Column
The Destruction of a Dream
There will be plenty of our readers who will tap their keyboards angrily with a response along the lines of "Get over it" and "Time to move on" but this comment David Cormell posted on a recent Rooney thread really speaks volumes to something much much bigger than the loss of our greatest ever young prospect.
Rooney's departure still hurts for many of us, as this page reveals.For myself, his transfer destroyed approximately 97% of my interest in football. Before Rooney left, I was mad on the game. The sort of fella who?d watch six or seven games a week, plus highlights and goals from anywhere, just because it was footy and there was nothing better on!
Read all the backpages, all the websites, then argue on the forums. Fuck me, I even had a fantasy team. The perfect Sky-era football consumer.
It was Rooney that healed a family rift. I hadn?t spoken to the arl fella in six months when he banged in that unforgettable goal against the Arsenal. When I stopped jumping and yelling at the telly like a mad bastard, the first thought I had was "I should have been next to my Dad for that". I called him the next day.
Being an Evertonian means so much to all of us. Belonging to something so great, important and steeped in history has a value ? for me anyway ? that money can?t buy. It just feels.... right. You all know what I mean. {And if you don?t, unfortunately you never will!}
So seeing our "True Blue" wunderkind and "Truer Bluer" Chairman engineer a move to hated rivals for 30 pieces of silver {or however much he went for} was more than a little jarring.
That day, my enthusiasm for football died. You could count the number of games I?ve watched since that day on your fingers. I no longer read back pages or assiduously scan websites. I no longer argue the toss on forums. Needless to say, I don?t bother with a fantasy team either.
I get my entire footy world view right here on ToffeeWeb. I couldn?t tell you who was in the bottom three, or the top three. I don?t even think I could tell you the promoted teams this year either. {Derby, Sunderland and.... someone else!}. My love and enthusiasm for the game is kaput. My affection for the guys who play it is zero. My respect for the money men who run the game is on a par with the esteem I hold for people-smugglers and car thieves. I don?t give a fuck anymore, and I?d no more give Bill Kenwright a pound than I?d offer Rooney a night with my missus.
Rooney was eighteen, and had spent his whole life dreaming about playing for us. When a dream that straightforward and simple can be so corrupted too quickly and easily, it leaves you with a foul taste in your mouth. There must be something seriously amiss and rotten with the core of the game for that to happen. I thought there was no price you could pay someone to abandon their principles and beliefs. Rooney and Kenwright proved me wrong ? and for a lot less than you might have thought.
Years on now, and the pain of seeing him in a ManUre shirt has long since dissipated. All that's left is apathy for the game and the sharks that swim within it.
I love Everton Football Club still. Everton Football Club was here a hundred years before Rooney; it?ll be here a hundred years after him too. Everton is still the greatest institution in the country, with the best fans, history and ethos. {Nil Satis Nisi Optimum}
But modern football? The agents, the players, the chairmen? The arseholes at Sky, the pundits, the columnists? You can have the game you?ve corrupted so thoroughly; and eat it too.
When they?ve stopped tearing kids' hearts in half, and stopped bullying money out of people's pockets, and stopped manipulating the fans for their own ends ? when they stop doing that, I?ll start caring again.
I?m not holding my breath. Thanks for the heartbreak, pain and apathy Mr Rooney.
Reader Comments
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Spot on.
I apologise for the four letter words, but they are necessary: a twat like Wayne Rooney is worth fuck all. I hate him for leaving us, and it still pisses me off whenever I see his ugly mug, because, exactly as you say, it represents everything that is wrong with football today. Point in case was him being ?unfit? fotr the crucial Croatia game, missing the whole match, but being available and playing for Man U just 3 days later.
That is why I continue to go to games rather than stop; I want to watch the true Everton footballers who know what loyalty is, what honour is and what integrity means. Cahill, Howard, Carsley, Johnson, Arteta, Osman, Yobo, Lescott; quality players who know where their allegiances lie and as such are hugely popular amongst us fans.
That is why I continue to go to games rather than stop; I want to watch the true Everton footballers who know what loyalty is, what honour is and what integrity means. Cahill, Howard, Carsley, Johnson, Arteta, Osman, Yobo, Lescott; quality players who know where their allegiances lie and as such are hugely popular amongst us fans.
