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For anyone who's actually sat-down and read through ALL of even one of my regular 'rants' in this forum, you'll know I have not been one of those "empty-headed idiots" who believe Wayne Rooney is the 'next-big-thing' that can take us all-the-way ...and that David Beckham is a bigger and better footballer that world-wide fashion icon. That is until now, however. My brain remains as intact as it ever was, but, after seeing the (big) young man in action for the past 3 games, watching closely, seeing as how he really doesn't seem 'fazed' by ANYTHING out there, I am now many-steps-closer to being that of a `Believer´ in the one they call "Roonaldo".
Before this tournament begun, to me, it was all about the media taking our latest 'next-big-thing' and sending him into the heights of Beckham-style commercialisation at such a young age with so-little concrete evidence to actually go by. Not even I can deny the lad's always had something in him, I just feel things were taken too-far way-too-soon. After all, he is only 18! It was that one-goal against Arsenal, and then... Well, as great as it was, it seemed to be enough to carry him through a lacklustre past season at Goodison Park where, like Alan Smith (formerly) of Leeds, Rooney tally of yellow cards was greater than that of his goals scored.
Even when he played - and scored - for England, although I still do feel he is being rushed into it all at an uncontrolable pace, I still thought of it as "DAVID JAMES is on his side" and that "he's playing with Beckham and Steven Gerrard". Even after those things he did to the rough-and-tough Turkish players, I still believe too much was being made out of something so-little.
So, what has made me see things do differently now, then?
For a start, I don't think anything about Rooney's game has actually changed. He's still the same player he was nearly two years ago, scoring a brace in his league cup debut for Everton. The extra money doesn't appear to have hit him either (not on the pitch, anyway). And that is a very good thing now he's in the situation he's now in, as far as I'm concerned. Eriksson can compare him statistically to the great Pelé all he likes, and David Moyes can go on-and-on about how "only Chelsea will be able to afford him" come the end-of-July and August... But, for really giving it his all, pushing all finances to one-side and going in without a care for what could happen next, is it really worth Mr.Abramovich writing out a cheque for £45million only for some of that courage that has made legends like Paul Gascoigne shine so brightly for us on the international stage in the past?
You see, as incredibley well as the boy has done to give performances of which we would only expect from a man of David Beckham or Emile Heskey's true capabilities, although my liking for this lad is growing stronger by the day, I do not seem his talent as something truly 'expectional' and 'unique'.
Look carefully, and you'll see the components in Wayne Rooney that make up parts of any other attacking player worthy of pulling on an England shirt. His first touch is no better or worse than that of David Beckham or Frank Lampard. When it comes to striking a ball (as he did so-well last night), he only does it as well as we all know Paul Scholes can. And, is it really just me, or do his sudden bursts of pace and acceleration remind you of another young scoring-Scouser, at the same age, back in the World Cup of '98 against Argentina? There's only one thing that makes his appear any better than the other nine-men outfield [excluding David James, of course, and that is his overall attitude towards each and every situation he comes face-to-face with.
Those few of you who do read through all I write on a regular basis will know I am also one of the biggest Alan Smith fans you will find outside of Yorkshire - and I really couldn't be happier he has decided to come to Old Trafford (as a United fan, myself). I was quite devastated to see him left out of the final squad for Portugal, however. Especially when I saw both Emile Heskey and Darius Vassel were in ahead of him - and, how he didn't even make it as the 23rd Man! At least, with Rooney in the starting-eleven, we have a player who shares of many of Alan Smith's rare and talents (which would've put him ahead of the rest in any other Engand manager's Euro 2004 shortlist!).
One may still be very new to the game, while the other has several years on him in age and top-of-the-table experience, but they both seem to share them good old "British Pride" and "die-hard", "play to the final-whistle" spirit that would almost non-existant within our national side if things were quite different. All Wayne Rooney has honestly done, for me, is exactly what any manager asks of a player - while Beckham and co. are worried about how good they look infront of the cameras and where they could be in a few months time, Rooney simply puts 'the occasion' aside to go out there and give the game ALL he's got inside of him.
