"Our Wayne" Is Better Than Yours.

  I am still haunted by Wayne Rooney. Even now, sitting in my exile in the rust-belt of the Midwest, his short Everton career boomerangs back into my mind again and again. I was there in the Park End the day Wayne scored that goal. Sat there, in what - looking back - felt like a Royal box seat for Rooney's coming-of-age - I wasn't sure exactly what I was witnessing. Was Wayne going to be another false dawn like Danny Cadamarteri, the dreadlocked 17-year-old who came into the world of football feet first and hit the ground running, like a precocious young chess champ seemingly intent on playing a pickup game of speed chess with the Grand Masters.   

  We all remember what happened the day Rooney came on against a bulletproof Arsenal side. Little snapshots flicker back into my memory. Wayne's goal; looping over Seaman like a vandal's brick, a Krakatoan eruption at Goodison, my dad letting off a minute long ecstatic scream at the final whistle, and listening to the feverish hoarse voices at the train station talking about "our Wayne". The rest of this fairy-tale remains unwritten; Wayne didn't go on to drag us into a golden age, instead he left for Old Trafford. But as long as I live in the U.S. - 3,300 miles away and sheltered from his successes with Man Utd - Wayne will occupy a  strange limbo in my  heart. Everton were of course compensated with millions of pounds for letting him leave, but the Wayne I knew, the bullish mercurial street-fighter, I wouldn't swap him for a wilderness of millions.

  No matter how much dirt emerges about Wayne Rooney, no matter how much the Scouse genius runs roughshod over his "Once a Blue, always a Blue" oath of fealty with obnoxious and hypocritical badge kissing, I will always regard him as a footballing God.

  To get over Rooney's departure to Old Trafford, I treated the new version of him as a different player - and it wasn't to hard to do. Sir Alex Ferguson has straitjacketed some of his wilder tendencies, turning his feral flair and atavistic aggression into the more controlled player he wanted him to be. Whilst at Goodison, Rooney notched up 15 goals in 67 appearances, a record that - on the face of it - is inferior to his goalscoring rate at United, where he has scored 52 goals in 124 league appearances, but that isn't taking into account Moyes' softly softly approach. Of those 67 games for Everton, 27 of them were as a substitute, and the Everton side of that time doesn't hold a torch to the current United squad.

  When watching Wayne now you see an awe-inspiring and excellent player; but I think that he could have become even better. The early Rooney - bursting past defenders, ruthlessly direct and blinkered, known to taunt defenders by putting his hands on his hips in mock boredom, who like a belligerent matchmaker, never ceased to revel in introducing the ball to the back of the net - won't be seen at Old Trafford.

  Say what you want about your Wayne, but OUR Wayne had it all and in many ways was uncoachable. The glorious trajectory predicted by many for Rooney hasn't quite panned out and although he is the jewel in England's crown, he is overshadowed by others such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kaka, players who should have been his peers in the high altitude world of top class football.

  Even Wayne's performances for England have suffered since he moved to Manchester. As an Everton player, Rooney scored nine goals in 17 games for England - but now he is playing under Sir Alex, his tally for England is a far more modest five goals in 25 games. Reading through the match reports during his time with Everton, you are struck by the fact that he was lauded by the press for his finishing and "killer instinct" - two things that have been removed in the lobotomised talents of the United version of Rooney.

  Sir Alex Ferguson got it very right when trying to coach out Cristiano Ronaldo's showboating flair, but he got it wrong with Wayne, as the young Scouser's direct early self was more akin to the Brazilian Ronaldo at Barcelona - a footballing egomaniac, and a lighting rod for every attack - attributes that no longer are present in Rooney.

  Manchester United's millions bought a star, but by separating Rooney from his boyhood club, they never got the legend.

Ed Bottomley

Comments

[Shaun]

Excellent article well written.

I still look back on those early England performances from Rooney when i thought he would carry us forward to the promised land.

[SIM]

ROO is worht every pennyof the £30 mill, without him we struggle, he is better than he was at neverton how could he not be better at the worlds graetest club with the worlds greatest players around him.

[jim]

rooney's an improved player. but there's far less buzz when he has the ball. hence, "our wayne is better". isn't excitement united's creed?

hey, it's a positive story of iconhood. what's with the manu people here (who's obviously in the ungracious minority)? go ahead n disagree with a point of view. but don't assume the writer's bitter when he's not.

[johnny f tamaela]

what make Rooney the best player ? Is he a top goalscorer at MU now ? Is he the European top player now ? Is he the captain of England now ? Is his record with the ref as good as many people think how genius he is ? how about his blistering words to the ref each time we watch him on TV ? Has he ever scored a crucial goal in the final of a world cup or european cup (EURO) ?