Just a quick one, and I say this with no disrepsect to what has been mentioned above. But should the ’dream’ not be for an ever improving Everton team. Rooney did what probably most human beings would do, and at the end of the day. I’m all for loyalty and if in the same position would like to think I would stay with Everton, as my club, though I think losing him has been of much more benefit than keeping him. Maybe he would have hit form and went and forged his game and become an Everton legend. Though, more likely, he would have been double marked, got increasing attention, Moyes would have continued to base our game on him, and we wouldn’t have the cash to spend on improvements, and wouldn’t have the quality side we have today?
Don’t get me wrong, I expect that the personal circumstances, I.e. Actually being at the gunners game and seeing the goal, reconciliation with father, etc. all contribute to the feeling and I respect that, but just an opinion from a mad toffee from Sydney Oz, who’s first EPL game watched was the Everton v Arsenal game above, and who has been mad about Everton since. Everton for life. COYB!
Don’t get me wrong, I expect that the personal circumstances, I.e. Actually being at the gunners game and seeing the goal, reconciliation with father, etc. all contribute to the feeling and I respect that, but just an opinion from a mad toffee from Sydney Oz, who’s first EPL game watched was the Everton v Arsenal game above, and who has been mad about Everton since. Everton for life. COYB!
David and Michael
I think you take all this too seriously. You need to get some perspective in your life, your are a sports spectator.
This is a spectator sport not a struggle between right and wrong or life and death.
I acknowledge Rooney leaving was hurtful and the badge kissing when he scores at Goodison just rubs it in, notwithstanding, it is easily put aside the next day and life goes on.
It is possible that you both need to get out a little more and take up some non football related interests.
I think you take all this too seriously. You need to get some perspective in your life, your are a sports spectator.
This is a spectator sport not a struggle between right and wrong or life and death.
I acknowledge Rooney leaving was hurtful and the badge kissing when he scores at Goodison just rubs it in, notwithstanding, it is easily put aside the next day and life goes on.
It is possible that you both need to get out a little more and take up some non football related interests.
Peter Pridgeon: Mostly, we don’t care what the redshite say, but one of the few decent ones hit the nail on the head...’ No son,’ he replied ’ Football isn’t a matter of life or death, it’s much more important than that !’...many a true word spoken in jest.
David Cormell: Football mirrors, reflects life, the Country, the whole social fabric, or lack of. Find a good thing or a bad thing in life and a Footballing comparison, can, most times, be found to use as an example...
WHY??
Because both Life and Football have at their root PEOPLE and people fuck up.
Don’t worry about it, just enjoy the ride of Life and Football. There isn’t a big universal truth, don’t look for your happiness in one great big lifelong lump, it ain’t going to happen, instead take it and the downside in little 90 odd min segments.
David Cormell: Football mirrors, reflects life, the Country, the whole social fabric, or lack of. Find a good thing or a bad thing in life and a Footballing comparison, can, most times, be found to use as an example...
WHY??
Because both Life and Football have at their root PEOPLE and people fuck up.
Don’t worry about it, just enjoy the ride of Life and Football. There isn’t a big universal truth, don’t look for your happiness in one great big lifelong lump, it ain’t going to happen, instead take it and the downside in little 90 odd min segments.
David, I have to agree with you in many respects - football has become so focussed on money and revenue streams it’s lost focus on what is important.
The fact that at the start of every season, 80% of fans know their team will win nothing and they may finish in the top 6 (wow!) is sucking the life out of football and has drained my enthusiasm with it.
I’m still happy when Everton win but it doesn’t have the same impact it used to.
As for Rooney, he’s like every other player in every other league - he’s an employee. You can’t begrudge him, or any of the current team, the chance to earn a decent quid from the game. We’d all do the same if someone came and threw a huge wad of cash at us.
I was disappointed he left too - it’s liike a girlfriend dumping you for some other guy who is better looking and earns more. You’re completely gutted at first, then over time it fades and you’re not bothered anymore.
Sometimes you might see her and she looks really happy. It hurts a bit..but life goes on.
Hopefully around the corner is something better.
For me though, the vindictiveness towards Rooney is something I can’t quite grasp.
We produced him..we should be proud of that.
It’s time we moved on.
The fact that at the start of every season, 80% of fans know their team will win nothing and they may finish in the top 6 (wow!) is sucking the life out of football and has drained my enthusiasm with it.
