Man Utd Thread:

[Maroon Manc]

I think he was giving Rooney enough rope to hang himself thus leaving it acceptable to bench him.

I've been saying that since the start of the season, if he'd dropped Rooney and we'd had some poor results he'd have got a lot more criticism then he's already received. 99.9% of United fans wanted him dropped yet the Neville's, Scholes & Rio continuously stick up for him and have blamed everyone else for his poor form.

Its not as easy as dropping Rooney and expecting everything to click straight away, its going to take time and there will be bad results without Rooney starting along the way but its a start and at least everyone appears to have acknowledged that he is no longer first choice.

[seafoid]

I think he was giving Rooney enough rope to hang himself thus leaving it acceptable to bench him.

I've been saying that since the start of the season, if he'd dropped Rooney and we'd had some poor results he'd have got a lot more criticism then he's already received. 99.9% of United fans wanted him dropped yet the Neville's, Scholes & Rio continuously stick up for him and have blamed everyone else for his poor form.

Its not as easy as dropping Rooney and expecting everything to click straight away, its going to take time and there will be bad results without Rooney starting along the way but its a start and at least everyone appears to have acknowledged that he is no longer first choice.

Rooney has been on the go since he was 16. The batteries don't last forever

[NAG1]

I dont get the vitriol that certain sections have in here for Rooney. Yes he negotiated a great contract for himself and probably rubbed people up the wrong way as he went about it. But the club are to blame there for pandering too him and paying him the contract he wanted.

It is easy to forget the service he has given to the club since he joined, very rarely injured, mostly available for selection. Fair enough he has dipped in form but to blame him for successive managers picking him through this spell is nonsensical.

He does seem to have lost his pace (such as it was) but that was inevitable with his body type etc So it is probably now widely accepted that he is not an automatic name on the team sheet that he has been since he joined, but that does not mean he doesnt still have a role in the squad or team at different times.

[Canalman]

Get the feeling the MU fans never deep down took to Rooney. Great player for them imo, but for me the absolute adulation the MU fans for example had for Cantona, Scholes, Schmeiche, Giggs, Ronaldo (while there)   etc never went Rooney's way.

[imtommygunn]

It wouldn't be the fact he's a scouser??

[magpie seanie]

He held the club to ransom on a couple of occasions, threatening to go to citeh at one stage. He was well paid for any service. Was an excellent player for a long time but it has been really tiresome to watch in the last few years. Rooney never had the personality the others listed there had, never the same connection with the fans in my opinion. I'm sure he's not too worried.

MM - you weren't as understanding when the previous manager didn't drop Rooney.

[gallsman]

I argued with numerous United fan friends of mine that they should take 30-40m for him when he asked for his transfer at the beiginning of the 2010/2011 season. He absolutely held them to ransom and they ended up bending over for him. One CL final that showed a bigger gap to Barca and the European elite than 2009 and two leagues is a small enough return on what they've given him over the six years since.

[Boycey]

I argued with numerous United fan friends of mine that they should take 30-40m for him when he asked for his transfer at the beiginning of the 2010/2011 season. He absolutely held them to ransom and they ended up bending over for him. One CL final that showed a bigger gap to Barca and the European elite than 2009 and two leagues is a small enough return on what they've given him over the six years since.

Nah not in 2010 was too good a player at that time and as well as that they couldn't have let him go to City. Definitely should have sold him in 2013 when Fergie set him up for selling but Moyes/Woodwood hadn't they guts at the time.

[TabClear]

Get the feeling the MU fans never deep down took to Rooney. Great player for them imo, but for me the absolute adulation the MU fans for example had for Cantona, Scholes, Schmeiche, Giggs, Ronaldo (while there)   etc never went Rooney's way.

Liverpool fans were the same with Owen even before he left for Madrid. Great record but never as highly regarded the same way fowler was.

[magpie seanie]

I argued with numerous United fan friends of mine that they should take 30-40m for him when he asked for his transfer at the beiginning of the 2010/2011 season. He absolutely held them to ransom and they ended up bending over for him. One CL final that showed a bigger gap to Barca and the European elite than 2009 and two leagues is a small enough return on what they've given him over the six years since.

You're spot on there.

[Maroon Manc]

He held the club to ransom on a couple of occasions, threatening to go to citeh at one stage. He was well paid for any service. Was an excellent player for a long time but it has been really tiresome to watch in the last few years. Rooney never had the personality the others listed there had, never the same connection with the fans in my opinion. I'm sure he's not too worried.

MM - you weren't as understanding when the previous manager didn't drop Rooney.

LVG had 2 years with him, Mourinho has had a couple of months. I don't think Mourinho fully understood that Rooney isn't actually that popular with a large proportion of United's support.

[magpie seanie]

His popularity with supporters doesn't matter one iota. A top manager will drop him if needs be but everything with Jose is a game and mostly it's all about him.

[Maroon Manc]

His popularity with supporters doesn't matter one iota. A top manager will drop him if needs be but everything with Jose is a game and mostly it's all about him.

He wouldn't have won all those trophies if it was all about him.

[gallsman]

Mourinho has isolated and squared off against more influential and powerful footballers than Rooney.

[mikehunt]

Mourinho has isolated and squared off against more influential and powerful footballers than Rooney.

Utd should have appointed him when Slur Alex retired. Maureen is a busted flush now. Typical shite decision making by Woodward and his overlords.