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Wayne Rooney Is Just An Average Athlete
That's the difference between him and someone like Cristiano Ronaldo - his body just isn't right. We have mails on him, Sparky, Brendan Rodgers and the Europa Lge...
Saving The Europa League And More...
Nice one UEFA, but not far enough. We have some ideas to make the Europa League better as well as more views on Wayne Rooney, Vermaelen in midfield and...
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There Is No Myth
Reading Marky B. MUFC's entry to the mailbox this afternoon I found myself driven to reply. Now I am a Manchester United fan, so I would like to believe this myth, but my being a teacher and needing everything to be correct won't let me allow that to happen. There is no "8 point myth". City didn't have a game in hand on United when they were 8 points behind. United were 8 points clear and lost to Wigan midweek, City won their game thus reducing the gap to 5 points.
Then came the day when United really threw the title away, that fateful Sunday afternoon when they gave up their 4-2 lead to draw 4-4, dropping another 2 points in doing so, with City winning and bringing the gap back to 3 points. 8 days later United travelled to play City, lost the game, bringing City back level and indeed putting them top on goal difference. As we all now know, United went on to beat Swansea and Sunderland in their final two games, City beat Newcastle and QPR, they both finished on 89 points and City won the title with a superior goal difference. No "8 point myth", just an 8 point monumental cock-up.
Kevin Kelly. Teacher, Lover, United fan.
...In response to Marky B MUFC and his 'myth' of the 8 point gap from last season - a quick check on statto.com shows that on 10 April Man Utd were 8 points clear of City with both having played 32 games (they didn't have a game in hand) So City clawed back an 8 point deficit with just 6 games left to play. Utd went to City and lost, were beaten away at Wigan and blew a 4-2 lead with less than 10 minutes left at home to Everton to draw 4-4. No team had ever blown a lead that big with so few games left to play in the Premier League era (or possibly ever) which is why most in the media thought the title race was over, they certainly weren't 'teeing themselves up for a lovely story at the end of the season'.
Rob, Cork
More On Rooney Being A Total Ledge
There's a good reason that Wayne Rooney isn't considered a "legend" yet by the Man United fans, and that's because he still playing. Give it a few years after he has left/retired, and people will forget about the faults and just remember the great moments and goals he scored. Those feelings will be even more magnified if his replacement isn't up to much, with fans saying that "Rooney would have scored that."
Darren (Good player + Time = Legend) Walsh
...I don't care. Really, I couldn't care less whether he's generally thought to be a "great", "legend", or any other term, and I certainly don't hold his ambition against him in my evaluation of him.
Were I in a position to earn £250,000 per week, I'd try and do so too. Particularly if my earning potential, after retirement in my mid-30s, were likely to diminish radically. And Rooney was completely right to want to stay at United only if they were prepared to match his footballing ambitions: despite much analysis and criticism, Rooney is a bloody good player. Imperfect, certainly, definitely not the player we hoped for c.2005, and perhaps not brilliant for United's wider cohesion, but to have scored 194 goals in 388 games for United at 27, won Premierships and CLs, and done so playing in numerous positions, is very impressive. Given that calibre, I'd be disappointed if Rooney didn't want to spend his footballing maturity at a club where he would be able to compete for and win the highest honours.
If you want reflexive, unconditional loyalty, go and follow an amateur sport.
Chris MUFC
...Anthony Semaan is right. Rooney is not a legend. The only players in that squad that deserve that tag are Giggs and Scholes. Other than those two obvious exceptions, there are no other "legends" in this team. The term "legend" gets banded around to easily these days. Ferdinand has been great for us. Vidic has been magnificent. Evra has been top notch and the likes of Rooney and Carrick have been top class, but they're not legends.
I've seen some Liverpool fans referring to Suarez as a legend, both on here and other football websites, and I personally find it incredible that they can use this term for a man who has played barely 70 league games for them. Suarez is a world class player on his day, and like him or lump him, he can be a real match winner. I understand why Liverpool fans may feel attached to him, but a legend? A bonafide legend of the club? Surely that undermines the real legends such as Phil Neal or Alan Hansen; men who played hundreds of games winning trophies by the dozen over the course of a good few years, maybe even decades.
Rooney? Great player. Massively under-rated by opposition fans, and hugely over-rated by the English media. But not a legend. Not yet, anyway.
Harry The Manc.
Perhaps Rooney Should Have A Statue
Anthony Semaan says that most Man Utd fans agree that Rooney is a great player but we "won't be seeing a statue of him outside Old Trafford because his reputation is still being "rebuilt"". While I cannot argue that Rooney's behaviour during the transfer request incident was very unfortunate, based on his footballing contributions alone I'd say he would have to be at least considered as one of the greats if his goal scoring records continue. If Rooney plays for another 3 full seasons for United after this one, there is the distinct possibility that he will overtake Law as the second highest scorer of all time. There is also the outside chance (based on 19 goals per season in all comps) that he could overtake Bobby Charlton's 249.