I’m still happy when Everton win but it doesn’t have the same impact it used to.
As for Rooney, he’s like every other player in every other league - he’s an employee. You can’t begrudge him, or any of the current team, the chance to earn a decent quid from the game. We’d all do the same if someone came and threw a huge wad of cash at us.
I was disappointed he left too - it’s liike a girlfriend dumping you for some other guy who is better looking and earns more. You’re completely gutted at first, then over time it fades and you’re not bothered anymore.
Sometimes you might see her and she looks really happy. It hurts a bit..but life goes on.
Hopefully around the corner is something better.
For me though, the vindictiveness towards Rooney is something I can’t quite grasp.
We produced him..we should be proud of that.
It’s time we moved on.
As another died in the wool bluenose who has fallen into the "I don’t give a shit anymore" way of thinking, I’d just like everyone of my generation (mid fourties)and older to remember how they felt when Alan Ball left for Arsenal. Pretty much the same as Rooney going to Man U I’d say. Life went on then and despite all the "I’ll never pay to see Everton again" merchants EFC has continued to survive and will continue to do so.
It will continue do so not because of fans like me who have lost all interest since the money merchants running the game deemed that only four clubs were to be given any realistic chance of a league title. It will continue to do so because most fans are happy the way things are. We’re a big club in a big league and thats enough.
And despite my own apathy, thank god for Toffeeweb, where I can still see how we went.
It will continue do so not because of fans like me who have lost all interest since the money merchants running the game deemed that only four clubs were to be given any realistic chance of a league title. It will continue to do so because most fans are happy the way things are. We’re a big club in a big league and thats enough.
And despite my own apathy, thank god for Toffeeweb, where I can still see how we went.
I think I was an Evertonian when I drew my first breath. Despite a family of Kopites. I guess I always wanted to be difficult. I always thought I had class. I always though EFC and its supporters where a class above any other supporters. I still do.
So when a player like Rooney comes through the ranks and makes good, it lifts your heart because he was special. He lost that tag when he sold out. You see its not about being just another employee, it's honour and integrity. You know ? all that stuff that people died for throughout the centuries. Now it's money. Where the ones with quality sell themselves to the highest bidder and forget where they came from and who they are.
As much as I hate Man U, they have a player who didn?t sell out, maybe not quite in the class of Rooney as he was, but Ryan Giggs could have gone anywhere and made as much. He didn?t, its a shame Rooney thought the grass would be greener at Old Trafford. Ask Beckham... only as good as the asset ledger dictates.
!00% agree.
Have sympathy with those who dont feel the same about EFC since Fatso left, as my brother (an ardent Blue) felt football was dead to him, when the shower of red shite fluked the chamions league final in Istanbul.. He said there was no justice in Football anymore, and his dedication to the blue cause has since faded... (He went to the local offy to buy some champagne at half time, only to choke on it in the second half!)
But it?s like I said to him: Being an Evertonian to me is not about the current players or which one of our rivals is winning what... that all happens in cycles anyway... Players no matter how good they are, come and go... testimonails are a thing of the past...
To me, Everton is all about my fellow fans... the boys (even girls!) who make the trips, spend the dosh, queue in the rain, get stuck in the traffic jams, wake up gutted on a Sunday, let a result ruin their week, etc...
When them shit bags beat us in the last minute recently, my initial thoughts were with my fellow blues, family and especially my nephews who were gonna take a ribbing at school on the following Monday....
So, I guess what I?m really trying to say is "don't let the money men, Sky, greedy players, a European Super League etc dictate how you feel about our club... Being an Evertonain is much more than that."
But it?s like I said to him: Being an Evertonian to me is not about the current players or which one of our rivals is winning what... that all happens in cycles anyway... Players no matter how good they are, come and go... testimonails are a thing of the past...
To me, Everton is all about my fellow fans... the boys (even girls!) who make the trips, spend the dosh, queue in the rain, get stuck in the traffic jams, wake up gutted on a Sunday, let a result ruin their week, etc...
When them shit bags beat us in the last minute recently, my initial thoughts were with my fellow blues, family and especially my nephews who were gonna take a ribbing at school on the following Monday....
