Manchester United let down by their own stupidity
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 18 Apr 2011 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- FA Cup, football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Michael Carrick, paul scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney
2,519 reads
Paul Scholes is one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, with the 36-year-old wrecking ball reportedly earning more than £4 million per season. Despite the handsome salary, Scholes committed the kind of foul you’d expect to see in a park game as Manchester United crashed to defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Scholes’ studs-up, thigh-raking challenge on City defender Pablo Zabaleta came with United chasing the game, after Yaya Toure had taken full advantage of Michael Carrick’s dreadfully misplaced pass early in the second half.
Carrick is another of United’s highest earners, although neither he nor Scholes come close to drawing the astronomical salary Wayne Rooney pulls in.
If you’re to believe the various wage-earner lists drawn up by the media, only Cristiano Ronaldo earns more than United’s enfant terrible Rooney, with the perpetually grumpy English striker purportedly paid more than twinkle-toed Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
Yet, while Ronaldo and Messi were both slotting home penalties as Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Barça in La Liga over the weekend, Rooney was looking forlorn as he sat disconsolately in the Wembley stands.
After launching a foul-mouthed tirade down the barrel of a TV camera following a recent hat-trick against West Ham, Rooney seemed surprised to be handed a two-match suspension by the English Football Association, which resulted in him missing one of United’s biggest games of the season.
That Rooney thought it necessary to swear so egregiously on live TV should come as no great shock.
The surly savant has been mollycoddled his entire life, to the point that he actually believes criticism in the newspapers and from the stands justifies the massive persecution complex he lumbers around on those broad shoulders of his.
And what Rooney has in common with Scholes is a manager in Sir Alex Ferguson unwilling to discipline his players for their constant misdemeanours.
Scholes had only just returned from a two-match ban for accruing ten yellow cards during his side’s league campaign, only to see himself pointlessly sent off for yet another challenge which didn’t need to be made.
It just goes to show that no matter how much a player is paid, you can’t put a price on stupidity.
And while neither Rooney or Scholes deliberately tried to disadvantage their own team through their respective brushes with authority, their reckless individualism ended up costing team-mates dearly and no doubt had United fans tearing their own hair out.
So it is that Manchester City march on to face either Bolton or Stoke City in the FA Cup final, and won’t it be refreshing to see a different name on the trophy this year?
City made the most of United’s generous defending in a predictably tense semi-final affair, but they looked the better side for long periods and no doubt deserved to go through.
I just wish I’d kept up my own football career, for no other reason than I wouldn’t mind earning a hefty sum of money for being entirely useless in an FA Cup semi-final.
I can’t pass, can’t shoot, can’t tackle and I don’t think I’ve ever once made a decisive, defence-splitting pass in an entirely forgettable park footballer’s career.
But I can swear like a trooper, when required, and thigh-grazing tackles are somewhat of a speciality.
That’s the kind of behaviour you’d expect to see from a hopeless amateur like myself, but when it comes to two of Manchester United’s highest-paid stars, their stupidity has let their team down badly.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
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April 18th 2011 @ 6:36am
Bondy said | April 18th 2011 @ 6:36am | Report comment
Mike.
I may be wrong but i think Messi is the highest earner in world football followed by Ronaldo and then Tevez who is reportedly on 336,000 pounds per week then Rooney, regardless a very expensive couple of weeks at the office so to speak for Man Utd.
April 18th 2011 @ 7:30am
amazonfan said | April 18th 2011 @ 7:30am | Report comment
Does it really matter how much these players earn? Whether or not Rooney is the highest or the lowest paid soccer player in the world, the fact is that he did something idiotic which cost his team his services. I don’t think it would be any consolation if he earned less money. The same for the other players you mentioned.
April 18th 2011 @ 8:08am
Mike Tuckerman said | April 18th 2011 @ 8:08am | Report comment
Bondy – the figures I gleaned are based heavily on speculation, so I’m happy to stand corrected. I don’t doubt that with endorsements Messi and Tevez cumulatively earn more than Rooney, although the sums I was looking at were for base salary only.
amazonfan – I think it does matter. There’s an expectation that when you pay for a professional, you get a certain standard of quality. When those players aren’t even on the pitch as a result of their own “idiotic” actions, I think it’s fair to question what it is they’re actually being paid for.
April 18th 2011 @ 1:53pm
Bondy said | April 18th 2011 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
Mike .
My calculations / figures were solely based on reportedly and apparently from Journo’s such as the the B.B.C s World Service’s Sportworld with Russell Fuller and Marcotti from Press Pass. I think it’s not meant to be an excact science but figures sound extremely likely.
