“At Chelsea, the view is that if they were to find themselves in Manchester United's position, they would not beg an unhappy player to stay – so, the reasoning goes, why should United do it?

In terms of the status of the club they are buying from, this is new ground for Chelsea, but they feel that the advantage is with them.â€

Sam Wallace (The Evening Herald 6.8.13)

Only a couple of sentences, but probably the most accurate to date regarding the saga that is Wayne Rooney’s want-away from United. For me, Sam Wallace sums it up unequivocally and, even though his written word does not have the same deadpan delivery as his spoken ones, comparison with Bob Dylan’s drawl would not go amiss on this occasion. For the times they are a-changing and Sam’s a man who not only recognises this fact, he is also prepared to buck the tabloid trend and tell his readership exactly as it is, instead of following along, lemming-like, the journey taken by the vast majority of his colleagues. They, of course, appear only too willing to toe the pro-Manc line, come hell or ever-higher waterline, pouring out their endless tide of bearer-of-bad-news stories regarding Wazza’s wanton lust for, what one United fan on here recently described as, ‘Londinium‘ - aaahhh, how quaint!

Indeed, put in sharper context, the insightful Wallace ‘reasoning’ above extends way beyond the usual Chels-chumpery churned out by hacks when covering transfers involving our club. Although not fuelled or prefixed by negativity, even rocket science doesn’t take the powerful truth of that single opening sentence as far as it deserves to go, because those words should be launched with missionary zeal to the widest possible audience, with the question posed of everyone who, almost by rote, would normally cite Chelsea’s lack of ’class’, should our club have been placed in similar circumstances.

Moreover, when it comes to that second sentence, I’m pretty much convinced it’s more than an ‘advantage’ that we feel we’ve got…. it’s a tight grip on a situation unprecedented in Premiership football. Someone is about to leave Manchester United with the sole intention of improving his lot. There are no other reasons. He don’t want money. He don’t want no dream. He don’t want to plant cotton, nor does he want [unlike Real Madrid] to lift that Bale. What he wants is a move to Chelsea because he can see that his present club are nothing like Old Man River anymore - they won’t ‘just keep rolling along’ at the top of the Premiership.

The Old Trafford waters look muddied these days, threatened by a potential decline in standards this season and too reliant last on one big fish, bought specifically for the purpose of dispelling rumours of poor quality control within their own breeding grounds. And it worked, in so far as a Premiership pennant was won, but even though they had control, the quality was never there and that clear blue water between United and the rest of the pack way back then now looks fresher and freer-flowing to anybody who cares to take a meaningful dip into either player pool. Wayne Rooney’s taken a look and wants to dive in, the analogy surely more akin to him liking the idea of swimming with a host of young dolphins, plus a few friendly-faced old trout like Ash, JT and Frank thrown in.

And who wouldn’t want to move into this environment, especially when you are as unhappy as he obviously is at present? Once the biggest fish in the widest river around, Rooney hankers after the same feelings again. His present employers, whether in the guise of departing curmudgeon intent on sticking the knife in, or old boss who don’t impress that much, either before or reincarnated, have surely made it abundantly clear he is surplus to requirements. Yet they, or whoever has ultimate say in this ever-narrowing river of much repute, cannot find it in themselves to be big, or classy, enough to simply let an unsettled player go to another club without unseemly hassle.

But what of Chelsea’s stance in all of this? Well, Wallace calls it ‘new ground‘, in terms of our current status as we attempt to buy from United, but he could just have easily referred to ’shifting ground’ and the diminishing Manc status resulting from attempting to justify their position. After all, this is the very first example of a top quality English player preferring to play for a team other than Manchester United for reasons of ambition and furtherance of career. It is a feather in our cap and hurts them to such an extent that they are finding the whole saga a unique and unpleasant experience.

Ironic, isn’t it, that Manchester United have put other clubs in this situation so many times before and expected, almost as of right, to get their man eventually. They, more than any other club in the land, appreciate the futility of holding out against a powerful club in these circumstances. It’s just that this is the first time the boot has been well and truly on another's foot.

What about Ronaldo - was it not the boot on the other foot?

They didn't sell Ronaldo to a premiership rival club - and they got a tidy sum for him, plus Ferguson was never afraid of losing players that were getting bigger than the club.

Might be a ruse from cfc to spoil mancu start under Moyes. Yes he wants to leave it would seem but they won't sell to one of their main rivals.

So I'll take a punt on everton getting him in swap for Baines and Fellaine. Remember he is big everton fan

Don't think he'll go abroad

So repeat the main point - mancu never gonna sell him to us

Haven't agreed so much with a few of your latest articles but I think this one was very good, interesting also they hurried to negotiate some sort of mutual silence over the transfer with us on the condition that they wouldn't make things up about Mata and Luiz, how classless is that, especially considering their very public courting of RVP last year!

Great post Dorset.

I almost spat my coffee out reading this part though haha

Wayne Rooney’s taken a look and wants to dive in, the analogy surely more akin to him liking the idea of swimming with a host of young dolphins, plus a few friendly-faced old trout like Ash, JT and Frank thrown in.

