Jul 31
Rooney Ready For Big Year
As Manchester United fans, we consider Wayne Rooney to be a world class striker. We group him in with the Thierry Henry’s of the world. However, as a friend and Arsenal fan recently pointed out to me, Rooney’s statistics do not point to a player that is of world class quality. Instead, it shows a player who has shown flashes of world class potential, but just does not have the numbers to warrant such high praise. Rooney is very creative with the ball, but he is not an out and out striker like Henry. However, according to Sir Alex Ferguson, this will all change this year.
For the first time in 4 years, Rooney will have had an entire summer break to rest his body, and prepare for the new season. While only 21 years old, he has averaged at least 44 appearances over the last 5 years, with Champions League play, FA cup play, and tours to foreign countries, the wear and tear has to have some affect on a player, no matter what age. The numbers above don’t even include International duty, so as you can see, Rooney has probably needed this time off for a while. One would have to wonder how many more goals he would have scored this season if he had not rushed back to play for England in the 2006 World Cup, where he clearly was not match fit.
Secondly, if and when Carlos Tevez suits up for Man Utd, it will be Rooney who benefits the most. I believe that while Cristiano Ronaldo came into his own last season, part of his success came from the one on one defending he saw as teams were making sure they kept track of Rooney. With Tevez in the fold, and Ronaldo now a known threat, I think Rooney will see more opportunities to score goals, and he’ll finish many of these opportunities. I think we will have a situation similar to Chelsea’s last year with Shevchenko and Drogba. Shevchenko took defenders away, allowing Drogba more time on the ball, and more opportunities, which lead to more goals. The only difference is Tevez won’t be a bust the way Sheva has been so far.
Thirdly, Rooney is a great competitor on and off the pitch, we all know that. This is not based off of anything that has been said, but if you look at the stats from last year, Rooney and Ronaldo were pretty even. Ronaldo had a few more assists, but they both scored the same amount of goals, each player bagging 23. Yet it was Ronaldo who recieved the big awards and accolades, and was called the best player in the world by many people. I’m not saying Rooney was jealous or had a problem with that, because even he said that Ronaldo was playing at a level that was second to none last year. But that has to push the competitor that lives inside Rooney. If Ronaldo can do it, Rooney can too.
Finally, Rooney must step up and prove his critics wrong. There are those who question where he was during the loss at the San Siro against AC Milan, or during the FA Cup final against Chelsea. Having been given the # 10 shirt for the upcoming season and beyond, Rooney needs to become a veteran leader for the club. The old guard of Giggs, Scholes, and Neville will be leaving soon, and with new, young players coming in, they will look to players like Rooney for leadership. I think this will be the season where it all comes together for Wayne Rooney. He has the creative part down, now the goals will come as well. A 30+ goal season for Rooney, barring injury, seems to be on the horizon for the young striker. I think after this season, Rooney will finally be able to brought up in the discussion of world class strikers without any criticism. And that is good news for the Red Devils, and bad news for everyone else.
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Tags: Manchester United Players · Opinions/Columns
July 31st, 2007 at 10:31
Where Rooney was in the fa cup final? He was actually very good in that game, and had some cracking efforts running at the Chelsea defence. Essien was in big trouble at times.
July 31st, 2007 at 10:36
Good article. Agree 100%. Last season Rooney was constantly struggling for form, apart
from a few games near the end. But he still ended up with as many goals as Ronaldo.
Wazz has looked lethal on tour and I reckon he’ll get 30+ goals, easy.
July 31st, 2007 at 10:36
thats just what i’ve been thinking. . rooney is world class but he hasn’t been. . .WPOY class, and i think that, after 3 years, he should ezpect this of himself and that we as fans should expect this as well
30 goals… minimum
July 31st, 2007 at 10:41
i’m suprised that nobody has mentioned nani’s chip in the last united game. . . simply delightful
July 31st, 2007 at 10:42
yes Brian u are pretty much right here and i’ve been thinking /waiting for the same this year as well.
