Rival Watch

[Stan]

I think Spurs losing was a good result for us. We aren't catching Chelsea (or City) but Spurs will chase top four. I would have preferred a draw at the Emirates but I suppose Saints losing might knock their confidence a bit for the game on the 8th.

In short, we're playing for 3rd or 4th not the title!

 

[weararedbonnet]

Never give up hope Shteve, we have chased down a big lead before, United always improve in the new year

 

[Stan]

Never give up hope Shteve, we have chased down a big lead before, United always improve in the new year

I'll bet you a gajillion dollars that we won't win the league.

By the way, we were ****ing awful in the second half of last season!

 

[weararedbonnet]

Last season was a one off nightmare, we were crap ALL season. But maybe second place is a possibility?

Imagine that, second place, we could write a book about it!

 

[Christiansmith]

I'll bet you a gajillion dollars that we won't win the league.

By the way, we were f**ing awful in the second half of last season!

On what odds? 1 million to one?

The chances are very low but the probability is that we are doing a reverse of last season, when we started reasonably well and steadily got worse. This we started really badly with several defeats and draws against lowly placed teams and steadily improved.

I think whilst 1st and second are a long shot, we realistically could finish anywhere between 3rd and 6th. 4th would be good

 

[Stan]

For the first time this season I'm confident we'll finish in the top four. The football is improving, the squad is gradually strengthening, the players seem to believe and the opposition is relatively weak. Arsenal and United will be third and fourth, not sure in which order.

 

[Chief]

We'll be third. We're better than Arsenal.

Sadly, I can only really see Liverpool challenging Arsenal for 4th, Southampton at a push but they've hit a run of big games and they need to win a couple, which looks unlikely now.

There we are, now jinxed. They'll beat us Monday night.

 

[chelsea - over 100 years of history]

Rooney has scored in the knock out rounds of the worlds premier football competition. Where class gets seperated from the pretenders. Aguero may have but ive literally got no idea. It was a consolation regardless so doesnt count.

Rooney 2-0 aguero.

Just because some ******s think rooney is **** doesn't make it so. Theyre ****ing ******s ffs. Rooney is one of the leagues best, most consistent and most reliable players. He carries more expectations than any player in england and he continues to perform.

Aguero just got a hat trick v probably the best team in the world (Bayern). You talk some absolute ****e sometimes .

Rooney is a good player but you'll struggle to find anyone outside of United's fan base (and many in it) who thinks he is better than Aguero. Versatility is commendable. However I personally don't think Rooney is as versatile as you think - he's been marginalised into other roles by having better players with him at United (Ronaldo then RVP). Rooney's best year for United was when he played at 9 and he was given that position as for once he was seen as the main man. Fergie then went and got RVP and pushed Rooney into a slightly weaker position which says a lot. Rooney can technically play wide but isn't very good there by his standards. Difference is, Aguero wouldn't get shoe horned into these other roles as he is so good up top.

Fact is Aguero wins more football matches for City than Rooney does for United.

 

[chelsea - over 100 years of history]

On what odds? 1 million to one?

The chances are very low but the probability is that we are doing a reverse of last season, when we started reasonably well and steadily got worse. This we started really badly with several defeats and draws against lowly placed teams and steadily improved.

I think whilst 1st and second are a long shot, we realistically could finish anywhere between 3rd and 6th. 4th would be good

I've had a couple of quid on you at 40-1 to win the league. Did it a week or so ago. The odds are a lot less now. 25-1?

 

[Swarbs]

Aguero just got a hat trick v probably the best team in the world (Bayern). You talk some absolute ****e sometimes .

Rooney is a good player but you'll struggle to find anyone outside of United's fan base (and many in it) who thinks he is better than Aguero. Versatility is commendable. However I personally don't think Rooney is as versatile as you think - he's been marginalised into other roles by having better players with him at United (Ronaldo then RVP). Rooney's best year for United was when he played at 9 and he was given that position as for once he was seen as the main man. Fergie then went and got RVP and pushed Rooney into a slightly weaker position which says a lot. Rooney can technically play wide but isn't very good there by his standards. Difference is, Aguero wouldn't get shoe horned into these other roles as he is so good up top.

