It was ok, we won. **** me, tricky mid week away day against plucky opposition (TM - The BBC. Probably) and we comfortably won. Nothing whatsoever to complain about. Some promise from three CM's who don't get enough games was also shown in Carrick, Herrera and Schneiderlin. Rooney was **** though so let's bleat about that instead.
I guess Rooney getting special first team status and praise for "what he's done for United" grates with some fans who recall his exit attempts to City and Chelsea. He's always been a hired gun with no real attachment to United as far as I'm concerned. He's certainly no Gary Neville.
Yes, clearly it does. To the point they can't speak about anything else. I would say his twelve years at the club does give him a connection to United personally.
The win probably pissed a few people off. besides the RS who had been praying no doubt for an upset. The press, the BBC and all the pundits who has a lot to say about this and that. You can only beat what's in front of you. Any away fixture in a cup competition is tricky. Good next fixture for us: City will hardly relish coming to OT with a weakened team (which they would probably do) and still hope to win. For some reason, I think a match against City at home is better than an away match against Reading for example.
I've worked for companies/people I didn't have any real time for but as long as they paid my salary I stayed "loyal"
Doesn't that just apply to all the players then? Why is he different? Aside from being a scouser of course.
I think it because he has so openly and repeatedly displayed his contempt for the club and the fans by asking to leave in so public a fashion. That has permanently tarnished any 'legacy' with the club. You can't do that, then end up on such a massive salary package and not expect the fans to put your game and commitment to playing for the club under the microscope - and to pick up on every shortcoming. He got what he wanted - the club are not getting a decent return from him. He must have realised from that point forward that every aspect of his game, and his public and professional life would all be under scrutiny like no one else at the club. He has to justify his worth to the fans who felt betrayed by him. He questioned the transfer policy - look at our world-class signings.....what has he done in response - nada. It's not as if he is returning from some horrendous injury and is still finding form that we all know will come - he isn't. He has simply disregarded his commitment to remaining fully fit and to stay at the top of his game. All he wants to do now is make babies with Coleen and film documentaries featuring sycophants fawning over his past achievements.
I can only speak for myself but I've never taken to the guy. His attitude was unprofessional as a young player as he was frequently pictured boozing and smoking during the close season which meant he came back for pre-season in **** shape and needed extra time to get up to match fitness. He looks incredibly unfit at the minute, maybe that's just his body giving up on him due to too much football and excess. His statement in 2010 when he announced he was going to leave United was the work of a ****. It was October so not even a transfer window and I believe it was the day before a CL game. Then he signed a fat contract and kissed the badge. His sulky behaviour when he wanted to go to Chelsea, not celebrating goals either on his own or with his team mates was also the work of a ****. Then he signed a fat contract and kissed the badge. And he's a Scouser. It's just a job for most players but some of them make that far too obvious. He's never shown much loyalty to United so I don't see why the club owes him anything, certainly not if it means the team are worse off.
He's not alone in flirting with Chelsea, Rio Ferdinand also did it and changed his mind and gets off scot free. At that time Chelsea were in the ascendancy and the Glazers were running United into the ground. He's not right in asking to leave but nor is he alone as a player in having done so and then changed their mind. That's modern football unfortunately. Have you read Ferguson second biography by the way? He deals with his second transfer request, this time when he wanted to go to City. According to Ferguson, he vaguely 'wanted away' . He never says he asked for a transfer, Rooney denied it and Ferguson never countered that he did. Therefore he clearly didn't. As for this he doesn't keep himself fit. He's been a full time pro footballer since he was 16, which is about four year before most make that full step up. This, in football terms, will make him the equivalent of about a 34 year old. I'm not applying science to it I'm just making a case for why he has prematurely aged. Any suggestion he's unprofessional is bollocks in my opinion, complete guess work. He smokes the odd cig, so did Cantona. I would say again that he isn't alone in having been out and about as a player during his time at United. I get why him being a scouser grates with some. Look, if he was a Liverpool fan or ex player I'd be singing a different tune but I think since he's been at United he's been a red from the word go. He's not going to be the same as Giggs, Scholes and Neville, they are local lads playing for the team they support. There are very few players out there who do that and show similar long term commitment.
The second transfer attempt wasn't as bad as the first when he issued the statement basically saying United was a **** club and he was too good for it.
Yeah, basically. He said exactly that. But, if you consider that this gave Ferguson and the Glazers a bit of a kick up the arse with regards to player recruitment maybe it was not such a bad thing.
Yes, I remember the period when the GGs had dumped a huge amount of debt on the club and Fergie had to (or went along ) shop at Primark whilst the likes of Chelsea and City were shopping at Harrods and were reinforcing at a dramatic rate. That was a low period and we all had to watch as our team went downhill (despite winning several titles) . Also I remember that whilst I was thinking of Rooney as a **** for stirring, I recognised at the time that he had a point and the GGs and ferguson needed to wake up and the team was gettign weaker by the year. May be he was using the situation to his advantage but there was no doubt that United had to stop playing Scrooge.
It wasn't a great performance. First 30 mins we bossed the game, carved a poor Northampton side open (and why not, that's to be expected) but we didn't have anyone to convert our chances. THEN... and there's no getting away from this.... BECAUSE of the lack of any potency up front, our game spectacularly changed to playing in front of their defence trying to wait for an opening. Why? Because our midfield could NOT see a single option up front to play to. Northampton gained some comfort from us looking toothless and decided to take the game to us and scored out of nothing. Second half Mourinho did basic football 101 and threw the kitchen sink at Northampton and eventually we broke them down. While still keeping our biggest problem (aka Rooney) still on the pitch. Btw Mourinho himself intimated the same after the game by saying... "we controlled the game in the first 35 mins and then in the last 45". He saw exactly the same thing I've described. Which makes me wonder why the hell he's being so pig-headed about playing Rooney.
Let's see whether Rooney is picked on Saturday. I think keeping him on last night for 90 could mean he won't be. The start of him being phased out possibly. We'll know soon enough.
Cardiff. I'm not denying he's Welsh, I'm just saying he's local to United. Any Deans boy is a Salford boy.