So, I guess what I?m really trying to say is "don't let the money men, Sky, greedy players, a European Super League etc dictate how you feel about our club... Being an Evertonain is much more than that."
Bizarre !!!
What kind of Evertonian stops supporting the side because an unintelligent chav kid leaves the club and pisses on the badge ?
You would think that most people’s reaction would be to rally round the club in a show of solidarity with our grand old team.Not show solidarity with the Rooney/Stretford/Fergie clique !!!
Personally I thank Christ the nasty litle chav has fecked off and we have some real team spirit.
As a further aside I hope Mr Moyes wipes the floor with him in court when it comes before the beak.
What kind of Evertonian stops supporting the side because an unintelligent chav kid leaves the club and pisses on the badge ?
You would think that most people’s reaction would be to rally round the club in a show of solidarity with our grand old team.Not show solidarity with the Rooney/Stretford/Fergie clique !!!
Personally I thank Christ the nasty litle chav has fecked off and we have some real team spirit.
As a further aside I hope Mr Moyes wipes the floor with him in court when it comes before the beak.
The most damaging part of the Shrek saga was the bullshit from all parties especially the club itself. The lies from all sides spoke volumes on how the people that run the game hold the gobshite fans in utter contempt beyond removing the cash from our pockets.
Fans follow the game with their hearts, the money men don’t give a toss beyond the sound of cash tills ringing, this whole episode just drove that nail home to many a blinkered fan.
Fans follow the game with their hearts, the money men don’t give a toss beyond the sound of cash tills ringing, this whole episode just drove that nail home to many a blinkered fan.
Please, please guys, let us all move on from the Rooney scenario. It is over. He is gone. His leaving our favourite team provided a huge amount of money which directly helped to stabilize the financial situation for us.
Our team today is better than it has been for more than 20 years, with the prospect of it becoming even more potent within the forseeable future. So while it was a pity that a homegrown lad like Rooney chose to move on at such a young age, it was not the end of the world. probably it kick-started our current world.
Everton for ever!!
Our team today is better than it has been for more than 20 years, with the prospect of it becoming even more potent within the forseeable future. So while it was a pity that a homegrown lad like Rooney chose to move on at such a young age, it was not the end of the world. probably it kick-started our current world.
Everton for ever!!
I don't understand why you are still pissed off because an imature moron left the club and then tried to blame DM for his depature. When he left Everton they finished mid table. After he moved on the team had a backs to the wall mentality and went through the next season finishing 4th. Are you telling me that you wont go a watch your team because a player left the club?
Move on, Rooney went to Man United, he had his head turned playing for England, by players playing Champions League football every year, when he returned to Everton after playing for England he seen a, let's be honest, a crap team strugling at the bottom of the league. Of course he was told to further his career he must move to manure, its simple as that for fuck sake its not rocket science.
How can anyone claim a player is bigger than Everton, remember Ian Rush leaving the RS and Michael Owen. These things happen move on and support your team and stop worrying about some overrated fat head, he his no Maradona or even a Messi so forget him. We are EFC not SHREK FC
You and the editor stopped going to matches because they sold Rooney..............for goodness sake what the hell is ?.....wrong with you both............?I made a pledge to myself. Guys get real there have been better footballers at our club before Rooney, and no doubt there will be better players after Rooney........so he scored a wonder goal against Arsenal.....I?ve seen lots of wonder goals so have you. He was hyped by the press and the nation. He was great at 18, not so great at 20 perhaps and eclpsed by Ronhaldo. Get over it get on with your life and get back to Goodison.
When reading this post, I found myself agreeing... and then as I read on, I thought "This does not reflect the way i feel..."
When Wayne Rooney left us, it was a tough blow to take ? not because we had lost him but because we had lost a sense of real hope and, let's face it, a gem of a player who can read a game and terrify defenders with his vision. I loved Rooney; I loved having a player that was constantly talked about, that was the next great thing...
But then I see what he does after he scores against us and it is sickening, he seems to have completely lost sight of what playing for the badge means... It is an honour to play for Everton and there are kids all over the country who would welcome that honour. There are kids playing in the youth team that strive to play for the badge... and more importantly there are players in our team now who have been mentioned in previous posts that honour that badge every time they step out on to that field...
So wayne rooney went to another club... oh well sod him... Let's find another one, and then another.....