But many times i see rooney being more of a team player than ronaldo and thats why his stats dont match up and he,s too young to compare to henry (compare Cantona with henry,frenchmen against frenchmen and we’ll see)
Many games we see rooney falling deep outside the box and creating chances for the wingers and other players alike .I dont know the stats but i think his assist are the most valuable ones .But yes his finishing quality will certainly improve with him being in a smooth flow without any knocks and a confidence shown in him By SAF recently in an article and the no 10 shirt as well .
Hell i cant wait for the new season and and jump with joy when manutd silence the critics again and start with fire .
July 31st, 2007 at 10:44
great post, rooney is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best players in the world, and i think people forget he is still only 21 with atleast another 10 years in him. as SAF has said ‘this is rooneys year’ and it will be his turn to shine, 30+ goals this season no problam IF we get tevez for the start of the season and SAF plays rooney how he has said he would, in a deeper role. Rooney is my faviourite player, not only because of the flashes of brilliance he shows during matches but also as he is devoted to club and puts man utd first not himself, he showed that perfectly on the asia tour match against f.c.seol where he was in a perfect goal scoring position yet squared the ballto giggsy to finish it. Once a blue, ALWAYS A RED!!!
July 31st, 2007 at 11:14
I’ve been saying it for 4 months now. This is the first time Roon has had a decent pre/off-season. Not only will he be physically up for it but mentally chomping at the bit. This is his season – we hope/injuries permitting.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:20
ronaldo will get 25-28 goals next season
tevez will get 10-12 goals next season
rooney will get 26-31 goals next season
and nani will get 6-12 goals next season depending on how he peforms.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:21
what do you think?
July 31st, 2007 at 11:30
My predictions for goals at Manchester United is (all competitions):
ronaldo around 25-30
tevez around 17-22
rooney around 30-35
rossi,saha combined around 10-15
nani,anderson combined around 10-15
giggs,scholes combined around 13-18
hargreaves,carrick combined around 10-13
all our defenders combined around 5
and lets give the big man himself VDS an optomistic 1
hehehe
so thats around 150 goals altogether, im probably slightly over estimated but with all our attacking players u never no!!!
July 31st, 2007 at 11:35
Dam!more carlos tevez .there will now be a high court hearing into the carlos tevez dispute to be held on august 22 so that means there is no way hel be here for the start of the season.
July 31st, 2007 at 12:27
that is not the case my friend, if it is as i susspect we will have carlos tevez very soon, it has now become obvious to me and most people that the person who does own tevez is Kia J. and west ham no it, if he didnt own him 24m out of the 30m would be a pretty good deal however he is only prepared to give them a measly 100,000 GBP, he obviously owns tevez. i believe that west ham will now be pressured into accepting that sum of money as they no that if it does indeed go to the court on the 22 they will lose get no money and possily be given more punishment so it makes no sense, tho this kia guy is being a greedy c**t he is standing his ground, all due respect 2 the guy. even if west ham decided 2 take their chances in court (highly unlikely) as it is on the 22 we will get him b4 january so it is v. good news, even tho he will miss the first 3 or 4 matches. TEVEZ 2 UNITED!
July 31st, 2007 at 13:39
i really can see rooney shining this season. i have been watching there pre season matches and how rooney and ronaldo have been linking together is amazing i think over have of our goal will come from them. nani can all find the net and i think he will score plenty given the chance. anderson i havent real seen but i could see him netting a few this season more probley next season. hardgreaves and carrick will not score that much i dont think just because its not there sttyle of play but assists are and paul and ryan will get a fair share between them. now vidic and rio i can see score a good amount because off the set piece players we now have in the team ronaldo nani owen carrick etc. and gary N and eva and the rest a health amount but not much to shout about but you never now with that powerful right foot of the legend that is gary neville heehee
July 31st, 2007 at 14:29
taehr, ofcourse we’ll get tevez befor the season, everyone knows he’s leaving and its 9 days before the window closes, thats more than enough time for us to get him.