Good read.
April 18th 2011 @ 2:57pm
Rahul said | April 18th 2011 @ 2:57pm | Report comment
Hi Mike,
Your views/comments in this article are brazenly anti-United. Let me try and “justify” what my comments are based on, something that you did not think of doing while writing this article of yours.
When Scholes made that tackle, it was a 50-50 ball. Agreed that Scholes got it hopelessly late and ended up giving Zabletta a swollen thigh, but to compare it with the wages that they earn and make a judegment on the kind of players is reaching.
Your list of wage earners is wrong as well. Coming to the point of SAF not disciplining his players, have you been in the dressing room to suggest this? I have not myself, but one can imagine how different a manager of the calibre of SAF would handle such situations. A Mancini, a Wenger or a Dalglish might show emotions, frustrations in public, but not SAF. He is known for his hair-dryer, and I am sure Scholes got an earful too. Giggs’ testimony comes to mind. Mancini openly let down Balotelli, Dalglish’s reaction to Gerrard’s sending off earlier on in the year betrayed his emotions, and Wenger? Let’s not get into that, ok?
City deserved to go through only because of our profligacy in front of goal in the first 30 mins. We don’t criticize our players, the media does. Similarly, Rooney swearing into a camera was a media induced reaction as well. Sickening chants about his wife and son from the West Ham fans? have you ever wondered why a genteel person like Zidane lost his head?
Sports journalism is about being constructive and critical, not partisan and suggestive. Thanks.
April 18th 2011 @ 4:15pm
Mike Tuckerman said | April 18th 2011 @ 4:15pm | Report comment
Hi Rahul,
Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I fully expected United fans to take umbrage with what I wrote and I’ll address your points below.
Rooney and Scholes are paid handsomely to influence proceedings on a football pitch. They can’t do that if they’re not on the pitch because they’re either serving a suspension for swearing profusely on live TV, or because they’ve been sent off for the umpteenth time in their career.
In my opinion, both are stupid acts.
There’s nothing “brazenly anti-United” in my piece other than the fact I’ve seen fit to highlight two acts which either directly or indirectly contributed to United’s FA Cup defeat to City.
Over the past few years Sir Alex Ferguson has publicly criticised Emanuel Pogatetz, Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole and a host of others for making poor tackles. But of Scholes most recent tackle, Ferguson simply described it as “another red-mist moment.”
Wayne Rooney alleges that West Ham fans directed taunts of a “personal nature” at him. I don’t condone offensive chants of any kind, but I imagine those directed at Rooney weren’t too dissimilar to the thousands of off-colour chants directed at players (and referees) all around the world.
At the end of the day, I categorise Rooney’s and Scholes’ behaviour as stupid… firstly because a suspension (at a time when the English FA is leading a campaign of “respect”) was predictable and secondly because a highly-paid professional should not be committing the same dangerous tackle over and over.
Finally, I’d like to point out that this is an opinion column. It serves as an avenue for me to express my opinion, just as it offers you the opportunity to express yours.
April 18th 2011 @ 6:00pm
Rahul said | April 18th 2011 @ 6:00pm | Report comment
Okay Mike, instead of “Justify”, I should have used the word “reason out”. Will try again.
Rooney and Scholes, both acts of stupidity? I don’t think so. Not sure you saw the Newcastle match where Barton was their captain? Didn’t he swear at the referee, so ably captured by the cameras? Oh but then he wasn’t loud enough, wasn’t close to the cameras and wasn’t talking to the millions in the Sky TV living rooms, was he?
Rooney was a case of his passion taking over his control. Rooney has changed since his arrival as a 18 yr old (I think) from Everton. He doesn’t pick up cards as much as he used to, and no defending his actions on camera, it was a moment of passion getting the better of him.
Yes, once again, it’s down to opinions, but to say that SAF doesn’t discipline his squad, makes me think if you follow English football closely or not. If you want a manager to discipline his players in public, then you are not going to get that in SAF. And that’s the difference is SAF and the rest. At the same time, he holds a vice-like grip on not just his squad, but the entire club itself. This has only served United well, unlike an Ancellotti, Wenger or a Liverpool manager (cannot name them all here as they’ve had a dozen or so since SAF has taken charge).
You said “unwilling to discipline his players for their constant misdemeanours” – that is false, it’s presumptous. We don’t know what goes on behind the dressing room. Wes Brown had a run in and he has been sidelined, without it affecting his squad. The same with anyone else you care to remember, starting from Jaap Stam (though he later regretted his sale) to the more recent Keane or RV. Nistelrooy. Washing dirty laundry in public isn’t United and United is all about SAF.