I mean, when was the last time you saw an England player really give it his all?
I can only think of David Beckham against Greece - nearly THREE-YEARS-AGO (LONG before Wayne Rooney)!! He's only doing the same as Owen and company can - but, he's actually doing it. He's a real inspiration to us all, aswell as his team-mates. If people like Michael Owen don't start working for the ball again, they could so easily be coming home again Friday morning with nothing but their own heads in their hands. And that's a feeling, I'm sure you'll all agree, we've all felt TOO MANY TIMES now since 1966!
It does seem as if we are becoming somewhat of an Arsenal-like "one-man team" with Wayne Rooney cropping-up exactly when and where we need him most. It shouldn't be like this. It should be a TEAM-effort if we're going to even succeed in beating Portugal. Yet, while we do perhaps seem to have to team, we do often seem to lack effort at times. As painful as it is, just try to remember that second-half against France... Now, we certainly don't want anything like that again, do we!
Wayne Rooney is no greater a 'talent' then any of the other ten "men" on that pitch, he is our leader and inspiration we clearly do not have from our headline-hitting captain. In a time where Paul Ince is ageing and not a sound can be heard during play, it is someone barely old enough to drive with the power to take others to their destination.
I don't want to add to all his hype now, but...
"ROOO-NEEY!!! ROOO-NEEY!!!" :D
For anyone who's actually sat-down and read through ALL of even one of my regular 'rants' in this forum, you'll know I have not been one of those "empty-headed idiots" who believe Wayne Rooney is the 'next-big-thing' that can take us all-the-way ...and that David Beckham is a bigger and better footballer that world-wide fashion icon. That is until now, however. My brain remains as intact as it ever was, but, after seeing the (big) young man in action for the past 3 games, watching closely, seeing as how he really doesn't seem 'fazed' by ANYTHING out there, I am now many-steps-closer to being that of a `Believer´ in the one they call "Roonaldo".
Before this tournament begun, to me, it was all about the media taking our latest 'next-big-thing' and sending him into the heights of Beckham-style commercialisation at such a young age with so-little concrete evidence to actually go by. Not even I can deny the lad's always had something in him, I just feel things were taken too-far way-too-soon. After all, he is only 18! It was that one-goal against Arsenal, and then... Well, as great as it was, it seemed to be enough to carry him through a lacklustre past season at Goodison Park where, like Alan Smith (formerly) of Leeds, Rooney tally of yellow cards was greater than that of his goals scored.
Even when he played - and scored - for England, although I still do feel he is being rushed into it all at an uncontrolable pace, I still thought of it as "DAVID JAMES is on his side" and that "he's playing with Beckham and Steven Gerrard". Even after those things he did to the rough-and-tough Turkish players, I still believe too much was being made out of something so-little.
So, what has made me see things do differently now, then?
For a start, I don't think anything about Rooney's game has actually changed. He's still the same player he was nearly two years ago, scoring a brace in his league cup debut for Everton. The extra money doesn't appear to have hit him either (not on the pitch, anyway). And that is a very good thing now he's in the situation he's now in, as far as I'm concerned. Eriksson can compare him statistically to the great Pelé all he likes, and David Moyes can go on-and-on about how "only Chelsea will be able to afford him" come the end-of-July and August... But, for really giving it his all, pushing all finances to one-side and going in without a care for what could happen next, is it really worth Mr.Abramovich writing out a cheque for £45million only for some of that courage that has made legends like Paul Gascoigne shine so brightly for us on the international stage in the past?
You see, as incredibley well as the boy has done to give performances of which we would only expect from a man of David Beckham or Emile Heskey's true capabilities, although my liking for this lad is growing stronger by the day, I do not seem his talent as something truly 'expectional' and 'unique'.
