Rooney returns...

[HarvSFC]

Spot on. If Rooney was our big signing this summer, Id be worried. But he's not, the other 4 main signings we've made are all a big improvement on what we already have in positions we needed it. Our keeper and central defence let us down so much the last 3 seasons, Pickford and Keane will help fix that. Sandro is 100% a better forward option than Kone or Valencia, and gives us the option to play 2 up front. Klaassen gives us the kind of goalscoring attacking midfielder we havent had since Cahill. The other 4 improve the first 11, Rooney improves the squad, which lets not be arrogant, is something that also needs beefing up. I keep seeing us linked with Cuco Martina at Southampton. Id take that right now, not because he's better than Coleman or Baines, but we are desperately short of full back cover. Coleman will miss the start of the season too.

He's not at Southampton anymore, been released. You've probably seen his goal against Arsenal, but other than that just hope he doesn't get too much pitch time!

 

[smat]

I'm not sure his record of 27-21-28 disproves the statement "he has stood still for a while". So thanks for that, I'm too lazy to find stats these days. I'm old fashioned, I like to watch players. You ever seen Lacazette play mate? Do think carefully, you may have seen him many times without realizing. He can be incredibly invisible.

You'll look for an upgrade in your forward position within two years. Put it in your sig!

I'm not really fussed about defending his ability, I just took a cursory look at the figures and saw that it didn't square with your precis of his career. He scored 24 league goals before his 23rd birthday and 76 more before his 26th. Just more fake news.

 

[Smudge]

He's not at Southampton anymore, been released. You've probably seen his goal against Arsenal, but other than that just hope he doesn't get too much pitch time!

Yeah, Id seen he was available on a free. Like I said, not expecting a world beater or a regular starter, but then most players with any kind of ability wont be wanting to come here knowing they're going to be on the bench!

I like Giroud, always saw him more as a support type striker than a main man, and I think thats why he was so frustrating at Arsenal sometimes. Absolute king of the sexy knockdown, but then when he was the main forward, he was the man who needed to be on the end of the knockdowns, rather than the one knocking them down! Given that we so far havent signed any wingers, I think we will be looking to play a little narrow this season, with the full backs providing any width. If Giroud and Sigurdsson sign for example, I think we could be playing Giroud up with Sandro , and the attacking midfielders, any pairing of Klaassen, Rooney, Sigurdsson, Barkley, Davies etc. behind providing the creativity.

I agree with that, they definitely need a striker but lest we forget two months ago we were laughing at Everton's joker owners. And having good windows is even less of a habit for them than it is for us.

I personally rate Klaassen extremely highly having watched him so closely. He's talented enough, but add to that that he has incredible work rate, is a proper team player who tracks back and forth despite being more of a 10 than an 8 (often giving his team an man up in the middle), and he was the captain of a very talented Ajax side. Not sure why that transfer isn't coveted more in England, he's very highly rated here for so many reasons. Additionally, Sigurdsson is as close as you get to guaranteed goals without talking strikers or players way, way out of Everton's range.

Essentially, they've sold their best player by a mile and imo will be a better team going into next season.

I havent seen much of Klaassen, if anything really, so he's the one I know the least about. From everything I've heard though, he sounds like a classier Cahill/ Naismith. Been a huge fan of Sigurdsson for years though, wanted us to sign him since he was at Spurs.

 

[Bilo]

I'm not really fussed about defending his ability, I just took a cursory look at the figures and saw that it didn't square with your precis of his career. He scored 24 league goals before his 23rd birthday and 76 more before his 26th. Just more fake news.

Well had he followed the trajectory from when when he broke through suffice to say it wouldn't be Lyon to Arsenal at 26, but rather Real at 23. You also really want to ask yourself how Giroud has so comfortably kept him out of the side for all this time. If you just wanna take the numbers though, Lyon win a lot of pens and Lacazette started taking them at, you guessed it, 2014. That season he he scored from the spot eight times! Blimey, right. Topped only by his most recent season, scoring ten. Removing those and I'm sure you agree I am, by the numbers, quite generous when I say that he's stood still for a while. The weakest of the three seasons, Lacazette only scored two pens.