How come suddenly people said Rooney is better than Ronaldo ? Are you dreaming ?

[Richard]

I really like Rooney.
Very hard worker never gives up.
Please do not compare him to the awesome Ronaldo of Brasil.
That guy won a couple world cups and was like the MVP.
My only problem with Rooney is his temper and trying to kill the other players going up for the headers.
Just because you are shorter and will not get the headers does not give you the right to hurt the guy.

[Dan]

Rooney has lost the killer ability to score centre forwards goals at will, but he is still class.

He is a lot bigger than he used to be, lost pace and does not score as much as his peers or enemies but i would still have in him in my team. Play him through the middle, keep him fit and let him get annoyed and aggressive, thats how it was when he was amazing.

[ManchesterBen]

Rooney was absolutely immense in his first season at United - without his goals and generally inspiring play, United would have finished much lower down the table. Who could forget his debut hat-trick vs Fenerbahce, or his brace of beautiful goals against Boro in the Cup - not to mention 'that strike' against Newcastle!
Since then, I will admit that his influnce has waned somewhat (no pun intended), but he remains a fantastic player and a constant threat. Perhaps he hasn't been the stand out player in this Premiership season but that could be due to the general standard of the players around him has vastly improved.
Same goes for Everton, though he stood out as world-class amongst the good but not great of Everton - now he plays with the best in the world it is inevitable he won't steal the plaudits everytime.

[Duncan Knox]

Rooney is up there with Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka, I'm no Man U fan, nor do I like England but just watch his overall game play. He is the primary striker for the best team in the world, he has a massive impact on games, helps in defence, links well with Tevez, is the catalyst for most of Man U's counter attacks.

Your'e just bitter he left.

[George]

Guys, feel free to read the bloke's article. He says that Rooney should be AKIN to the brazillian Ronaldo, circa mid-nineties, not BETTER. FFS He's just saying that that style is what Rooney should be trying to emulate, and progressing towards.

[Patrick]

Rooney better than Brazilian Ronaldo ??? What have you people been smoking ??? Just look at the records !!! Have you people actually watched Ronaldo in his prime ??? Ronaldo was one of the most lethal strikers in Brazilian football ever. At his best Ronaldo was better than both Rooney or Christian Ronaldo will ever be. Ronaldo had deceptive pace and absolutely lethal finishing. At his best I don't remember any defence stopping him. Does anyone remember his hat-trick for Real against Manu, and that was when he was past his prime!!!

[Pearl]

I admire the patriotic feelings a lot of the posters here exhibit. As a ManU fan, I am happy Rooney is in our team, his work rate is phenomenal. But I would like to submit these points:

1. Ronaldo is ManU's best player at the moment, even if you guys blinded by patriotism and conveniently ignore the fact that he's broken George Best's record this season. Ask Rooney himself, he acknowledged that fact.

2. While Rooney may be a very talented footballer, he's nowhere near Kaka, Messi and Ronaldo at present.

3. Rooney's goal scoring record judging by the numbers of chances he squanderers is awful for a striker. Drogba and Torres are clearly better.

4. Don't even compare Rooney's and Brazillian Ronaldo as strikers except if you English fans watch a different football from the rest of the footballing world. Ronaldo was the deadliest 9 that ever wore the shirt.

5. Look at the premier league goal scorers chart, and regulate fantasy with statistics. He's never been the highest goal scorer even in England.

[Julian U]

Rooney is clearly over rated. It is interesting to see that Fabregas has overtaken him quite significantly. The fact that he is English obviously has a massive bearing on this, it is just a shame that he peaked at 20-21 years of age. I predict that Walcott will also be ahead of him next season as well. One thing I will say in his defence however, is that he clearly hates the fake Ronaldo...but then who doesn't!

[Micky]

I agree with much of what has been said in the article. He was raw when he was at Everton, good to watch, but since he has come to United he has become a diamond. He has spent a lot of seasons interupted by Injury but trying to compare him to Ronaldo (Brazil) at this stage of his career isn't valid. Its like comparing Cristiano Ronaldo to George Best.

I don't like to compare players. Its really only valid between current players in the same age bracket. Like C.Ronaldo to Kaka and maybe Ronaldinho. You can't completely compare Giggs ala 1995 to Giggs ala 2008.

It should be comparing Rooney at Everton to Rooney at United. But some people got lost in that. Everton would probably be a better team with him there, but Moyes doesn't have that management style that can get the most out of Rooney like Ferguson has. Rooney was always going to be a better player anyway, I am just glad he is at United.