Look carefully, and you'll see the components in Wayne Rooney that make up parts of any other attacking player worthy of pulling on an England shirt. His first touch is no better or worse than that of David Beckham or Frank Lampard. When it comes to striking a ball (as he did so-well last night), he only does it as well as we all know Paul Scholes can. And, is it really just me, or do his sudden bursts of pace and acceleration remind you of another young scoring-Scouser, at the same age, back in the World Cup of '98 against Argentina? There's only one thing that makes his appear any better than the other nine-men outfield [excluding David James, of course, and that is his overall attitude towards each and every situation he comes face-to-face with.
Those few of you who do read through all I write on a regular basis will know I am also one of the biggest Alan Smith fans you will find outside of Yorkshire - and I really couldn't be happier he has decided to come to Old Trafford (as a United fan, myself). I was quite devastated to see him left out of the final squad for Portugal, however. Especially when I saw both Emile Heskey and Darius Vassel were in ahead of him - and, how he didn't even make it as the 23rd Man! At least, with Rooney in the starting-eleven, we have a player who shares of many of Alan Smith's rare and talents (which would've put him ahead of the rest in any other Engand manager's Euro 2004 shortlist!).
One may still be very new to the game, while the other has several years on him in age and top-of-the-table experience, but they both seem to share them good old "British Pride" and "die-hard", "play to the final-whistle" spirit that would almost non-existant within our national side if things were quite different. All Wayne Rooney has honestly done, for me, is exactly what any manager asks of a player - while Beckham and co. are worried about how good they look infront of the cameras and where they could be in a few months time, Rooney simply puts 'the occasion' aside to go out there and give the game ALL he's got inside of him.
I mean, when was the last time you saw an England player really give it his all?
I can only think of David Beckham against Greece - nearly THREE-YEARS-AGO (LONG before Wayne Rooney)!! He's only doing the same as Owen and company can - but, he's actually doing it. He's a real inspiration to us all, aswell as his team-mates. If people like Michael Owen don't start working for the ball again, they could so easily be coming home again Friday morning with nothing but their own heads in their hands. And that's a feeling, I'm sure you'll all agree, we've all felt TOO MANY TIMES now since 1966!
It does seem as if we are becoming somewhat of an Arsenal-like "one-man team" with Wayne Rooney cropping-up exactly when and where we need him most. It shouldn't be like this. It should be a TEAM-effort if we're going to even succeed in beating Portugal. Yet, while we do perhaps seem to have to team, we do often seem to lack effort at times. As painful as it is, just try to remember that second-half against France... Now, we certainly don't want anything like that again, do we!
Wayne Rooney is no greater a 'talent' then any of the other ten "men" on that pitch, he is our leader and inspiration we clearly do not have from our headline-hitting captain. In a time where Paul Ince is ageing and not a sound can be heard during play, it is someone barely old enough to drive with the power to take others to their destination.
I don't want to add to all his hype now, but...
"ROOO-NEEY!!! ROOO-NEEY!!!" :D
When Owen kicked off his International career he was the same as Rooney - not caring who you come up against, just play your game so I hope it continues with Rooney.
Owen is still a good player but he needs to do more for the team rather than wait for the ball to come to him all the time but when it does his touch seems, a lot of the time, is poor.
coz like italy u have many midfield and attackers, but unlike the italians ur defece is pretty craptacular. u would be able to counter attack betta and tho less, crapper defenders sounds dumb, with a DMC like gerrard or butt you could break up attcks in midfield and counter attck
Rumour has it they are set to bid £20 million for Phil Neville.
Rooney is fine at international level, but at club level he's at most irratic. I think Moyes has got it all wrong. I would want to expose the Roo to the game and get him playing more and be less controlling. He loves the big match and crowds raw so as they say- If they're good enough, they're old enough.
The only problem is that he might lose sight of the objective- playing footie. As long as he doesn't go image and money mad, which i can't particularly see but may happen, he should play better. As long as playing football is the main focus he'll become more recognised and established as a big player.
My advice to Moyes is sell Rooney after the Euro championship for as much as possible having showed his worth. It may be a little narrow minded and may prevent Rooney from bringing up Everton as a club, but he really isn't good as a club player. Therefore he's more useful to a club like Everton as a cash raiser.
I'm sure someone like Chelski would bid high if invited to.
*whistles*
;)