I cannot believe there are still people giving that fat twat the time of day
We are a much stronger TEAM today than we were with Chunk
He?s done nothing at United
We are a much stronger TEAM today than we were with Chunk
He?s done nothing at United
God help the next wunderkid that comes through the academy. If his debut season doesnt involve winning the domestic treble and the champion?s league as well then he, as well as all us fans, may all just go and throw ourselves off the nearest skyscraper there and then.
You have all had the last ten to fifteen years to see how football has gone. Money is God and players, as well as fans, now demand instant success. If the price is right a player will go to a club that will pay him the most money, while guaranteeing him silverware. If people are so shocked and insulted by this nowadays that they will stop supporting a club then they are even bigger fantasists than most football fans and need to get a grip.
Think about this. Did you stop supporting the club during the ninties when we were nearly relegated several times over? Did you stop supporting the club when a run of successive chairmen nearly ran the club into the ground? No, you stopped supporting the club when a nineteen year old got his hugely swelled head turned by the most successful club in the land. I mean come on.
Every season that ends without winning the league or the F.A cup is the dream dead for another season. Nearly getting relegated should compound that. If you did not finish supporting Everton after having that kind of experience repeatedly over the last ten or fifteen years then do you not think it?s a bit ridiculous doing so because one player gets sold.
You have all had the last ten to fifteen years to see how football has gone. Money is God and players, as well as fans, now demand instant success. If the price is right a player will go to a club that will pay him the most money, while guaranteeing him silverware. If people are so shocked and insulted by this nowadays that they will stop supporting a club then they are even bigger fantasists than most football fans and need to get a grip.
Think about this. Did you stop supporting the club during the ninties when we were nearly relegated several times over? Did you stop supporting the club when a run of successive chairmen nearly ran the club into the ground? No, you stopped supporting the club when a nineteen year old got his hugely swelled head turned by the most successful club in the land. I mean come on.
Every season that ends without winning the league or the F.A cup is the dream dead for another season. Nearly getting relegated should compound that. If you did not finish supporting Everton after having that kind of experience repeatedly over the last ten or fifteen years then do you not think it?s a bit ridiculous doing so because one player gets sold.
Yes, I didn’t want him to leave. Yes, I thought he was one of us. And yes, I would have died of shame if he was my kid.
The ones we never hear from these days is his Mum & Dad. He was a dyed in the wool Blue because his Dad and Mum were. In the same way my kid is a Blue. He was what they had dreamed about that day in the labour ward - someone to play for Everton, something I dreamed about for my two boys.
He did and then sold out. Mine can kick a ball in a straight line 1 time in 10.
How gutting must it be to have given birth to a hero and then he throws it all away.
The ones we never hear from these days is his Mum & Dad. He was a dyed in the wool Blue because his Dad and Mum were. In the same way my kid is a Blue. He was what they had dreamed about that day in the labour ward - someone to play for Everton, something I dreamed about for my two boys.
He did and then sold out. Mine can kick a ball in a straight line 1 time in 10.
How gutting must it be to have given birth to a hero and then he throws it all away.
I can see where the author’s sentiments are coming from but to me it is beyond belief that fans would stop going the game just because we sold a player.
I was gutted when he left but as other posters have said, many times, it has happened, let’s move on.
If we sold Mikel, would we lose further fans? possibly but I won’t be one of them.
I also made a pledge, that is to give my undying support to Everton, the football team, screw the politic and the money men, I want to watch Everton and will continue to do so even if we sell our best players, get relegated etc, I am an Evertonian and will be until the day I day and possibly further when I try and convert St Peter at the Pearly gates or Cerebus at the gates of Hell.
I was gutted when he left but as other posters have said, many times, it has happened, let’s move on.
If we sold Mikel, would we lose further fans? possibly but I won’t be one of them.
I also made a pledge, that is to give my undying support to Everton, the football team, screw the politic and the money men, I want to watch Everton and will continue to do so even if we sell our best players, get relegated etc, I am an Evertonian and will be until the day I day and possibly further when I try and convert St Peter at the Pearly gates or Cerebus at the gates of Hell.
Dave C
If you don?t care why are you posting on the website?
