Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Wayne Rooney - After A New Lease of Life Or A Man Lost


 Dilemma

Wayne Rooney handing in another transfer request came as a bit of a surprise as the last time he did it, it seemed like a ploy to get a bigger payday and the press slaughtered him. Just when Robin Van Persie joins Manchester United, he decides he wants to leave. There are a couple of reasons this could be. The first one is that he was increasingly played as the assistant to the striker over the last 2 seasons. It is understandable that he could have felt misused playing in that position after so many years as a leading man.

Worth

The arrival of Van Persie would have played on his insecurities as he has had some criticism about his overall effectiveness since the 2010 world cup although less so at club level.  
The second is plain and simple overestimation of his worth. Rooney believes he is the “Bee’s Knee’s”. Unfortunately, he played his card 3 years ago when he handed Sir Alex Ferguson a transfer request forcing the club to offer him a quarter of a million pounds a week to stay on. His treatment by the manager over the year deteriorated getting benched more often and making the manager look to others for loyalty.

If Manchester United’s power over players was assured, this incident showed a chink in their amour.
A player wanting to leave is never a good sign of the dynamics in the squad especially if the doubts are coming from the golden boy of the England squad. Manchester United would have easily brushed the most recent transfer request under the carpet if Sir Alex was still the manager as his power over the club seemed absolute and we all knew his word was law and we had to take his word for it.

With a new man at the helm, will this incident weaken the resolve of the squad? The team still boast‘s experience from the likes of Evra, Ferdinand and Giggs.  Moyes will need to make sure these guys are open to his ministrations so shut down talk of a want-away player.
Trying to get into Rooney’s head to figure out why he would want to leave a lustrous club is almost impossible. What other club in the Premier League can compare to Manchester United? Who would be willing to pay the wages he currently commands?  What other challenge is he looking for that he would leave Manchester United?

No Interest From Real Madrid

Other news sources have claimed that his services were offered to Real Madrid but they declined. Some Arsenal fan’s have shown they would love to have Rooney in the squad but manager Arsene Wenger has been reluctant to comment on whether or not he was interested in him.
Could it be that he is looking for a club where he will feel like he has earned his wins unlike the ease of winning at Manchester United?

New Challenge

Well, if that’s the case, it is the total opposite to what his new competition Van Persie did. Then again, it is unlikely he is heading for the North London side and the perennial top four trophies of recent seasons. Although getting him into the squad would add some much needed grit in the side and show intent to add to a now dusty  trophy cabinet.
Speculation suggests Chelsea and their constant managerial changes. His decision to put a transfer request is akin to a cry for attention. Maybe he needs to feel loved as anything else is unfathomable unless things at Old Trafford are not as great as they seem.
To close, Wayne Rooney on the field is absolutely essential for any ambitious side and only time will tell if David Moyes, the new Manager,  is man enough to make him stay.

Otherwise, we will have to see where the case of Wayne Rooney veers. 


Monday, 13 May 2013


New Season, New Era

The title has been decided for some time now and we are approaching a new era.
Sir Alex has hung his hat up and there is a new man at the helm of what is the most influential and successful football sides in English football. In fact, apart from Real Madrid or Barcelona, Manchester United can claim to be one of the best club sides in the world.

We are all curious to see what the new manager can add to this great club as the task is a monumental one.
David Moyes will have an unenviable task as we all know.  He too knows that he is nowhere near the man or coach that his predecessor was.  He has achieved a steady stream of decent finishes in the top 10 of Premier League with Everton FC and even qualified for the Champions League ahead local rivals Liverpool FC not too long ago. One can ask if that is enough to qualify as a replacement for Sir Alex and everyone but the most brave and insightful would answer with the affirmative.

Missteps & Truimph

The rest of us would say Manchester United are headed to the uncertainty and missteps of Liverpool FC whom have struggled to maintain their notoriety of era’s gone by. Rafa Benitez was the only manager in a long time to give Liverpool a taste of previous glories often giving Sir Alex’s Manchester United something to gripe about with Cup finals and challenging for the title and Champions League triumph.  

While there is a new crop of snappy youngsters at Liverpool, the same cannot be said for Manchester United. Sir Alex claimed he had tried to leave the club in a good position to compete at the top level but I’m not sure that he quiet managed it. The team he won the Premier League are anything but infallible. In fact, the reason they won the league so easily is because the rest of the competition was so lackluster accumulating nominal points.

 They played for position, winning matches with a great deal of lethargy. The teams from 2nd to 6th, for the most part have been looking at each other to lose points so they didn't have to go out and win either. It has been a terrible competition this season and it’s almost a shame the great man retired in a pretty disappointing season.

Robin for Moyes

Without wanting to take all credit of winning the League from Sir Alex, it has to be said that his purchase of Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie was a coup for Man U. His 25 plus goals have guaranteed that Sir Alex leaves on a domestic high and is the most positive thing he has left for Moyes.


We can now look forward to a level playing field with Sir Alex and h
is hair dryer leaving the job. Chelsea, Manchester City and to a lesser extent Arsenal are right back in it and will not have to contend with dealing with Manchester United at their strongest. That is a bonus for everyone and hopefully will make for a more competitive 2013/2014 season.