by @Nicopoleides
Despite no-one has given so much for our club that the Munich victims did (and no-one obviously demand that either), most players have accepted that they're worth less than the entire club, but they can play a part as long as they're giving their all on the pitch and represents Manchester United in a way Manchester United are benefitting from. Mainly this means to do what the gaffer tells you to do and behave in a way the gaffer can deal with and accept. And especially Mr. Ferguson has been consequent here: Those who put themselves over the club better look for the exit door, no matter how good they are or what they have achieved. The top class midfielder Paul Ince was shown no mercy by Fergie when he became a big-time Charlie and wanted other Old Trafford personnel to call him 'the Guv'nor'. The second best footballer in the world anno 2001, David Beckham, needed to book his flight for Madrid when he became more of a superstar than a footballer. Goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy, who managed an incredible tally of 150 goals in 200+19 games for United, had to join Becks in Madrid after a dispute with the manager. And even one of the greatest skippers football history, Roy Keane, had to look for another employer after public criticism of several teammates at United's own TV channel MUTV, which was not very appreciated by Mr. Ferguson.
This consequentness lasted until the year of 2010. (And to make that clear, I don't blame Ferguson. He did what he thought was the right choice for Man United to win more silverware. And so far, I agree with his decision.) Our wonderkid, superstar and highest paid player stated that the club lacked ambitions and he wanted to move on, and not even local rivals Manchester City were ruled out as potential next step. The club which bought a 19-year-old, temperamental, Croxteth-born lad from his childhood club Everton and turned him into a world-class performer and maybe even the best striker on the planet, was for some reason not longer enough for Wayne Rooney anymore. Lack of ambitions was what he said, despite three Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy among other silverware over the six years spent at the club.
Shirt colour - does it matter?
As the speculations and rumours of where he was heading went on, Rooney lost value in terms of loyality, credibility and team spirit in many supporters' eyes. Over the last years 'Wazza' had acted like he was a true Red, similiarly as he acted like he was a true Blue at Everton. Subsequently we have to face the fact that Rooney's heart isn't coloured by a shirt.
But in all of a sudden, the 25-year-old scouser put pen to paper when offered a new contract. Like water or ice spray can turn an injured footballer on the floor into a fit footballer standing upright, a weekly wage estimated to be around £200.000 (according to The Guardian) turned Wayne Rooney into a part of United's future plans once again.The Roon was pleased to add even more money to his bank account and proved his gratefulness by playing way below his usual level for what turned out to be at least six months. Meanwhile, other players had kept the red flag flying by working hard, performing well, winning games and appreciate the feeling of wearing the famous red shirt and playing in front of 76.000 people every other week. And to reveal something sensational, they did it without minding their salaries, assuming a lack of ambitions under Sir Alex Ferguson's leadership or rating their teammates as not good enough.
Despite this, 'Rooney 10' was the most popular name and number to print on the back of your replica shirt, all Premier League players included, during the 2010/11 campaign. (Source 1: KarllusBeck / BBC - Source 2: FootieAnalyst.com / The Mirror ) And yes, this means that there were sold more United shirts with Rooney printing than both Liverpool/Torres and Chelsea/Torres shirts combined.
Then I have a question for all those printing Rooney on their shirt after this saga. Why? Why do you want the name of a player apparently fancying the money more than Man United? Why not print a name of a player who's actually acting professional and respecting the manager, the history of the club and the supporters? Why the name of a player giving other colleagues better cards on their hand in contract negotiations in the future, allowing them to demand even more money, which they actually don't need at all? Why not the name of a player which is actually trying to maintain that little contact left between players and supporters by not making further distance? And the most important: Why show other players that such a behaviour is fully accepted and to care about the supporters means absolutely fuck-all?
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