April 19th 2011 @ 5:39pm
Heinrich said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:39pm | Report comment
“anti-United”
Oh boy here we go, why don’t you come out and call everyone ABU.
April 19th 2011 @ 5:41pm
Rahul said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:41pm | Report comment
Is that what you do with your first comment in a discussion? Poor WUM job!
April 20th 2011 @ 12:26pm
Heinrich said | April 20th 2011 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
I’ve had many a discussion about this elsewhere, usually ends in ABU ABU ABU ABU.
April 18th 2011 @ 11:20pm
amazonfan said | April 18th 2011 @ 11:20pm | Report comment
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that their being professionals is irrelevant, however if this was Everton and Tim Cahill did something stupid, I’m sure they would be just as upset with him as Man U would be with Rooney. All professionals have an obligation to not get suspended due to silly actions, and so the fact that Rooney is the second or third highest paid player in the world is IMO not particularly relevant.
April 19th 2011 @ 3:42am
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 3:42am | Report comment
Mike .
I’ve just been breesing through my emails to remove most and came back to this, i did find it strange that a La Liga player would earn more on base salary than say a Tevez or Rooney i rememberd reading an article recently and have just googled it back up.
Sponsorships and endorsements.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/897267/lionel-messi-and-jose-mourinho-top-football's-rich-list?cc=3436.
April 18th 2011 @ 2:41pm
Bondy said | April 18th 2011 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
Amazonfan.
I think it’s relavant taking into consideration the amount of Touting the A.F.L. and N.R.L.does with it’s players and Coaches and their salaries.
I notice big headlines in the Australian press and on programme’s such as the backpage of Ablett signing a five year deal for $9.5 million over five years and Super Coach Wayne Bennet in a $6 mill deal with the Knight’s for four years.
This was Carlos Tevez’s deal and salarie prior to an increase earlier this year http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Carlos-Tevez-joins-Manchester-City-in-pound-64m-deal-as-Fergie-blasts-stupid-spending-article27803.html.
Which illistrates to me predominantely Australian sport’s and their salaries are border line Soup Kitchen.
April 18th 2011 @ 11:14pm
amazonfan said | April 18th 2011 @ 11:14pm | Report comment
You’re comparing apples with bananas. Ablett’s salary which is considered huge in Australia comes from his participating in a salary capped league in a small market with limited player resources. The EPL, on the other hand, has no salary cap, and has access to a world market, as well as world-wide player resources. The AFL can not be reasonably expected to offer salaries on the scale of Man U.
Furthermore, it should be noted that while international soccer stars earn much more, the average soccer player (and certainly the lesser paid ones) don’t earn all that much more, so Ablett’s salary can not be considered ‘border line Soup Kitchen.’ The same for Bennet’s salary.
But really, this is absurd. The AFL has never pretended to be as large as the EPL or the NFL, and your subjecting the AFL to an unfair comparison is not only extremely unreasonable but is typical of someone who can’t resist continuing the code wars. I mean, it’s like if I said that Bryce Courtenay can’t be considered successful as an American writer, who only sells in the US, sells more books than him.
The fact that you link an article referencing a £64 million salary and then come up with the conclusion that “predominantely Australian sport’s and their salaries are border line Soup Kitchen” is ridiculous. Nobody in Australian sport has pretended that we can offer the salaries that star players in international sports earn, but also, considering our population, our salaries aren’t bad.
‘I think it’s relavant taking into consideration the amount of Touting the A.F.L. and N.R.L.does with it’s players and Coaches and their salaries.’
No, it’s not relevant in the slightest. The AFL and the NRL only (justifiably) tout their salaries within the Australian context. Unlike some soccer fans on this site, the AFL and the NRL don’t judge everything they do based on the EPL or other European soccer leagues. But more importantly; Australian Football, League and Rugby have not been mentioned once in this piece. The piece was entirely about the stupidity of certain Man U players, not about the AFL or the NRL. No, I think you are just using it as an excuse to have a crack at the non-soccer football codes.
April 19th 2011 @ 3:21am
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 3:21am | Report comment
Amazonfan.
If you go back and check what i said you will notice that i mention strongly the touting by the A.F.L.s and N.R.L.s media doing the touting, I.E. the Australian press and programmes such as the Backpage tout audaciously at the big money on offer in those sport’s, if you cant acknowledge that they do it then your in denial .
