Wayne Rooney!!

[lilelvis2000]

The pundits and sir Alex think this is all down to Rooney's agent.

Going across town would create a real stir. And nice tidy player transfer profit - which will go straight towards the club's massive debt. I'm not even a football fan and I'm paying attention (well, not to the game).

[MarillionFan]

I'm not a United fan or a Rooney fan, I don't like the guy. My argument is based on empirical facts you can look up, and on the respect other players and clubs (i.e. professionals) have for him. There may be blinkers in this discussion but they're not mine. I think you've a grudge...

So for example, he may be Englands 'leading' goalscorer in the present team, but his ratio of appearances/goals is way way below Peter Crouch. So who do we leave off the bench in the WC???

[SupremeSpod]

Wayne Rooney has no honour or integrity.

[EternalOptimist]

Wayne Rooney has no honour or integrity.

He is one bad apple. Dont judge the rest of the denizens of that fine upstanding city by this one sad example. He lowers the tone, and if he ever comes to Bootle we will shun him by calling him names to his face

[AtW]

Wayne Rooney has no honour or integrity.

[Doggy Styles]

Rooney is neither fat or untalented, and coming from a 'pool fan that is high praise

He has been a great player for club and country but is struggling with form since his ankle injury in March. Same could be said for Torres. They have both been rushed back too quick.

WHS, and I'm not a Manc or blue-nose either.

Ordinary punters have short memories of how he has performed in the past few years in the premier league, the champions league, and the goals he's scored for England. Either that or they simply don't know what they are talking about.

There isn't a manager, a coach, or a fellow player in the whole of the English league who would agree with the comments on here disparaging his ability and performances up to the ankle injury in March.

And about the last two world cups. He was recovering from injury going into both. In 2006 it was a broken metatarsel suffered at Chelsea only a few weeks before the tournament. The only time he went into a tournament without an injury he scored four goals in three games.

[Mr.Whippy]

England were cruising against Portugal until Rooney got sent off, we could have/should have won that game.

Saying we could've/should've won means nothing. The fact is, we didn't.

And about the last two world cups. He was recovering from injury going into both. In 2006 it was a broken metatarsel suffered at Chelsea only a few weeks before the tournament..

Then should he have even been on the plane out there for the last two if he wasn't fully recovered? He was absolutely woeful in WC2010 yet he kept getting picked over other players who may have had a bigger impact on the games.

[d000hg]

You don't think, that's half the problem.

Good deflection.

[sasguru]

WGAS.
HTH

[Doggy Styles]

Then should he have even been on the plane out there for the last two if he wasn't fully recovered? He was absolutely woeful in WC2010 yet he kept getting picked over other players who may have had a bigger impact on the games.

That might be true, but before the 2010 tournament nobody suspected how poor Rooney would be. Not the coaches, the players, the pundits, the fans.

If Capello had somehow predicted alone that he'd be poor, and had actually dropped him from the squad or after one game, it is arguable whether England would have been much better - nobody else in the squad played particularly well. But Capello would have been murdered by the press for sabotaging England's chances by dropping our best player. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.