in terms of strikers is there any striker out there who you would have rather had in your team over the last 8 years other than rooney?

Please name one apart from henry and give me the opportunity to put the theory rooney is inconsistent to bed.

and eto.

I am a fan of Micheal Owen the lad was and still is class but injuries ruined him<sad>

Rooney is not worldclass anymore and thats a fact!
He was world class from 2004 to 2008 in my opinion!

Afraid to say Rooney has peaked I believe. Seems to have lost the ability to drive at defenders and a little pace lost too. His touch has got worse. No doubt he will go on a run when everything goes right for 6 or 7 games. I feel he is not playing out of his skin anymore and has lost some of his youthful joy and love for the game. Just an opinion.
I remember the Rooney of 2004 and the one who smashed volleys in outside the box v Newcastle and the goal against Boro, the headers that went in that season for club and country. Perhaps he has been in the comfort zone too long and because he has been such an integral part to the team SAF has always been reluctant to drop him or even rest him.
Hope he can get back to his best soon...
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You absolutely nailed it right on the head. Rooney has been in his comfort zone for way too long. The passion and joy you used to see when he was younger is completely gone. He maybe more consistent now but I would take the old Rooney any day of the week. I watch football for excitement, skill and entertainment; not hard gritted wins week after week. His performances over the past few years can only be described as workman-like. Even during the year he scored 32 goals (I believe); if you actually watched his goals, you would see how very little he actually had to do for many of those goals. Many were handed to him on a plate by Valencia.

What I find more sad is that his fitness is disgraceful, he can't seem to run more than 10 yards without being caught or tackled. His touch seems to have faded significantly as well, it was so embarassing to watch a young Kagawa with such great control and comparing it to Rooney.

Fergie has basically allowed Rooney to dwell in this comfort zone at Old Trafford where all he has to do is stay in the box and hope that Nani/Valencia/Young do some magic on the wings. That's why struggles so much to do alot in the England shirt, he gets found out. His England team mates then receive the flack for not 'providing for him'.

Please don't compare Rooney with Ronaldo. CR7 is a phenomenon and will go on to become one of THE GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. Rooney as good as he is will just remain as someone who was very good but not to that level as CR7.

Rooney is no longer world class to be honest. He very rarely turns games on his own anymore. He has not only stagnated but he has also regressed.

in terms of strikers is there any striker out there who you would have rather had in your team over the last 8 years other than rooney?
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Torres in his Liverpool days. Or Ibra.

^^
David Villa

Personally I think its his fitness.

The Rooney of old would have been all over the field, always bursting with desire to have the ball but now he looks tired tracking back and I think this effects when he does receive the ball because he doesnt try to beat anyone or try anything special, its just about holding onto the ball until an easier pass option becomes available.

He needs to go and do a Tevez, drop the extra weight and get his fitness back.

Firstly rooney is not world class.

Strikers who have been better whilst rooney has been playing:
Eto
Ibra
Klose
Torres
Aguero
Tevez
Villa
Ronaldo
Messi
Drogba


These are just players who have performed consistently, there are many more strikers who have far more ability than rooney but lack consitency.

I actually think rooney has done well keep his place at united without dispute for so long. When he first appeared he was light on his feet, direct with the ball and composed infront of goal (euro 2004).


I dont doubt rooney is a good player but to be refered to as our talisman is laughable at times. I was very excited when we first signed rooney and saw real promise in the first few years but sometimes you have to take the red tinted glasses off and see the reality.

Its a shame the media feel the need to hype english players, it would surely benefit the national side more if we were more upfront with our deficiencies.

I wish we kept tevez horrible man but fantastic intelligent and technical player.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2191066/Wayne-Rooney-marks-years-football.html
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Goals only, but look at that Rooney and the Rooney we see now.

First thing's first. Rooney is a good player in my opinion but I'm amazed at how many Utd fans are slating Rooney now. I've been picking up on his flaws for a while and If I ever wrote them on the Utd board, my opinion would immediately be shot down and his goals record would be brought up.

Ive always said that his first touch is woeful, his passing is off key, his fitness is questionable and the fact that he scores a penalty here and there and grabs a goal, should not cover up his flaws.

My thinking is that, because United have RVP now, they seem to be more open in their criticism of Rooney and also Welbeck. Last season, you wouldnt find anyone who would criticise Welbeck. Now that RVP is on the scene, I see United fans slating Welbeck's fitness, touch, speed & finishing.

IMO Rooney fulfilled his potential some time ago. Seems as though Utd made him into a more consistent goal scorer but removing that exciting raw unpredictable genius edge that he had - still time for it to return but I struggle to remember the last time rooney took on a defender and beat him

Drogba

He is reluctant to take random shots from distance now. That made him unpredictable.

Mr Chelsea ✪

This isnt a sudden epithany, i like yourself have had the same view of rooney for many years. United fans have had tunnel vision for quite a while and it has taken kagawa and RVP for them to finally open their eyes.

However i like welbeck, he will be a good striker for us. he did have a poor game on monday but hes young and will blow hot and cold.

For me the only pre season training Rooney's done was eating pies, he looks a stone heavy than last season.

comment by Mr Chelsea ✪ (U3579)
posted 2 hours, 24 minutes ago

Ive always said that his first touch is woeful, his passing is off key, his fitness is questionable and the fact that he scores a penalty here and there and grabs a goal, should not cover up his flaws.
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37 goals in around 42 games for us last season as a deep lying forward is scoring a pen here and there, and grabbing a goal! This is forgetting seasons like 40 goals in 50 games from the different main striker position, or his performances wider when Ronaldo was at United, or that he's on his way to being the most capped England player of all time, picked as the main man under every England manager, and likely to break the international goal scoring record and probably even Charlton's United record.

Of course he isn't perfection in a footballer or a robot that performs the same every game, but that's not a reason to batter him constantly and especially given the max effort and desire he puts in for United every game.

I do expect Rooney to get stick from opposition fans, but the stick Rooney gets every single day from United fans literally astounds me!

Sweet Pea - I understand he is a goal machine. I know they win you games but it seems as if you're judging Rooney solely on that.

Take away his goals. I cant remember every game from last season but one of them, I'm sure Rooney scored a penalty and came away with MOTM because of that.

Lets take away that penalty for a minute. What do you see in Rooney's performance? I see a very laboured guy in some games who's not hitting his own top level on a consistent basis for whatever reason. Whether it'd be weight issues, mental issues or poor form.

You're doing the same thing the other Utd fans were doing. Using his goals record to cover up his performance.

I see a very laboured guy in some games who's not hitting his own top level on a consistent basis for whatever reason. Whether it'd be weight issues, mental issues or poor form.
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Yeah I'm with Mr Chelsea on this one

Take for example Torres. There's definitely something wrong with him. He's not doing what he did at Liverpool. Despite his goal scoring exploits at the Euros, I was not convinced that he's back like the other were and at Wigan on Saturday, I know its only one game but he seemed to be on the periphery of things once again just like he's been for the last 18 months.He could have a got a goal but it wouldnt have convinced me that he's back because his performance overall does not impress me.

red666

No he hasn't fulfilled his potential, and probably never will as his game has gone backwards.

However, as long as Rooney keeps banging them in (Thats goals not grannies ), you cant really complain can you?