Does the big money involved in Football confuse you.
The sport’s called Football by the way not Soccer.
April 19th 2011 @ 3:39am
amazonfan said | April 19th 2011 @ 3:39am | Report comment
“If you go back and check what i said you will notice that i mention strongly the touting by the A.F.L.s and N.R.L.s media doing the touting, I.E. the Australian press and programmes such as the Backpage tout audaciously at the big money on offer in those sport’s,”
But it’s irrelevant. Not only is the touting only in an Australian context (in Australia $9.5 million over five years is massive money), but as I mentioned in my post, “Australian Football, League and Rugby have not been mentioned once in this piece. The piece was entirely about the stupidity of certain Man U players, not about the AFL or the NRL. No, I think you are just using it as an excuse to have a crack at the non-soccer football codes.”
Your post is ridiculous and completely unreasonable, and it focuses on something that has nothing to do with the piece, and is clearly an attempt to attack the non-soccer codes. Which shouldn’t surprise me; most of the code war warriors on this site are soccer fans.
“if you cant acknowledge that they do it then your in denial .”
I don’t have to acknowledge anything! You’re hijacking a soccer thread and turning it into a code war! If you can’t acknowledge that, then you are are in denial.
“Does the big money involved in Football confuse you.”
What does that even mean? Confuse me? Huh?
“The sport’s called Football by the way not Soccer.”
Actually, it’s called Association Football, not Football. Soccer is slang and has been used for many years, and as such I will continue to use it, whether you like it or not. Oh, by the way, Association Football is not the only sport that has claim to the name Football. Australian Football has just as much claim to it.
April 19th 2011 @ 4:59am
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 4:59am | Report comment
Amazonfan.
This article does suggest money / salaries comparisons and not just poor conduct on a football pitch read it again.
I stand by my comment’s that salaries in Australia are chicken feed compared to Global Football if you cant accept that then go away.
This is a Football Tab and Football thread do you understand that.
April 19th 2011 @ 5:09am
amazonfan said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:09am | Report comment
“This article does suggest money / salaries comparisons and not just poor conduct on a football pitch read it again.”
I think you should read it again. It only mentions the salaries in the context of international soccer. It does not mention any other sports at all.
“I stand by my comment’s that salaries in Australia are chicken feed compared to Global Football”
I stand by my comment that you are hijacking a soccer thread and turning it into a code war. You’re a pro-soccer fanatic.
“if you cant accept that then go away.”
Nice person. Anyway, you don’t get to tell me to go away.
Oh, and I never said that salaries in Australia weren’t small compared to international sports; I even explained why in my original post. Perhaps you should learn to read other people’s posts. In fact, when you reread the piece, you could also do me the courtesy of rereading my post!
“This is a Football Tab and Football thread do you understand that”
Do you understand that the Roar lists Australian Football as AFL? There is no sport called AFL. I will continue to call Association Football soccer, just as I will continue to refer to Australian Football as Football. I will continue to do so, whether you like or not.
You are right about one thing. This is a soccer thread and tab, yet you have turned it into a code war. Nice one.
April 19th 2011 @ 5:30am
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:30am | Report comment
amazonfan.
It’s just about the money right isn’t it no more no less it’s about the money thats lit your fuse poor thing, no pun intended
April 19th 2011 @ 5:33am
amazonfan said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:33am | Report comment
I will ignore that condescending ‘poor thing’. If you want to know what ‘lit my fuse’, it’s that you took an unfair swipe at the AFL (and NRL) in a thread about a couple of EPL players.
April 19th 2011 @ 5:49am
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:49am | Report comment
amazonfan.
You suggest in an earlier post the A.F.L. never pretends to be as big as the E.P.L. or the N.F.L. it just replicates them.
April 19th 2011 @ 5:53am
amazonfan said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:53am | Report comment
Yes, I said the AFL never pretends to be as big as the EPL or the NFL, that is true. As for replication, if AFL House believe that the EPL or the NFL or NBA (or any other sporting competition) have something positive that they can learn from, or perhaps utilise, what’s wrong with that? The AFL wants the game to as great as it possibly can, and it wants to increase its growth as much as it can, so it would be foolish not to learn from other successful sporting competitions. You make it sound as if it’s bad that the AFL is adopting things from other competitions; I think it would be bad if they closed them off and pretended that they knew best on every issue and refused to learn from other codes or competitions (such as in regards to free agency.)
April 19th 2011 @ 5:59am
amazonfan said | April 19th 2011 @ 5:59am | Report comment
Closed their minds off, I meant to write.
