The Wayne Rooney Thread Part IV

At least he didn't ask if you consider Busby Babes a striker or attacker.

 

I love Cantona as much as the next United supporter, and would likely include him on one of my top 5-10 lists. Simply for the sake of discussion though, has he been romanticized over the years?

He was another player that was before my time, and all I have to go off of is highlights, stats, and hearsay. Judging off of his goal tally, it isn't any better than the likes of Cole, Yorke, Hughes, or RVP. So what makes him more a certainty than the others?

I do realize that he brought more to the table than simply goals, and many other characteristics that may not be measured quantitatively. Such a fascinating character of the beautiful game and Manchester United folklore, wish I had been able to watch him in his pomp.


I'm very curious to see if the opposite effect occurs with Wayne Rooney over the years. The bitter taste of deceit may taint his standing among fans for generations, regardless of the accolades and statistics.

 

Anyways since I have pretty much hinted at it, here is my all time united strikers list

1. Denis Law. Ballon d'or and European winner with us.
2. Eric Cantona. Slightly weaker scoring record than others but the most impactful of the lot.
3. Dennis Viollet. Phenomenal scoring record. Munich robbed him and us of a lot more success in the early days of the European Cup.
4. Ruud van Nistelrooy. 2nd highest (just) goals per game of anyone. Shorter United career + lack of significant team success puts him lower in the list.
5. Tommy Taylor. The overlooked great that we lost in Munich after Duncan Edwards. 131 goals in 191 games and he was just 26. 16 in 19 appearances for England. He would have been both United and England's all time scorer.
6. Wayne Rooney. He was a major part of one of our most successful periods. Two attempts to leave the club together with a poor last third of his career brings him down the list.
7. Jack Rowley. United's first great striker.
8. Andy Cole. Not the most prolific but integral part of one of our greatest teams.
9. David Herd. Forgotten man who was key to Busby's rebuild in the post-Munich era.
10. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Supersub extraordinaire.

 

Keep in mind Tommy Taylor is the only one in the top 5 who did not take penalties (Viollet did).

Our all time best goals per game without taking penalties and only playing until 26.

 

I think Fergie started him once after the comment. That's what I saw.

Other stuff coming from Fergie's book I'll hold my hands up over.

I have to say that I never gave the book much time because of all of the sensationalist crap that came out of it. This may not be a popular view, but I was disappointed in that content and in Ferguson for releasing a book of that nature.

As for the bolded part, my point is that Ferguson had a longstanding policy of turfing out those who got out of line or were insubordinate to his authority, no matter who they were.

That's what happened with Ruud (your additional info actually supports that) and it would've happened to Ronaldo or even Cantona if he felt they undermined his control.

 

My top 5, in order.

Law, Cantona, Voillet, Taylor, Cole,

 

Why is RvP not considered?

 

Too short an impact for me. When discussing atg.

 

Incredible for ruud to be left out, particularly for Cole.

 

Surprised Leslie Mark Hughes aka 'Sparky' hasn't had a mention, on his day(the bigger the game, the better he played) he kept the opponents entire back-four on their toes, or so it seemed, the centre-backs certainly knew they'd been in a game, and more often than not they had the cuts and bruises as souvenirs.

Not a great goalscorer, never prolific, but a scorer of great goals, a volleyer supreme

Quiet as a mouse off the field, but a Lion on it

The perfect centre-forward

 

Do not think it's even a question he should be in any top strikers listing for United. Was prolific for the club and indeed a "gamer", who raised his game the bigger the occasion...

 

It was close for me. Between those two for 5/6. For me, I gave the edge to Cole based on his longevity and his role on the trophy front for us, and his impact on team style. But it was close, for sure.

 

Top 10 for me, but never a top 5. Not even close. Just not prolific enough.

 

I was considering him for the 10th spot but Ole has him beat both statistically and on impact.

 

Ole is an odd one. I get the impact argument, but then Sparky was quite influential on the initial turn around of the early 90s imo.

 

As influential as McClair and neither were the big personalities that drove the actual turn around.

Again, Hughes is a reasonable inclusion in the bottom half of the top 10.

 

1) Denis Law
2) Tommy Taylor
3) Dennis Viollet
4) Ruud van Nistelrooy
5) Jack Rowley
5*) Sparky


7/8 or 9) Rooney

 

I don't know if Cole struggling initially is a point for or against him.

He really was missing sitters for his first couple of seasons. The media even claimed at one point that Newcastle got the better end of the deal by getting Keith Gillespie.

At the same time, he was tenacious and turned it around, when many others would have fallen by the wayside.

 

I was a massive Rooney fan but his transfer request bullshit left a bad taste in my mouth. I was gutted when I heard the news and I was very nervous that he could be on his way out having rated him highly. When I saw SAF being interviewed and had the look of a person betrayed on his face that was the turning point, it was Fcuk off Rooney there on.

I remember sitting down with a friend and I said this is a hard one to deal with. After SF stood up for him on many occasions including the WC incident with Ronaldo, doing what he did was spitting in Fergie's face followed up with a slap to add more insult.

 

Also had a major knack of scoring goals when it mattered.

He got two goals in the 1990 FA Cup Final that went to a replay, two in the 1991 Cup Winners Cup and one in the 1994 FA Cup to complete the double.

Then there was his volley against Oldham in 1994 that got us to the final.

 

99

 

I'm always down to put Ole on these. I would put RVP in the top 15 I think, simply cause he won us a title.

 

barrol posting privileges have been temporarily suspended.

 

More talk of Everton today.

 

It makes sense for him. But I don't know why Everton would want him.