We would all like to believe that the players feel the same way about the club as we do - to us EFC is everything - to them it is a job. And footballers behave in their job like we behave in ours. Some people are loyal to their employers and stay there years, others move from job to job picking up bigger wages as they go. Yes it hurts when we see our stars go to bigger clubs but do we ever stop to think what it?s like for supporters of the club that we buy from? How did Millwall fans feel when we took Tim Cahill, Burnley and Trevor Steven, or even Blackpool and Alan Ball. I?ll tell you - we didn?t care about their feelings because we had money to spend and we were bigger than them.
If everyone felt we should jack it in when an employee moved on then somewhere in a parallel universe is an ex EFC Geoff Nulty fan who packed it in the day he left!
If you don?t care why are you posting on the website?
We would all like to believe that the players feel the same way about the club as we do - to us EFC is everything - to them it is a job. And footballers behave in their job like we behave in ours. Some people are loyal to their employers and stay there years, others move from job to job picking up bigger wages as they go. Yes it hurts when we see our stars go to bigger clubs but do we ever stop to think what it?s like for supporters of the club that we buy from? How did Millwall fans feel when we took Tim Cahill, Burnley and Trevor Steven, or even Blackpool and Alan Ball. I?ll tell you - we didn?t care about their feelings because we had money to spend and we were bigger than them.
If everyone felt we should jack it in when an employee moved on then somewhere in a parallel universe is an ex EFC Geoff Nulty fan who packed it in the day he left!
"Football mirrors, reflects life, the Country, the whole social fabric, or lack of"
"Fans follow the game with their hearts, the money men don?t give a toss beyond the sound of cash tills ringing, this whole episode just drove that nail home to many a blinkered fan."
"fans like me who have lost all interest since the money merchants running the game deemed that only four clubs were to be given any realistic chance of a league title."
"So guess what I?m really trying to say is " dont let the money men, sky, greedy players, a european super league etc dictate how you feel about our club... Being an Evertonain is much more than that"
"You see its not about being just another employee, its honour and integrity, you know all that stuff that people died for throughout the centuries.Now its money."
"You can?t begrudge him, or any of the current team, the chance to earn a decent quid from the game. We?d all do the same if someone came and threw a huge wad of cash at us."
If you disagree with all this why not try and make a difference?
"Fans follow the game with their hearts, the money men don?t give a toss beyond the sound of cash tills ringing, this whole episode just drove that nail home to many a blinkered fan."
"fans like me who have lost all interest since the money merchants running the game deemed that only four clubs were to be given any realistic chance of a league title."
"So guess what I?m really trying to say is " dont let the money men, sky, greedy players, a european super league etc dictate how you feel about our club... Being an Evertonain is much more than that"
"You see its not about being just another employee, its honour and integrity, you know all that stuff that people died for throughout the centuries.Now its money."
"You can?t begrudge him, or any of the current team, the chance to earn a decent quid from the game. We?d all do the same if someone came and threw a huge wad of cash at us."
If you disagree with all this why not try and make a difference?
The difference between the old players and the new players is the jersey. The old player cared about the name on the front. The new player cares about the name on the back.
My personal resentment about Rooney is for this reason in the main...he was an 18 year old superstar who could have been the catalyst that we needed(more than £28m!).He could have led us to a new level,attracted a better quality of player to boot,and generally raising our profile.If ,by the age of 23 or 24 ,having given his all to his club,found that the stage was not big enough,could have moved on with the blessing of all Evertonians.Hopefully to somewhere else than McDonalds.He would have been welcomed back home with open arms whenever he returned.How can a kid of 18 claim he needs to move up for Christ’s sake?The way he tried to discredit Moyes was a disgrace.As for the myth of Kenwright orchestrating the move...I don’t believe it..simple as.
Rooney’s made his choice and his millions now,but I will always think his desertion of Everton will haunt him.I,and many others,will never welcome him back.He can rot in his Cheshire mansion for the rest of his life for all I care.
Rooney’s made his choice and his millions now,but I will always think his desertion of Everton will haunt him.I,and many others,will never welcome him back.He can rot in his Cheshire mansion for the rest of his life for all I care.
Fascinating stuff, and thanks David for such an honest post to start with.
It seems to me that Toffeeweb is basically a repeated argument between two types of people - those who (on balance) are ’Romantics’, and those who (on balance) are ’Realists’. We all have a bit of each, but pretty much all the issues can be understood in this way. Realists are generally more favourable to Moyes, Kenwright, Kirkby and Rooney; and Romantics are more against. We are ’glass half full’ and ’glass half empty’ people.