So by the numbers, you've paid 50 million for a guy whose scoring record has been excusing his non-showings in so many matches. And that scoring record hasn't got him above 20 league goals from open play in his career. In Ligue 1!

 

[Bilo]

Giroud comfortably keeping Lacazette out of the side was a bit rough, the latter does have 11 caps. He's managed to score one goal as well, good on him.

 

[JimJams]

Thats a piss poor way to look at things on the international stage Bilo. Dechamps likes a big man in his sides. Simple as that. He doesnt want all running, pacey players throughout his front line. Thats why Gignac still got in the squad despite being shit and plying his trade in fucking Mexico.

 

[Bilo]

Thats a piss poor way to look at things on the international stage Bilo. Dechamps likes a big man in his sides. Simple as that. He doesnt want all running, pacey players throughout his front line. Thats why Gignac still got in the squad despite being shit and plying his trade in fucking Mexico.

Yes, if it had been my one argument. But he's meant to be the significant upgrade on Giroud that they've longed for for so long. If he was, you'd think Deschamps would've found a way to fit him in, and furthermore you'd think Lacazette would manage more than one goal in eleven caps. And it's not like France tend to play on the back foot either.

He's just quite an average player. His numbers show it wherever you look but more importantly, you only have to watch him for a handful of games to realize that he will have to take both one and two steps up at Arsenal to even match Giroud's numbers, let alone actually better them.

Zlatan moving to a new league = being able to watch that league for free is gonna be the thing I'll miss most about the big man I think.

 

[Pagnell]

Six of the top seven stories on BBC's football page are on Rooney. A slow day I guess.

 

[Bilo]

Well at least we're discussing Lacazette in his thread on 1FF.

 

[smat]

Well had he followed the trajectory from when when he broke through suffice to say it wouldn't be Lyon to Arsenal at 26, but rather Real at 23.

What makes you say that? His early record was gash.

 

[Bilo]

What makes you say that? His early record was gash.

Because he had everything bar scoring at that age. Essentially, he looked like the kind of guy who would start banging them in at any moment. Think Morata, his record is similar. Or just google for articles on Lacazette dated 2013 and earlier and look at the clubs he was linked with. He looked incredibly exciting when he broke through, and to be completely honest with you I was surprised to see he didn't score more.

But the bottom line is you're putting your hopes on a guy that has never managed above 19 league goals without pens. Imo, putting Giroud where Lacazette has been, he'd have bettered that each and every one of those seasons. Balotelli managed 15 from 20 starts for christ's sake!

 

[smat]

I'm not putting my hopes on anything. I think Giroud is a great player (most of the time).

 

[Bilo]

The english language REALLY needs a differentiating term between you in singular and you in plural. Regards every other language on the planet.

 

[Youpies]

Back to Roons, I think it's a good move for player and club. Everton are unlikely to find a replacement for Lukaku directly so I can see Rooney having a decent run as a striker.

He's not the player he was, but there is still a top player in there

 

[SALTIRE]

Reading a thread elsewhere about Rooney and stumbled on this little conversation.

'He's so slow these days, if he was chasing an old girl upstairs on her Stannah stairlift, which is a distinct possibility, she'd probably beat him.'
.
.

'Depends on the width of the stairs. It's difficult, and let's face it rude, to squeeze past those things in your standard two up two down. Most people would just wait at the bottom, or follow slowly, as the stairlift went up.

Assuming there was room to fit past, and politeness is off the table, I'm guessing he'd win the race, especially if the stairs are curved. Unless it's curved and the stairlift is on the inside, in which case the distance Rooney has to travel is longer than the stairlift must travel.

Many people think that a stairlift shouldn't be on the inside of the stairs. This is incorrect. The Handicare Rembrandt stairlift is actually designed for this specific purpose.

To sum up, the odds are not in your favour. Rooney is likely to win this particular race.'

 

[Cornish Piskie]

It's a shame that Rooney faded from the Manchester United scene like he did last season. I thought it was a little premature myself, but hey, what do I know..? Who can fathom the mind of Jose Maurinho..?

I've always thought that when Rooney was at his most motivated and "up for it", he could do anything. Sadly, there were also times when he came across as indifferent and merely going through the motions. At other times he could be easily rattled and his discipline would let him down. I hesitate to use the term "temperamental genius" where Wayne is concerned. Perhaps we can settle for "temperamental very gifted player".