Edited August 8, 201312 yr by Zola

Might be a ruse from cfc to spoil mancu start under Moyes. Yes he wants to leave it would seem but they won't sell to one of their main rivals.

So I'll take a punt on everton getting him in swap for Baines and Fellaine. Remember he is big everton fan

Don't think he'll go abroad

So repeat the main point - mancu never gonna sell him to us

I am sorry, but he is just not going to Everton.... maybe in his twilight years, but certainly NOT in his peak.

I'll have whatever it is you're smoking! :D

This has definitely kicked Utd up the plums, both the club and fans. First was the 'dirty tricks campaign' regarding our players in the press. Now the club keep digging up old players harping on about once you leave Utd the only way is down blah,blah,blah. The same could have been said about many clubs in the past but power shifts. I'm not suggesting we are more powerful but the fact we now appear a more attractive proposition to not only foreign players but players already on Utd's books as started to ruffle a few feathers now at Old Trafford like we know it has for the last decade at Anfield.

It wasn't to long ago that a move from Arsenal to Chelsea would have been seen as a step down but try telling Ashley Cole that. Things change, and those especially in the established order dont like it.

The fans on the other hand are hedging their bets. One half say he's rubbish and past his best and if he leaves its only cos we didn't want him, while others say he's worth £40m plus players and would never leave us for another Prem team etc etc.

Obviously depending on what eventually happens those same fans will conveniently fall into which ever camp then suits most while swearing blind this had been there stance the whole time.  Typical really from the vast majority of their fans.

Edited August 8, 201312 yr by c3blu2

This has definitely kicked Utd up the plums, both the club and fans. First was the 'dirty tricks campaign' regarding our players in the press. Now the club keep digging up old players harping on about once you leave Utd the only way is down blah,blah,blah. The same could have been said about many clubs in the past but power shifts. I'm not suggesting we are more powerful but the fact we now appear a more attractive preposition to not only foreign players but players already on Utd's books as started to ruffle a feathers now at Old Trafford like we know it has for the last decade at Anfield.

It wasn't to long ago that a move from Arsenal to Chelsea would have been seen as a step down but try telling Ashley Cole that. Things change, and those especially in the established order dont like it.

The fans on the other hand are hedging their bets. One half say he's rubbish and past his best and if he leaves its only cos we didn't want him, while others say he's worth £40m plus players and would never leave us for another Prem team etc etc.

Obviously depending on what eventually happens those same fans will conveniently fall into which ever camp then suits most while swearing blind this had been there stance the whole time. Typical really from the vast majority of their fans.

So true!

PS

Just as I hit send I remembered a Man Utd fan I know saying he wanted Mourinho when the speculaltion was all going on. Now he has changed his tune and said 'we don't need him nor want him', 'we want longevity' blah blah blah.

Funny that!

Edited August 8, 201312 yr by Zola

United are not mugs like Arsenal, they won't sell to rivals unless they know they are useless (O'Shea, Brown, Richardson)

We should stick the boot in with fellani, and out bid them.

United are not mugs like Arsenal, they won't sell to rivals unless they know they are useless (O'Shea, Brown, Richardson)

 

None of those players listed were sold to rivals.

 

This whole "won't sell to rivals" thing is being overplayed. If keeping Rooney becomes less and less of an option (which it would appear it is if rumour is to be believed that senior members of the United squad have become disillusioned with Rooney) then United will have a massive decision to make. Keep Rooney who by then is a destabilising influence in the dressing room and use him sparingly because you can't trust him to perform in the big games (making it hard to justify him being on £240k a week) or offload him to the only apparent interested party (Chelsea) and use the funds received and freed up wages to improve the squad with a player(s) who will be 100% on board. 

PS

Just as I hit send I remembered a Man Utd fan I know saying he wanted Mourinho when the speculaltion was all going on. Now he has changed his tune and said 'we don't need him nor want him', 'we want longevity' blah blah blah.

Funny that!

 

Yeah right, given the choice between Mourinho and Moyes, they all would have picked Moyes.

PS

Just as I hit send I remembered a Man Utd fan I know saying he wanted Mourinho when the speculaltion was all going on. Now he has changed his tune and said 'we don't need him nor want him', 'we want longevity' blah blah blah.

Funny that!

 

They did the same with Hazard.

Now is the time to lodge a final bid for Rooney.

Give them until Sept 1st to take it or leave it.

For those who underestimate Rooney's abilities here's what Gary Neville said about him.

"You have absolute gold in Rooney, someone who is proven over 6,7,8 years.

Someone who delivers season after season and one of the top goals and assists players in the league.

He will work his backside off and never drop his level in training.

He is a vital player, a CL player and one who wins you the league.

He is the guy who in the middle of October, when you are 4 points behind in the league

going to Chelsea, and have Arsenal the week after, sits in front of his midfield two,

works his backside off, gets up the pitch, gets back sets up goals and digs in.

Don't underestimate the value of Rooney to Man Utd's successes over the last 8 years.