As a mostly Realist with a Romantic edge, I was upset by Rooney’s departure. Though oddly much more upset by Ferguson’s departure - that seemed a MUCH worse sell-out. I could understand why my beloved team could not keep hold of the hottest property in the English game, and even could think that getting nearly £30M in the bank was a good return. But having to sell Big Dunc to make the books balance??
But as a Realist, life goes on and hope springs eternal. Rooney goes, but Arteta comes to the fore. Vaughan emerges. Johnson arrives. Money comes in to the game and it goes more global - but then along with that we get Yobo and Yakubu (and can watch Henry and Fabregas and Ronaldo).
Realists perhaps also tend to believe that there is no going back to some ’golden age’ when money was less important in English football. And when things were perhaps ’purer’. But then we may be deceiving ourselves - I grew up in the cynical Revie years, and wonder whether they were really better? Match fixing and bribing scandals, bungs to managers... maybe times haven’t changed as much as we think.
So the Realist in me is prepared to put up with the things that change, and the things that stay more the same than we think. And the Romantic in me still hopes that Everton one day will be Premier League Champions once more!
It seems to me that Toffeeweb is basically a repeated argument between two types of people - those who (on balance) are ’Romantics’, and those who (on balance) are ’Realists’. We all have a bit of each, but pretty much all the issues can be understood in this way. Realists are generally more favourable to Moyes, Kenwright, Kirkby and Rooney; and Romantics are more against. We are ’glass half full’ and ’glass half empty’ people.
As a mostly Realist with a Romantic edge, I was upset by Rooney’s departure. Though oddly much more upset by Ferguson’s departure - that seemed a MUCH worse sell-out. I could understand why my beloved team could not keep hold of the hottest property in the English game, and even could think that getting nearly £30M in the bank was a good return. But having to sell Big Dunc to make the books balance??
But as a Realist, life goes on and hope springs eternal. Rooney goes, but Arteta comes to the fore. Vaughan emerges. Johnson arrives. Money comes in to the game and it goes more global - but then along with that we get Yobo and Yakubu (and can watch Henry and Fabregas and Ronaldo).
Realists perhaps also tend to believe that there is no going back to some ’golden age’ when money was less important in English football. And when things were perhaps ’purer’. But then we may be deceiving ourselves - I grew up in the cynical Revie years, and wonder whether they were really better? Match fixing and bribing scandals, bungs to managers... maybe times haven’t changed as much as we think.
So the Realist in me is prepared to put up with the things that change, and the things that stay more the same than we think. And the Romantic in me still hopes that Everton one day will be Premier League Champions once more!
i dont give a fuck about shrek,all i care about is the blues,since that little shit fucked off we have become a good team and not a one trick pony and the little gobshite wont stop me enjoying the blues
Neil’s realist/romantic comparison is too simplistic.The realist in me expects the Artetas and Vaughans of this world to ply their trade,and will go where they see their best interests.The romantic in me tells me that blood is thicker than water.
I tell ya summit tho. It doesn’t matter how much Money Rooney is earning. The feeling he got when he scored against Arsenal for us won’t be half as much as the feeling when he lifted the Prem up for Utd. Thats if he was a True Blue!
The problem with Rooney and the reason we all do care, no matter how many times people come on here and say they don?t, is firstly because he was supposed to be different ? Evertonian born and bred, a true fan, fulfilling the dreams that all of us had (I?m sure that everyone reading this site who grew up dreaming of being a professional footballer, never dreamed that they would play for any other team)
And secondly, that he was (on occasions at least) that good, we all know it. I remember a game against Bolton (I think) ? he couldn?t have been more than 17... it somehow finished 0-0, but I?ve never seen a game so dominated by one player. I remember the feeling coming away that this was our player, not just in the sense that he was employed by the club, like Arteta and Lescott now are, and all the other players who I love, but he was ours in a different way, one of us and that made it so much sweeter.
I don?t believe all of us didn?t have that feeling. The first match my two eldest daughters came to, aged 5 and 7, in the family enclosure when he scored the winner against West Brom in injury time and ended up under a pile of players 6 feet away from us ? they were hooked for life, but it was hard to explain to them why he no longer plays for Everton and now plays for the same team that all their friends in their (Nottingham) school support.
