Pat Dolan -- who's doing for the wig this year what he did for the waistcoat last year -- wrote a quite shocking piece in today's Irish Star (I didn't buy it...honest). I can't really remember specific quotes, but the general idea presented is that Wayne Rooney is rubbish. OK I'm exaggerating, but he basically said that Wayne Rooney isn't even near as good as he's made out to be. The headline of the piece was something along the lines of 'Rooney Myth is as Big as Loch Ness Monster'. I'm sure other possible headlines eventually canned were 'Roo Are Not That Good', 'Ron is Better Than Roo' and others of the sort.
The main thing that struck me is that Pat thinks Rooney isn't intelligent enough to be considered world-class, whereas Ronaldo is. He says that he admires Rooney's work rate as opposed to Ronaldo's, but Rooney is not a defender, so it doesn't really count for too much. Pat complains at length about the English media also, saying that they're deluding themselves into thinking Wayne Rooney is something he isn't, and that there is only one great player at Manchester United - Cristiano Ronaldo.
I of course disagree with much of this, as I do with much of everything Pat Dolan says. Rooney may well be an idiot outside a football stadium. He may well have the IQ of a small child, or Paris Hilton. But when it comes to playing football, he possesses without doubt a good footballing brain. You can't explain it, you can't teach it, but I can safely say that Rooney has it. There are varying degress when it comes to footballing intelligence of course -- Zidane being at one end, Kuyt at the other -- but in my opinion Rooney is up there with the more intelligent players plying their trade today.
In fact footballing intelligence is right now pretty much the one thing Rooney actually has on Ronaldo, so Pat is well off with this remark. Ronaldo may be a lot of good things, but he's not an intellligent player. He's basically Theo Walcott with a better shot, better physique, and less sideburns. That makes for quite the effective player no doubt, but it doesn't make for a 'genius' of the game, which is what Gary Megson and many many others have called him without considering what the word really means.
However, one thing Pat is right about is the hyping up of Rooney from the media (though the media are just as guilty of hyping up Ronaldo too). Rooney really hasn't done it for United since his arrival. He's scored some goals, he's put in the work, he's showed flashes of excellence, but he hasn't been a consistent performer. He hasn't really dazzled or stood out like a Cesc Fabregas for Arsenal, and that should set United and England fans ill at ease.
His form wasn't great all of last season, culminating in a woeful performance in the Champions League final. And worryingly, he's continued that form on into the new season. Tevez is basically everything Wayne Rooney should be, but isn't. In Ronaldo's absense, it's Tevez who has stepped up to the plate, and if things stay as is, it's Tevez who should be starting ahead of Rooney if that's what it comes down to.
While certain aspects of Rooney's play annoy me, I can appreciate that he does have something speical about him. However, if he's not showing that week in week out, then it's foolish to have him on a team sheet without question. By merit, he should not be starting for England next week. If hard decisions like this are made, he will hopefully get the required kick up the backside, and his career will stop spiraling downwards. However, if his mediocrity goes unpunished, then he will have no reason to rise above it, and his 'potential' will never be fully realised, which would be a shame.
The main thing that struck me is that Pat thinks Rooney isn't intelligent enough to be considered world-class, whereas Ronaldo is. He says that he admires Rooney's work rate as opposed to Ronaldo's, but Rooney is not a defender, so it doesn't really count for too much. Pat complains at length about the English media also, saying that they're deluding themselves into thinking Wayne Rooney is something he isn't, and that there is only one great player at Manchester United - Cristiano Ronaldo.
I of course disagree with much of this, as I do with much of everything Pat Dolan says. Rooney may well be an idiot outside a football stadium. He may well have the IQ of a small child, or Paris Hilton. But when it comes to playing football, he possesses without doubt a good footballing brain. You can't explain it, you can't teach it, but I can safely say that Rooney has it. There are varying degress when it comes to footballing intelligence of course -- Zidane being at one end, Kuyt at the other -- but in my opinion Rooney is up there with the more intelligent players plying their trade today.
In fact footballing intelligence is right now pretty much the one thing Rooney actually has on Ronaldo, so Pat is well off with this remark. Ronaldo may be a lot of good things, but he's not an intellligent player. He's basically Theo Walcott with a better shot, better physique, and less sideburns. That makes for quite the effective player no doubt, but it doesn't make for a 'genius' of the game, which is what Gary Megson and many many others have called him without considering what the word really means.
However, one thing Pat is right about is the hyping up of Rooney from the media (though the media are just as guilty of hyping up Ronaldo too). Rooney really hasn't done it for United since his arrival. He's scored some goals, he's put in the work, he's showed flashes of excellence, but he hasn't been a consistent performer. He hasn't really dazzled or stood out like a Cesc Fabregas for Arsenal, and that should set United and England fans ill at ease.
His form wasn't great all of last season, culminating in a woeful performance in the Champions League final. And worryingly, he's continued that form on into the new season. Tevez is basically everything Wayne Rooney should be, but isn't. In Ronaldo's absense, it's Tevez who has stepped up to the plate, and if things stay as is, it's Tevez who should be starting ahead of Rooney if that's what it comes down to.
While certain aspects of Rooney's play annoy me, I can appreciate that he does have something speical about him. However, if he's not showing that week in week out, then it's foolish to have him on a team sheet without question. By merit, he should not be starting for England next week. If hard decisions like this are made, he will hopefully get the required kick up the backside, and his career will stop spiraling downwards. However, if his mediocrity goes unpunished, then he will have no reason to rise above it, and his 'potential' will never be fully realised, which would be a shame.
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