July 31st, 2007 at 14:42
Dan.thats if kia wins the court care and hopefully he will
July 31st, 2007 at 15:31
i forgot about tevez he will bang a fair few in. off the topic a bit what do you guys think about leting gabby go and baines come in i think this would be a great move cost bout the same so no worrys about money getting ride of a 29 year old argie how doesnt want to play for us anymore really and getting a young great powerful left back how also can score goal and ENGLISH
July 31st, 2007 at 17:19
need we say more. I agree with you 100000% brian. well said
July 31st, 2007 at 19:20
shocking news………. united have agreed a fees to send rossi to villarreal………..
July 31st, 2007 at 19:52
bad move fergie bout rossi do u guys agree
July 31st, 2007 at 19:53
SAF is making a massive mistake. Rossi is going to be amazing and he is just letting him go for 10m euros? Smith is about to go for 6m, which leaves us with only Saha and Solskaer off the bench, both of whom are going to be injured at some point in the year. I know we have Dong, but he can’t be expected to produce on the first team on a consistent basis. So what’s going to happen when Rooney and Tevez get tired from playing every game? Unless this is a preliminary step to get the funds do go buy Palladino, Quagliarella, or a defender like Richards, it is a stupid move. We need all the depth we can get and Rossi is quality. Now watch him destroy La Liga.
July 31st, 2007 at 19:56
i agree 10000000000%
July 31st, 2007 at 19:57
No no no no no!why alex why?we should have given him a chance!i trust alex though but rossi was a such talent
July 31st, 2007 at 20:43
i havemixed emotions on the rossi deal he is a class player, but is he man utd classe ? at the moment, no. but in the future possibly, we should have given him a chance but eh wat can u do? this however means we have definately got tevez for the start, that is good, we must keep a close eye on this kid and see whether he could have cut it with us, i dnt no the fee but it must have been a gd offer 4 us 2 accept so hey!
July 31st, 2007 at 21:04
According to soccernet.com, the fee is around 10m euros.
July 31st, 2007 at 21:15
it is a respectable amount, how much did we get him 4?
July 31st, 2007 at 21:21
we need strikers ye rooney tevez maybe then injured twins ole and saha who could we buy
July 31st, 2007 at 21:27
yeah……. rossi deal is reported to be around 6.7 mil pounds………..
i dunno bout u guys, but i get the feeling that anderson’s gonna be used as a striker now…. wat say???
July 31st, 2007 at 21:32
Sam u could be right
July 31st, 2007 at 21:48
what when where how is saf gone crazy rossi sold no man come on give the lad a chance Shit man if heinze and rossi both go and alan also on the way we’ll be back 2 square one
my ass bench strength
July 31st, 2007 at 21:51
Well here’s the confirmation
Rossi to join Villarreal
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=449090
Fucking hell i cant beleive that shit man i am so pissed
And where did villareal fit in
this is so not good
July 31st, 2007 at 21:53
Sam i read somewhere that anderson can play in defence and in midfield as well now u say he can play as a striker what the hell is this anderson superman of football cant wait to see him in action
July 31st, 2007 at 23:01
What’s done is done…It is obviouse that SAF wants to buy a proven striker and he has the money. When Tevez comes we would have Tevez, Rooney, Saha and Ole which should be enough. With all this the kid wasn’t going to get a chance, so I wish good luck to him
August 1st, 2007 at 0:42
SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT. What the fuck. This is the worst news I’ve gotten this Summer by a long way. Why Rossi? This means Smith will probably stay and I would keep Rossi over Smith any day. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I’m so pissed off. This leaves us with Rooney, Tevez, Saha(is defo injured for the first month), Smith(a good player but not Rossi good), Ole (too old) and Dong (not good enough. So what happens if Rooney or Tevez get injured? We better get this Palladino kid but will he even be as good as Rossi? FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK
August 1st, 2007 at 0:46
I agree though that Anderson will be used as striker where he will probably be another in the Roon/Tevez mould. Hopefully SAF keeps Pique now because I’m not sure if I can handle another loss like that especially if Silvestre is still warming the bench.