The "Once A Blue Always A Blue" factor may give him the boost he needs to get the best out of the time that remains in his playing career. Only he knows how much of an Everton fan he still is deep down inside, but I hope the Goodison fans will get behind him. If they do, and he responds to that he could turn out to be a very good signing. I hope so. For all his faults (and come on, we all have them) he's had quite a career.

Let's give the bloke a chance and see how it pans out.

 

[Stevencc]

A little premature!?

Rooney had needed to be dropped for a long time.

Jose did what needed to be done but we had already been waiting a bloody long time for it happen before it actually did.

 

[Smally]

I really don't understand why we've signed Rooney. He's better than Kone but that's a poor excuse for signing someone. If he had started his career at say West Ham or villa we wouldn't be interested. Just because he played 2 seasons here as a teenager is no reason to sign someone.

Fact is, he's been poor now for at least 2 seasons in a side that is better than ours. The only benefit is he's a leader of sorts. I really hope I'm proved wrong but this isn't a signing I'd have made, and smacks of Bill Kenwright romanticism. The only other players we've signed over 30 recently are Williams, which made sense, and Stekelenburg, who has worked with Koeman before.

 

[JaseTheVillain]

The english language REALLY needs a differentiating term between you in singular and you in plural. Regards every other language on the planet.

The plural is usually implied by the words either preceding or following 'you', such as 'you guys' or 'you fucker/s'. I do get that there are instances where it can be confusing, but in general it works.

If I am directly addressing you I'd just say 'you suck', if I were referencing Liverpool/Sweden I'd say 'you lot suck', though I could say the former, most will use the latter. Whom I am referring to by saying 'you lot' could be garnered by the context of the conversation.

English has a lot of problems, there's a reason we borrow words/phrases from other languages (déjà vu comes to mind), I don't feel that this is one of the major ones!

 

[Bilo]

The plural is usually implied by the words either preceding or following 'you', such as 'you guys' or 'you fucker/s'. I do get that there are instances where it can be confusing, but in general it works.

If I am directly addressing you I'd just say 'you suck', if I were referencing Liverpool/Sweden I'd say 'you lot suck', though I could say the former, most will use the latter. Whom I am referring to by saying 'you lot' could be garnered by the context of the conversation.

English has a lot of problems, there's a reason we borrow words/phrases from other languages (déjà vu comes to mind), I don't feel that this is one of the major ones!

I did actually appreciate this, cheers.

 

[Abertawe]

You're all mugs. Rooney will find an extra gear back at Everton. Wouldn't surprise me to see him hit 20+.

 

[Pagnell]

If he had started his career at say West Ham or villa we wouldn't be interested. Just because he played 2 seasons here as a teenager is no reason to sign someone.

Basically what I've said since Everton's interest became apparent. Makes no sense and appears almost entirely based on sentiment rather than football.

You're all mugs. Rooney will find an extra gear back at Everton.

3rd gear isn't much different than 2nd.

 

[St. Juste]

The experience and leadership Rooney is providing will be as a cautionary tale, surely?

Quite astonishing how the most talented English player of his generation wasted his career on fags, booze and curry.- he has descended even quicker than Gascoigne did. If he can get through the season without embarrassing himself it will be a huge success.

Can you imagine how big he will get when he retires?

 

[Abertawe]

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Where do Everton envisage Rooney playing for them? What even is his best position nowadays?

 

[JimJams]

I fully support St Justes post.

 

[Renegade]

Stick him in nets to block the goal, amirite?

 

[Stevencc]

In my opinion, Rooney is nothing but an English c***.

 

[St. Juste]

Some excellent responses here considering the professionalism of Rooney relative to other top level athletes, his premature decline and the possible cultural or societal reasons that underpin this.

Well played all round.

 

[Abertawe]

Some excellent responses here considering the professionalism of Rooney relative to other top level athletes, his premature decline and the possible cultural or societal reasons that underpin this.

Well played all round.

You said his standards have meant he's regressed worse than Gazza. The only thing he's "guilty" of is not persuing perfection like Ronaldo. That's a fairly massive gap.