April 19th 2011 @ 6:33am
Fake ex-AFL fan said | April 19th 2011 @ 6:33am | Report comment
Congratulations Bondy, a bloke you’ve never met earns more than another bloke you’ve never met. Nice work.
April 19th 2011 @ 2:06pm
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
amazonfan.
It was nice to go a few rounds with you this morning. I must appreciate that i could never express my true feeling for my sport with the likes of The Herald Sun or The Daily Telegraph online.
Jog On.
April 20th 2011 @ 7:05pm
amazonfan said | April 20th 2011 @ 7:05pm | Report comment
April 18th 2011 @ 8:32am
Realfootball said | April 18th 2011 @ 8:32am | Report comment
Scholes has been one of the dirtiest footballers I have seen at elite level. I have marvelled for years at what he has got away with. If you watch him carefully, he makes a deliberate ploy of following through on the tackle and leaving studs in after the ball has gone. A fine player, but also an irredeemable thug, Ferguson likes these kinds of players – Keane was another.
April 18th 2011 @ 7:36pm
Colin N said | April 18th 2011 @ 7:36pm | Report comment
Scholes is not a thug. Certainly, he’s never one to court the controversy of other players, nor has he lived his life in the public eye. He’s a quiet man, the ultimate professional who has the respect of footballers and manager alike.
The only problem being…………he can’t tackle, never has done, never will be able to do so, but a thug – no chance.
April 18th 2011 @ 9:04pm
fisher price said | April 18th 2011 @ 9:04pm | Report comment
He has never been able to tackle, but nor has he deemed it necessary to work on and improve this aspect of his game.
April 18th 2011 @ 9:08am
TomC said | April 18th 2011 @ 9:08am | Report comment
I probably enjoyed reading this a little too much.
I actually like watching Man U play, but I probably like watching them lose more.
April 18th 2011 @ 9:27am
Fussball ist unser leben said | April 18th 2011 @ 9:27am | Report comment
Yes Scholes made an error of judgement – but, that’s Scholesy … you take the bad with the good. Just like we took the bad with the good with Keano, Eric Cantona and others, who let themselves down with moments of madness on the pitch.
Heck, even the great Zizou let his whole country down in the biggest game of all – but, he also gave his country so much joy.
And, I think it’s incorrect to say that: “Sir Alex Ferguson (is) unwilling to discipline his players for their constant misdemeanours”.
Rather, I think SAF is from the “old school of discipline” – the same school that also taught my parents’ generation.
This generation actually knew how to discipline miscreants – not using suspended sentences, or “time out”; but imposing harsh penalties. But, most importantly, this generation also knew WHEN to discipline and when to stand back.
And, I reckon, anyone born before 1970 would be shaking their heads with astonishment if someone suggested punishing a footballer for swearing at a tv camera!
April 19th 2011 @ 3:51am
Bondy said | April 19th 2011 @ 3:51am | Report comment
Fussball.
Congartulations 19th Championship well done and too the bloke who excessively chews a lot of gum.
It’s all over for me.
Im going to hop in the car now with a hose with no particular destination in mind.
April 19th 2011 @ 10:20am
Fussball ist unser leben said | April 19th 2011 @ 10:20am | Report comment
@Bondy
I wish I had your optimism. I’m glad we are in our current position, but it’s not over yet. Got a potentially awkward match at St James’ Park tomorrow morning.
The last week of April to the 1st week of May will reveal all.
Away to Schalke in the Semi-Final of the UCL mid-week, then that week-end Arsenal at Emirates in the EPL; then a few days later Schalke at home and finally Chelsea at Old Trafford in the EPL.
Four football matches at the highest level, within the space of 12 days, will reveal Man Utd’s destiny for 2011.
After these 4 matches, I’ll either relax, or … well, let’s not even contemplate the “or”!!
April 19th 2011 @ 11:28am
David V. said | April 19th 2011 @ 11:28am | Report comment
“This generation actually knew how to discipline miscreants – not using suspended sentences, or “time out”; but imposing harsh penalties. But, most importantly, this generation also knew WHEN to discipline and when to stand back.”
And by God we could use that in our society today. Nobody wants to admit the softening of discipline over the generations has damaged society- and contributed to the problems of professional sport today.
April 18th 2011 @ 9:55am
PaddyBoy said | April 18th 2011 @ 9:55am | Report comment
Is Scholes dirty? I’m the first to get one up Man U supporters but Scholesy just seems like a nuffy when he’s defending. He constatly seems to have no idea of how to mark his man so is forced into lunging tackles which he has absolutely no ability to pull off.