[Craig]

rooneys past few seasons have been somewhat fragmented through injury,do people not realise that ferguson is jus nurturing him, pretty much in the same way wenger did with henry, and is now doing with walcott. In taking this approach it will allow rooney to become a much more complete player, rather than the raw talent he was at everton.In relation to his goal record , half the time he ends up playing as a winger as part of a five man midfield, and with the system that utd do usually end up employing the front3-5 dont really hav specific positions. Thererfore i dont believe you can categorise him as a striker until he plays continuosly through the middle, whioch no doubt he eventually will, when ferguson no longer thinks parts of his game need development!

[mathan theva]

Jim are you seriously trying to say that rooney is better than ronaldo (brazilian). At his best, Ronaldo is better than any other striker on the planet....pace, power, skll and a devestating goalscorer. Rooney will never be a 20-a-season scorer in the premiership,a nd to be honest, i think man u need an out and out stiker cos rooney is not that man. imagine if they had torres, who is much better than rooney!

[Jim]

@ mike | April 15, 2008 at 12:13 PM

Nah, I have to admit that the Chelsea Joe Cole is much better that West Ham's younger Version - hardly surprising when he had Harry coaching him with gems like, 'Go out and play like Zola'... apparently...

[Robert Adams]

At 63 all passion seemed to have left me until I saw Wayne on a football pitch I now watch every game waiting for the genius he possesses and terrified that he will get hurt or carded . I hope he enjoys his life and money . Long live Wayne .

[Jim]

Does the author actually watch any football? Rooney is a superior footballer to Ronaldo, not just in his vision on the pitch, but also his work ethic and temperament.

[Don Stuarte]

People who dont recognise what Rooney does for United know nothing about football.

Rooney it ten times the player he was at Everton. Defenders would have sussed him out by now.

nft

[RedNS]

couple of points:
1) He's a great player. but I do agree with the original article. He has improved in many ways since coming to OT and yet just isn't the exciting talent he was 4-5 years ago. I wouldn't be without him though.
2) Can we stop the '£30m' nonsense yet? We didn't pay anywhere near that amount.

[Speedy]

Yes, Rooney is definitely not the world beater that everybody thought who would be .... yet. Remember he is younger than Ronaldo and his development has been disrupted substantially ever since he stormed the world stage 4 years ago.

Even then, the top teams have more trouble dealing with Rooney than Ronaldo. Take AC Milan last year and this year, there defenders admitted that Rooney posed a much greater threat and problem to them -Ronaldo did score a great header this time however rest of the time he was just as shackled and anonymous as last years' nonappearance.
Against Liverpool and Chelsea, two teams that are very good defensively, Rooney is always more prominent than Ronaldo.

Perhaps Rooney needs a couple of years of interrupted football (which Ronaldo has had) before we can judge him whether he has fulfilled that early potential.

[milt]

Some of the comments on here are astonishing. I don't see any bitterness in the article, just a simple assessment. Dismiss the chap's views for being wrong by all means, but bitter? Hardly. There are more than a few snidey digs at Everton, though.

Rooney was a far more exciting player at Everton. Whether or not he was better is a different issue, but he was talked about non-stop during his brief time at Everton. Any Everton news was simply Wayne Rooney.

I'm sure part of that was because of the way he burst onto the scene, and I'm sure part of it is because he now plays in a squad of excellent players who are news grabbers themselves, but taking a step back, he was headline news everywhere he went with Everton. Whereas he's become something of a footnote in the United story. That's not bitter, it's just a straightforward observation.

[Tim K]

Why so many Manchester United fans on here sniping at Everton? Did you not read the article?
The author is quite correct in that Rooney is a different player now. It obviously suits the way United play for him to be less exhuberant and more predictable in the way he plays but that doesn't mean as an individual that he is anywhere near as exciting a player to watch as he was.
And obviously he scores more goals for United, being fed by Tevez, Ronaldo and Scholes rather than Carsley, Kilbane and Pembridge makes a difference.
I had the pleasure of seeing Rooney play agaisnt Bolton in a 0-0 draw at Goodison and it remains the best I have ever seen him play. Go on Youtube and search for Rooney Everton to see clips of the game and tell me he is still as thrilling a player to watch now.

[Stephen]

I was in the Gwladys St end that day against Arsenal and the memory of grown men chanting the name of a 16 year old of the stadium will stick with me forever. Even then I think the enormity of what had been witnessed was with everyone.

Yes, Rooney is a different player to the one he was at Everton but only because the calibre of player he is playing with and the system at Utd does not require as much magic. (although a Rooney in a fully fit Everton team at the moment is a mouth-watering thought) However, given the circumstances, I think it is just fair to say thanks for memories and move on.

Must admit it is an interesting debate considering the usual one centre's on what the likes of Matt LeTissier would have achieved had they been at a bigger club.

[Clive]

what a load of tosh.

you are clearly just bitter.

rooney is 10 times the player he was at everton