Taking one of 'Holy Trinity' as an example. George Best was a phenomenon on the pitch. I was never lucky enough to see him actually play but between plenty of footage and glowing tributes from former greats I can truly appreciate his genius. However off the pitch, especially during his 'decining' years he was a nightmare at times. He constantly argued with management, missed training, matches and most unforgiveable of all was said to have been part of the more experienced group of players at United who wouldn't even talk to the younger players at the club.
Now I'm not having a go at Best, I'm just pointing out that the player on the pitch and the man off the pitch can be two very seperate entities. Best has been immortalised for his magic on the field, not his flawed character off it. Rooney has had and will hopefully continue to have a great career at United but to dismiss him as undeserved of legend status because of a one-time brain freeze is just silly considering Best's statue at Old Trafford.
Mick
Arsenal Should Focus On Catching Chelsea
Any other Arsenal supporters find themselves "minding the gap" to Chelsea rather than Spurs these days? Spurs might drop points, Arsenal might learn to defend, but honestly it seems our best chances of CL football next season might just be the Chelsea "old boys" throwing the toys out of the pram. So we're in then, right, if we edge the Merseysiders?
Rob Sinn (Spurs will drop enough points, but Arsene always has a plan B for his fourth place trophy), AFC
Lulz
Have we done the one about Liverpool still only scoring one past a goalkeeper TRYING to let 3 in yet?
David, AFC
Poppycock
Sorry to open old wounds but...
To paraphrase what Stanger said in this morning's Top Ten, Campbell's decision to leave Spurs for Arsenal was 'vindicated by the success he enjoyed with the Gunners.'
Poppycock. If a few medals sat on the mantelpiece are vindication for betraying and screwing out of millions the club that invested in you, the club that you were meant to love, and the thousands of fans who adored you then what hope is their for football these days.
It was never that he left. To be honest, it's only slightly about who he left for. It's how he left that stings.
Mark, Watford (yes I said poppycock...)
The Best Keeper In England
All this talk of the best keeper in England...
Look north of the border to none other than Fraser 'The Great Wall' Forster.
At first I wasn't too sure about him but after 2 successful loan spells and now a number of huge performances for Celtic in the Champions League, hence being dubbed the great wall by the Spanish Press, as well as a few great penalty saves, holding the SPL clean sheet record (no laughing) and his first England call up. I can safely say I believe he has the qualites to be a great keeper. When he left for Celtic he was criticised by Pardew but he has got his head down and worked incredibly hard to prove his doubters wrong (Haha Pardew) and win over a tough crowd at Parkhead. Especially coming into a position previously held by fan favourite The Holy Goalie Artur Boruc.
He is a dominant figure at 6ft 8 but he has fantastic reflexes and is a great shot stopper. If/when he moves to England I have no doubt he can and will challenge Joe Hart for the England number 1 spot.
LK
...Is Hugo Lloris best keeper in the league? Not quite. He's good but has a way to go to take the honours.
Based on consistency, lack of mistakes, shot stopping, handling, one-on-ones, command of his area this is my Top 20 'ladder' right now as it were seeing as we're on F365:
1) Tim Krul
2) Petr Cech
3) Hugo Lloris
4) Amir Begovic
5) Joe Hart
6) Julio Cesar
7) Mark Schwarzer
8) David De Gea
9) Gerhard Tremmel
10) Simon Mignolet
11) Wojciech Szczesny
12) Brad Guzan
13) Ali Al Habsi
14) Ben Foster
15) Tim Howard
16) Artur Boric
17) Mark Bunn
18) Pepe Reina
19) Adam Federici
20) Jussi Jaskelainen
Tim Krul has been absolute class. Nobody makes more one-on-one saves, his shot stopping is second to none and he hardly makes any mistakes.
Jussi Jaaskelainen is the least effective keeper in the league. When was the last time you him make a stand out save? In a Bolton shirt? Past it I'm afraid.
To all Liverpool fans Pepe Reina is lucky to have 2 keepers slightly less effective then him. When you consider the lack of amount he has to do, to the amount of mistakes ratio, it's staggering. Does he make outstanding saves?
Let the slating reaction begin...
Bano
...Chris (Yes, better than flavour of the month Begovic, Spurs), walk down that country mile of yours a few yards and you'll bump into Julio Cesar. He's been immense the last few games, no one I've talked to (including a few QPR fans) seems quite sure how QPR managed to buy him.
Dan, Camberley