How can a man look like he can spot a four inch gap from 40 metres away and be unable to stop a bloke two metres in front of him? It’s like he has two different levels of coordination.
April 18th 2011 @ 11:51am
Roger Rational said | April 18th 2011 @ 11:51am | Report comment
He’s massively dirty. It’s a myth that he doesn’t know how to time his tackles. People within the game, including Roy Keane, have a little chuckle when that excuse is made.
April 19th 2011 @ 4:13am
Ben S said | April 19th 2011 @ 4:13am | Report comment
‘People within the game, including Roy Keane, have a little chuckle when that excuse is made.’
Does that mean that anybody within the game has actually publicly stated that Scholes is ‘massively dirty’?
April 18th 2011 @ 1:46pm
preciouspress said | April 18th 2011 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
I find it amazing that when United have a rare loss, critics like Tuckerman crawl out the woodwork to claim it’s the result of an unhealthy club culture. Doesn’t their record put the lie to such rubbish. When you watch United they may not always be the best footballing side (Arsenal and Barcelona are superior) but they are never beaten because they lack commitment. Ferguson far from being a manager who is “unwilling to discipline his players for their constant misdemeanours.”, instills in his players an attitude to win for the team. Any player unwilling to put the team first is culled. If Tuckerman believes that Ferguson has let the misdemeanours of Rooney and Scholes pass without serious reprimand, he is sillier even than this article suggests.
April 18th 2011 @ 7:20pm
Swampy said | April 18th 2011 @ 7:20pm | Report comment
I was watching (as a neutral) when Rooney tucked away his penalty and inexplicably exploded with an unintelligible rant where the only words you could understand were ones you didn’t want your kids to hear. I was shocked and thought to myself ‘wow that was a bit much’. And I’m no wowser. For all the effort that is put in to stamping out this sort of language at junior level, players like Rooney make a mockery of it with their behaviour. I’m happy he was rightfully made an example of. As for Scholes – he is dirty and he was dealt with properly on the pitch.
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April 18th 2011 @ 8:01pm
Colin N said | April 18th 2011 @ 8:01pm | Report comment
“After launching a foul-mouthed tirade down the barrel of a TV camera following a recent hat-trick against West Ham, Rooney seemed surprised to be handed a two-match suspension by the English Football Association, which resulted in him missing one of United’s biggest games of the season.”
I was as well to be honest. The only reason he was banned was because the FA failed to act against him when he elbowed James McCarthy which deserved a three-match suspension.
“The surly savant has been mollycoddled his entire life.”
A guy who comes from the council estates of Liverpool? Mollycoddled? I don’t think so.
“And what Rooney has in common with Scholes is a manager in Sir Alex Ferguson unwilling to discipline his players for their constant misdemeanours.”
I think this comment inadvertently praises Sir Alex Ferguson. The fact that you suggest he doesn’t discipline his players shows how he has adapted his management style of the years.
When he first came to Manchester United, he could afford to be the hard-nosed, old-school disciplinarian. Now, with footballers so much in the public eye, pretentious prima-donnas who are seen as celebrities, Ferguson has to watch what he says in public but also at times, put his hand round the shoulder of certain players and protect them.
It’s not what he used to be like, but he has adapted to suit modern football. Of course he disciplines his players, I can’t believe anyone would suggest he wouldn’t, but he’s not going to state it publically.
April 18th 2011 @ 11:27pm
Trust Me said | April 18th 2011 @ 11:27pm | Report comment
Both Roones and Scholesie have done very well from their humble beginnings to millionaire footballers, but they may have taken things for granted lately.
Their contempt for their opponents and the football fans around the world, by displaying such foul mouthed anger and hatred is not really being thankful, appreciative and humble, is it?
April 19th 2011 @ 4:19am
Ben S said | April 19th 2011 @ 4:19am | Report comment
Maybe Rooney hasn’t been mollycoddled his entire life, but he certainly doesn’t seem capable of removing himself from the warped bubble of professional soccer, Colin. As a football fan I’ve literally had enough of his antics: aggressive foul play; lack of respect for officials and opponents; his constant strops. He really is everything that is bad with the game, and clearly Ferguson can’t handle him otherwise he wouldn’t have come out with the fact that he was looking at other clubs when he did, nor would he still be making the same petulant fouls that he was years ago, and he still wouldn’t be trying to pump up old grannies behind his wife’s back.