August 1st, 2007 at 0:54
[Liam]
I guess, now that you’ve got your question answered, we could delete that post of yours right?
August 1st, 2007 at 4:25
Sad to see him go, to be honest. But well, agreed with what some of you said. Rossi might not get a chance to play…not for this coming season when Ole can still play (perhaps his last season). But…our striking force is a bit limited….with Ole retiring, Saha = injury prone, Tevez (donno when will he be comin in), Roo….. that’s all. Maybe Anderson or Ronaldo can be a makeshift striker.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:41
evry1 one is getting too hyped up its not that much of a big deal, we r going to have 2 world class strikers in rooney and tevez with saha and ole as replacements if any1 of the two get injured it is highly unlikely both of them will get injured at the same time, and anyway ronaldo is more than capable than playing upfront so is anderson so there is no need to worry!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:11
indianpunk, anderson in defence is retarded……..
they say he’s in the ronaldinho mould……. so I would think he can atleast play off the main striker…
August 1st, 2007 at 8:12
No. I think most of us are worried bout the youth squad of our club. Rossi is by far, one of the best players in recent years to come out from the youth system…and he wasnt even given a proper chance to shine…then we sold him off. What about the rest? I dont think anyone would be happy to see MU becoming another Real Madrid or Chelsea who only buys from outside.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:16
I know this Rossi thing is actually incredibly disappointing. Why not loan him out at least?! or let dong go out on loan? i mean Rossi is an Italian international…
August 1st, 2007 at 9:21
I haven’t read the comments, so I might repeat some of them (I kinda hope so).
Rooney was injured just before the world cup last summer plus he received a 3-match ban. I’d say that based on that, his stats are pretty remarkable. Being able to create that much and score that many goals at the age of 20-21 is quite amazing imo. What some people seem to forget is that both Ronaldo and Rooney have spectacular stats for players their age. . How many 21 yo’s out there score 23 goals and assist 8-10…not many I guarantee you that. My point is that even world class players need experience. What happens when you grow older is that your awareness in general increases. Can you imagine these guys in a couple of years??
Do you remember Thierry Henry when he was at Rooney’s age…no where near Rooney’s performance lvl last season. We just need to control our lvl of expectation to these guys.
Having said all that, I’m sure Rooney will bag’em big time this season. I have put my money on him as league topscorer.
August 1st, 2007 at 16:56
He really needed some rest. Hope this year our 2R are going to win everything!
August 3rd, 2007 at 16:39
Rooney’s greatness cannot be measured by just statistics. Goals are not the only manner to measure the importance and contribution of this truly gifted player. Rooney is world class and will only continue to get better. His pace work ethic, passing and team play are brilliant and his finishing is majestic. The problem of course is he just doesn’t create enough scoring opportunities and thus, many feel he is not worthy of the world class label next to his name. Wayne and Man Yoo have both got to learn to contain his energy better and stop wasting him by playing him wide or in the role of an attacking midfielder or lone striker which is quite often the positions he plays even if it is not shown in the lineup sheet. He needs to have more confidence in his midfield teammates and play a more striker oriented role comparable to Drogba and Henry. He does not have to do it all anymore. United are now stacked with talent in the midfield so please Wayne stay up front where you belong. Rooney should be receiving killer through balls and not having to make the through ball. A more direct approach to goal is what’s needed from Wayne, not the 6th midfielder role. If he plays a more striker only role, expect him to net over 20 goals just in the Prem alone and over 30 in all competitions. And he will still find the opportunities to create many goals for others as well. Now it’s up to SAF to contain his youthful energy and enthusiasm and limit his role to an out and out striker.