Fact is Aguero wins more football matches for City than Rooney does for United.

Yes, it says he was more confident in the ability of Rooney to play in the AM / 10 role than Ozil, Cazorla, Oscar, Rodwell, Gotze, Kaka and any number of other players he could have tried to buy in that position.

Fact is that in the past seven years of SAF's reign, every season Rooney was played in his best role - the number 10 role - we won the title. We missed out narrowly in the two seasons Rooney was played out of position, as a number 9, and in spite of that he still scored close to 30 goals in both of those seasons.

We didn't spend £30m on a 29 year old crock purely to piss of Arsenal. We did it so we could move Rooney back into his best position, and thus win the league easily with him pulling the strings in the withdrawn role. The fact he doesn't like playing that role, and looks sulky as **** when doing so, doesn't mean it's not the role he's performed best at for most of the last eight years.

 

[chelsea - over 100 years of history]

Yes, it says he was more confident in the ability of Rooney to play in the AM / 10 role than Ozil, Cazorla, Oscar, Rodwell, Gotze, Kaka and any number of other players he could have tried to buy in that position.

Fact is that in the past seven years of SAF's reign, every season Rooney was played in his best role - the number 10 role - we won the title. We missed out narrowly in the two seasons Rooney was played out of position, as a number 9, and in spite of that he still scored close to 30 goals in both of those seasons.

We didn't spend £30m on a 29 year old crock purely to piss of Arsenal. We did it so we could move Rooney back into his best position, and thus win the league easily with him pulling the strings in the withdrawn role. The fact he doesn't like playing that role, and looks sulky as **** when doing so, doesn't mean it's not the role he's performed best at for most of the last eight years.

You won the league due to Ronaldo and a brilliant defence not Rooney playing 10. His best season for you was at 9 when he won player of the year and you narrowly lost out on the title to a free scoring Chelsea machine You won the league a couple of years back due to RVP's goals mainly. It's an over simplification but that's basically the facts. Jose tried to sign Rooney as a number 9 not a 10, and he knows a bit more about football than you or I.

Personally I don't give a flying f... what his best position is. The debate was is he better than Aguero? Wether Rooney's position is 9, 10, in goal or missionary...he's not.

 

[BobbyD]

You won the league due to Ronaldo and a brilliant defence not Rooney playing 10. His best season for you was at 9 when he won player of the year and you narrowly lost out on the title to a free scoring Chelsea machine You won the league a couple of years back due to RVP's goals mainly. It's an over simplification but that's basically the facts. Jose tried to sign Rooney as a number 9 not a 10, and he knows a bit more about football than you or I.

Personally I don't give a flying f... what his best position is. The debate was is he better than Aguero? Wether Rooney's position is 9, 10, in goal or missionary...he's not.

Well said. Just to add, in effectively 12 matches less (8157 minutes for rooney and 7092 minutes for Aguero), Aguero has scored 66 goals and assisted 26 times compared to Rooney who has scored 64 times and assisted 32 times. For someone who according to Man United fans is an 'amazing number 10' all round and 'far better' than aguero, his stats sure are saying something (this includes rooney taking penalties, corners free kicks to bolster up his tally).

 

[Swarbs]

You won the league due to Ronaldo and a brilliant defence not Rooney playing 10. His best season for you was at 9 when he won player of the year and you narrowly lost out on the title to a free scoring Chelsea machine

His best individual season, maybe, but a poor season for Utd, because despite his goals we lacked the ability to create in the centre of the park. Ronaldo may have been scoring all the goals, but Rooney was creating many of them.

You won the league a couple of years back due to RVP's goals mainly. It's an over simplification but that's basically the facts.

No, it's basically bollocks. Rooney scored more league goals for us in 11/12 than RVP did in 12/13. Fact.

The difference between the two seasons was that we had Rooney in a deeper role, thus giving us more creation and goals from that area of the park, as well as better all round ball retention which helped us win the league.

Jose tried to sign Rooney as a number 9 not a 10, and he knows a bit more about football than you or I.

And SAF consistently played Rooney very successfully as a number ten, and also knows a lot more about football. Thus proving my point - Rooney is good in either position, and has at no point in his career been 'shoehorned' out of position. But the simple facts show that Utd play better, as a team, when he is played in a deeper role and has more influence over the all round game.

