shak]

The new Dirk Kuyt tbh.

[M4]

The only reason most don't see him as a competitor for the best player in the world is becuase he isn't as full of tricks as Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka etc.

 

He really is a British bulldog which is why I love to watch him play. A no nonsense approach yet a very skillful and tidy one.

[ElDiablo]

The only reason most don't see him as a competitor for the best player in the world is becuase he isn't as full of tricks as Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka etc.

 

And his finishing is very hit and miss for a forward.

[Guest alex]

The only reason most don't see him as a competitor for the best player in the world is becuase he isn't as full of tricks as Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka etc.

 

And his finishing is very hit and miss for a forward.

I think his finishing is one area of his game that seems to have gotten worse. He never seemed to miss a one on one when he first broke onto the scene for Everton and later England.

[Nobody]

The only reason most don't see him as a competitor for the best player in the world is becuase he isn't as full of tricks as Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka etc.

 

And his finishing is very hit and miss for a forward.

For me, he makes up for his "bad" finishing by all his other attributes. No one will say that he's as clinical as Drogba or Torres, but at a stretch, I would still take Rooney over both of them.

[Gash]

I dont rate, atall.

And hes a cheat!

[Cronky]

Well if Man U decide that his decline is terminal, I say we put in a bid.

[Thorpinho]

One thing that disappoints me about what Ferguson has clearly done to him, is that now he seems to rarely shoot from outside the area. He has a great shot on him from distance and i would like to see him try it more often like he did when he was younger. Especially for England.

[johnnypd]

he is much more of a team player these days, man utd don't look the same without him, and he is scoring more goals too. don't see what the problem is. he is perhaps not playing with the same joie de vivre and arrogance but that is not to say he won't get this particular aspect back and he is still performing in the 'big' games. in the league this season he has 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 starts.

[Guest Knightrider]

Rooney would be more of an individual had he stayed at Everton or dare I say it joined Newcastle in my opinion. Since joining Man Utd he's become a mature, very consistent steady performer and very much a team-player but he's lost some of his sheer individualism and has been somewhat exploited by Man Utd who use him crudely at times, as a battering force, a bully, a physical edge to their attack which of course works and that's not to say he still can't do wonderful things for them as he can and does, but if they give him a free role he'd flourish much more and would become the player he has it in him to become. However a lot of it is down to his own unselfishness and high work rate too which I really do believe is a waste of effort 70% of the time on his behalf. He needs to become more selfish, more of an individual and stop chasing down everything and anything. People will say that would detract from his game or that is what makes him the player he is, but I disagree, his ability on the ball, his brain and his understated individualism is what makes him the great player he is. If he could elaborate on that individualism and be free to play to his own strengths in terms of skill and imagination rather than physical strengths, he'd join the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka et al as a world great. I doubt he'll ever reach those standards though unless he does just that and Fergie gives him a free role. You can't contain talent like that or box it into some kind of package, let it free I say and watch him flourish. He is by far England's best player and for me our only truly world-class player.

[Guest Knightrider]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

[Shearergol]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

 

Same here.

[Geordie Boot Boy]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

 

I'd pick myself.  Sod what's good for the club.

[johnnypd]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

 

I'd pick myself.  Sod what's good for the club.

 

[Optimistic Nut]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

 

Nah, I'd take Torres.

[Dokko]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

 

Nah, I'd take Torres.

 

C. Ronaldo by a mile.

 

 

[Guest Knightrider]

PS If I could pick any player to sign for us from any player in the world it would be him.

 

Nah, I'd take Torres.

 

C. Ronaldo by a mile.

 

 

 

As highly as I rate him (currently as the best I've seen in terms of individualism up close and personal on a regular basis, as the best in the world at current), I'd still rather have Rooney because for me he's the complete striker, or could be and for me that is the most important area on the pitch. He's an amazing player and a joy to watch, would have loved us to have signed him.