Rooney - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Article by Robert Osborne
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Let me start by saying this will not follow the usual path of stats and facts. I am a statistical person who likes the most obscure of all possible (such as Herrera and Blind having as many passes as Sunderland), but recognise stats don't tell the whole picture. This post is about the feelings that Rooney evokes. One typical format I'm going to follow is the good, the bad and the ugly- except in reverse.
The ugly
Every United fan will openly or begrudgingly admit Rooney is a United legend. Whilst Ronaldo excited, Rooney is the type of player the club has always had. Mercurial, flawed and charismatic- simply put, capable of shutting up the most talkative pub analyst. However his 2 failed attempts at leaving the club has left a sour taste and you can't heLp but feel it will always stick with him. Even now as he tries to mend there is an underlying feeling he might have his eye on one last big hurrah somewhere else. Sort of like a partner you take back after they cheat, you're almost waiting for them to repeat the feat. On both occasions I could sympathise as an employee. Rooney watched talent leave and was concerned his boss wasn't replacing them. A lack of faith definitely- but also the sign of a winner. Let's not forget Rooney isn't a born red, he's an adopted one. His looking is logical if painful for the emotional United fan to swallow.
The bad
At times I've wondered if his first touch was stolen. At others I wondered what happened to the powerful kid who was not afraid of anything or anyone. The kid who ran at defenders like he was the predator and them his prey. Much of his original game has dwindled, and whilst there is a degree of adaptability to be commended, you don't see Ronaldo or Messi playing long diagonals unsuccessfully instead of running at defenders. Here is my frustration with Rooney- much of the staff insisted he was as good as Ronaldo (some swore better), but he didn't put the graft in. Strange when that is something we associate with him so readily, and call Ronnie a show pony. Rooney had the same ability but chose to enjoy life a little more early on before he'd earned the right to. Whilst he had done incredibly well there is always a feeling that he could have done more, and that sits ill with me.
The good- my favourite part
The overhead kick, the volley against Newcastle, the debut hat trick, the delicious chip against Portsmouth. All of these goals are magical moments proving his talent is more than a lucky hit, but it's not these that excite me. It's the 1-2 exchange with Ronaldo where they both broke like sprinters against Arsenal and he kept pace all the way. It's the goal against AC Milan when we won 3-2, it's the finish against Barcelona in the 2011 final. It's the moments where the rest of the team have looked ordinary and he has dragged United over the line. The moment he embodied a lion like the pose he struck for the ill fated World Cup advert a few years ago. Most of all its Rooney and Ferguson celebrating together. I miss Sir Alex tremendously and realised long before he retired how much I would miss him, but the sight of him and Rooney on a champions league night with that famous music playing just made me shiver in amazement (Ronaldo and his overly gelled hair must also be added to the memory).
For me Rooney is a United legend without question. He follows in a pack of a few players who I rate as among the best in the clubs history, and whether he reaches the goal record or not doesn't affect this. Just to add to the debate, the best player in Manchester United's history for me is- Paul Scholes. The post on him is for another time I think. For now I'd rather go away and smile at the good times Rooney has delivered to the theatre of dreams.
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
Subscribe to the e-Football Podcast on iTunes (Click Here)
Let me start by saying this will not follow the usual path of stats and facts. I am a statistical person who likes the most obscure of all possible (such as Herrera and Blind having as many passes as Sunderland), but recognise stats don't tell the whole picture. This post is about the feelings that Rooney evokes. One typical format I'm going to follow is the good, the bad and the ugly- except in reverse.
The ugly
Every United fan will openly or begrudgingly admit Rooney is a United legend. Whilst Ronaldo excited, Rooney is the type of player the club has always had. Mercurial, flawed and charismatic- simply put, capable of shutting up the most talkative pub analyst. However his 2 failed attempts at leaving the club has left a sour taste and you can't heLp but feel it will always stick with him. Even now as he tries to mend there is an underlying feeling he might have his eye on one last big hurrah somewhere else. Sort of like a partner you take back after they cheat, you're almost waiting for them to repeat the feat. On both occasions I could sympathise as an employee. Rooney watched talent leave and was concerned his boss wasn't replacing them. A lack of faith definitely- but also the sign of a winner. Let's not forget Rooney isn't a born red, he's an adopted one. His looking is logical if painful for the emotional United fan to swallow.
The bad
At times I've wondered if his first touch was stolen. At others I wondered what happened to the powerful kid who was not afraid of anything or anyone. The kid who ran at defenders like he was the predator and them his prey. Much of his original game has dwindled, and whilst there is a degree of adaptability to be commended, you don't see Ronaldo or Messi playing long diagonals unsuccessfully instead of running at defenders. Here is my frustration with Rooney- much of the staff insisted he was as good as Ronaldo (some swore better), but he didn't put the graft in. Strange when that is something we associate with him so readily, and call Ronnie a show pony. Rooney had the same ability but chose to enjoy life a little more early on before he'd earned the right to. Whilst he had done incredibly well there is always a feeling that he could have done more, and that sits ill with me.
The good- my favourite part
The overhead kick, the volley against Newcastle, the debut hat trick, the delicious chip against Portsmouth. All of these goals are magical moments proving his talent is more than a lucky hit, but it's not these that excite me. It's the 1-2 exchange with Ronaldo where they both broke like sprinters against Arsenal and he kept pace all the way. It's the goal against AC Milan when we won 3-2, it's the finish against Barcelona in the 2011 final. It's the moments where the rest of the team have looked ordinary and he has dragged United over the line. The moment he embodied a lion like the pose he struck for the ill fated World Cup advert a few years ago. Most of all its Rooney and Ferguson celebrating together. I miss Sir Alex tremendously and realised long before he retired how much I would miss him, but the sight of him and Rooney on a champions league night with that famous music playing just made me shiver in amazement (Ronaldo and his overly gelled hair must also be added to the memory).
For me Rooney is a United legend without question. He follows in a pack of a few players who I rate as among the best in the clubs history, and whether he reaches the goal record or not doesn't affect this. Just to add to the debate, the best player in Manchester United's history for me is- Paul Scholes. The post on him is for another time I think. For now I'd rather go away and smile at the good times Rooney has delivered to the theatre of dreams.
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
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