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To the disbelief of many of our critics (including myself, with Eriksson still in-charge :P), England have made it through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 after last night's second-half performance against Croatia, in which, I must say, we played some of our best football of ther tournament so far - and neither David Beckham or Michael Owen had as-much to do with that 4-2 scoreline as you might like to think! Last night, once again, it was all about that one-man again - the man so-young he's still only really a boy - Wayne Rooney.
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
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Ashley wrote:
> If we buy Rooney i will be pisssed off. Feel free to quote me on this,
> and in time he may make me like him, but i don't think he is all that
> can't see him being as prolific as Trevor or Vieri or the likes.
where do you live
> If we buy Rooney i will be pisssed off. Feel free to quote me on this,
> and in time he may make me like him, but i don't think he is all that
> can't see him being as prolific as Trevor or Vieri or the likes.
where do you live
Solskjær wrote:
> 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
Heskey?
Well that's just plain wrong.
> 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
Heskey?
Well that's just plain wrong.
Foreman wrote:
> He'll be bigger than Pele.
oh. big statement.
> He'll be bigger than Pele.
oh. big statement.
Switzerland and Croatia may not be the best international teams. The fact that he scored 2 past both of those teams is great, especially considering how old he is.
England are one of the top international teams in the world and Rooney is already considered a valuable player.
Have you seen him when he has the ball?
He looks like he's been playing the game for years on end.
He'll be bigger than Pele.
England are one of the top international teams in the world and Rooney is already considered a valuable player.
Have you seen him when he has the ball?
He looks like he's been playing the game for years on end.
He'll be bigger than Pele.
Foreman wrote:
> Vampyr wrote:
> hes overated
>
> An 18 year old kid scoring 4 goals in 3 games against big star
> players is over-rated?
>
> If that's the case every single player in the world is over-rated.
Actually, he scored 4 goals in two games.
But swissland and croatia aren't as good as other teams, or they'd be in the quarter finals...
Oh, and Sven compared him to Pele.
From now on I hate Rooney mroe than anything, despite him not syaing it.
> Vampyr wrote:
> hes overated
>
> An 18 year old kid scoring 4 goals in 3 games against big star
> players is over-rated?
>
> If that's the case every single player in the world is over-rated.
Actually, he scored 4 goals in two games.
But swissland and croatia aren't as good as other teams, or they'd be in the quarter finals...
Oh, and Sven compared him to Pele.
From now on I hate Rooney mroe than anything, despite him not syaing it.
Vampyr wrote:
> hes overated
An 18 year old kid scoring 4 goals in 3 games against big star players is over-rated?
If that's the case every single player in the world is over-rated.
> hes overated
An 18 year old kid scoring 4 goals in 3 games against big star players is over-rated?
If that's the case every single player in the world is over-rated.
Solskjær wrote:
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.
----------------
I wouldn't say we're becoming a 1-man team just yet. If you think about it, of the 8 goals we've scored, 4 have came from midfielders, and our other prolific striker hasn't even bagged one yet! With Rooney on 4, the Midfield knocking them in, and Owen about to score a few; this will shape up to be one of England's best ever tournaments! :)
[NOTE: I don't mean that to sound so patriotic, I'm just taking each game as it comes]
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.
----------------
I wouldn't say we're becoming a 1-man team just yet. If you think about it, of the 8 goals we've scored, 4 have came from midfielders, and our other prolific striker hasn't even bagged one yet! With Rooney on 4, the Midfield knocking them in, and Owen about to score a few; this will shape up to be one of England's best ever tournaments! :)
[NOTE: I don't mean that to sound so patriotic, I'm just taking each game as it comes]
indeed
Neó wrote:
You could see Roman, Kenyon, the 3 wisemen and it's dog from Chelsea watching the England game yesterday.
Rumour has it they are set to bid £20 million for Phil Neville.
---------------
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You could see Roman, Kenyon, the 3 wisemen and it's dog from Chelsea watching the England game yesterday.
Rumour has it they are set to bid £20 million for Phil Neville.
---------------
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
he looks like
a potato
a thug
a stain on a ceiling (watch fantasy footie on ITV)
a dead mouse's butt
hes overated
a potato
a thug
a stain on a ceiling (watch fantasy footie on ITV)
a dead mouse's butt
hes overated
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