Personally I don't give a flying f... what his best position is. The debate was is he better than Aguero? Wether Rooney's position is 9, 10, in goal or missionary...he's not.

Not arguing that Aguero is a better striker. I've said all along Aguero is the best striker in the league bar none. But Rooney is a better number 10, fact.

 

[Swarbs]

Well said. Just to add, in effectively 12 matches less (8157 minutes for rooney and 7092 minutes for Aguero), Aguero has scored 66 goals and assisted 26 times compared to Rooney who has scored 64 times and assisted 32 times. For someone who according to Man United fans is an 'amazing number 10' all round and 'far better' than aguero, his stats sure are saying something (this includes rooney taking penalties, corners free kicks to bolster up his tally).

You daft prick. Rooney hasn't take penalties for Utd for the past two years. He hasn't taken a single penalty this season, whilst Aguero has three goals from the spot. So Rooney has more assists and more goals from open play, despite not being played as a number 9.

Thanks for making my argument for me

 

[HRH Custard VC]

Who cares both are great players and both teams would love to have both in their team

 

[Chief]

Who cares both are great players and both teams would love to have both in their team

I agree, they'd form a great partnership. Aguero is the best striker in the league, Rooney the best behind the striker.

The initial debate started about Diego Costa or Rooney and I would have Rooney over Costa every day of the week without fail.

 

[BobbyD]

double post

 

[BobbyD]

You daft prick. Rooney hasn't take penalties for Utd for the past two years. He hasn't taken a single penalty this season, whilst Aguero has three goals from the spot. So Rooney has more assists and more goals from open play, despite not being played as a number 9.

Thanks for making my argument for me

Who's the daft one now. Rooney, took the penalties in 2011/12 which is when Aguero joined the league. He scored 9 there in that season, 6 more than Aguero. How about commenting on how he takes some of the free kicks and some of the corners to bolster his assists/goals (open play ).

So he has less goals and only 6 more assists than someone who 'doesn't create' whilst taking 11 matches more. Yea sure thats made your argument there hasn't it sherlock.

 

[chelsea - over 100 years of history]

His best individual season, maybe, but a poor season for Utd, because despite his goals we lacked the ability to create in the centre of the park. Ronaldo may have been scoring all the goals, but Rooney was creating many of them.



No, it's basically bollocks. Rooney scored more league goals for us in 11/12 than RVP did in 12/13. Fact.

The difference between the two seasons was that we had Rooney in a deeper role, thus giving us more creation and goals from that area of the park, as well as better all round ball retention which helped us win the league.



And SAF consistently played Rooney very successfully as a number ten, and also knows a lot more about football. Thus proving my point - Rooney is good in either position, and has at no point in his career been 'shoehorned' out of position. But the simple facts show that Utd play better, as a team, when he is played in a deeper role and has more influence over the all round game.



Not arguing that Aguero is a better striker. I've said all along Aguero is the best striker in the league bar none. But Rooney is a better number 10, fact.

You cant really know it's fact without Aguero playing that role for a sustained basis but i'll give you it for now. However again it's who is the better player. It has to be Aguero.

Put another way, if both players were available to say Madrid, one would cost about 70-80 million, one would be worth about half that.

 

[Swarbs]

You cant really know it's fact without Aguero playing that role for a sustained basis but i'll give you it for now. However again it's who is the better player. It has to be Aguero.

Put another way, if both players were available to say Madrid, one would cost about 70-80 million, one would be worth about half that.

Fair point, although you could say the same about Rooney as a striker. The last time he played as a number 9, in 2011/12, he outscored Aguero 27 goals to 23 over the same number of games with a superior goals per minute ratio (105 for Rooney vs 113 for Aguero).

I would tend to agree Aguero is the better player at the moment, but the comparison is a lot closer than many would like to make out, given the different positions both play. As has been pointed out above, if you put Rooney and Aguero together, you would have the best attacking pairing in the league, much like we had with Rooney and RVP before RVP's legs fell off.

The Madrid comparison is probably right, but completely irrelevant as Madrid are well known for paying lots for flair players ahead of effective ones.