I?ll always support this club and I?m loving this season, but every time I see Rooney scoring for a club like United, it reopens old wounds. I don?t have any personal ill will towards him and it may be true that any other player would have done the same, but I still hate what the whole saga represents about modern football - greed, disloyalty and the total alienation of ordinary supporters from the players who represent them.
I think I agree Peter! But maybe both can be true? Arteta and Vaughan WILL go on to ply their trade wherever they get paid the most and can achieve the most. But for a while they can also be committed players for the Blues. There is a difference between real mercenaries (Bellamy, Parker, Barmby...), and basically decent players who are also looking after their own interests.
The other thing I am saying is that we are fooling ourselves if we think money and self-interest only came into football with Sky and the Premiership. Did not one Alan Ball (my first hero!) move over forty years ago from Blackpool to Everton for a record fee (and a big increase in wages) after he starred in the World Cup? Should he have stayed loyal and stayed?
The other thing I am saying is that we are fooling ourselves if we think money and self-interest only came into football with Sky and the Premiership. Did not one Alan Ball (my first hero!) move over forty years ago from Blackpool to Everton for a record fee (and a big increase in wages) after he starred in the World Cup? Should he have stayed loyal and stayed?
’Once a Blue always a Blue?’
What sets us apart from the Mr Rooneys in the world is that we can live by that mantra - we aren’t professional fans, we can afford to be Romantics and we should always believe we can be the best again.
Rooney had his head turned by money and personal ambition. He isn’t and never will be a true blue in the same sense that you and I are. I’ve no doubt he loved the club but I think he loves personal adulatuion he gets more - and the bigger the club the more adulation he gets.
He, like Lampard, Terry, Gerrard and all the other soulless pricks who turn out for England are of the same ilk.
Nevertheless I’m really disappointed that Evertonians would walk away from the club because one player moved on. How can you come on here and express your opinions about our football club wjo you don’t even understand what it’s like to be at Goodison these days?
Michael and David - treat yourself to a ticket this Christmas and fall in love again!
What sets us apart from the Mr Rooneys in the world is that we can live by that mantra - we aren’t professional fans, we can afford to be Romantics and we should always believe we can be the best again.
Rooney had his head turned by money and personal ambition. He isn’t and never will be a true blue in the same sense that you and I are. I’ve no doubt he loved the club but I think he loves personal adulatuion he gets more - and the bigger the club the more adulation he gets.
He, like Lampard, Terry, Gerrard and all the other soulless pricks who turn out for England are of the same ilk.
Nevertheless I’m really disappointed that Evertonians would walk away from the club because one player moved on. How can you come on here and express your opinions about our football club wjo you don’t even understand what it’s like to be at Goodison these days?
Michael and David - treat yourself to a ticket this Christmas and fall in love again!
By the way - I think you have to be a pretty big Romantic to be reading and writing into a site like this at all! The real Realists right now are probably out washing the car or digging the garden...!
Notts Cnty, MK Dons, Bradford,Orient,Forrest, Leeds, Brighton,Swansea, Oldham, Millwall, Luton, Watford, W.Brom,Charlrton, Ipswich, Stoke Burnley, Stoke, Coventry, Wolves, Southampton, Wednasday, Sheff. Utd, Leicester, Palace, Norwich,QPR. Have watched them at some time or another at Goodison. We are still in the top flight. And that has been through all the coming and goings of great players, (including Rooney). Point is, no one player is greater than the club, no matter which one he plays for. I support EFC and the current squad and management. I will continue to support them regardless. Would like to believe that we are on the brink of some kind of breakthrough regarding silverware, however will continue to support them if we do not win a cup this season. Being a blue is different thsn any other fan, (born not manufactured etc.). We have certainly been tested over the last 20+ years, but we still support. And I have been fortunate to have never seen them out of top flight status. How would you think the supporters of the teams above would love to say that?
Do you think players should be banned from moving clubs? Where did Alan Ball ,Arteta,The Yak come from,are they all the things you accuse Rooney of?Players come ,players go .The club stays.
"They destroyed our dream"
This guy has shown no respect, no loyalty, not even mild affection for our club or any of us supporters since the day he left
When Bally, who epitomised everything blue, was sold I cried like a baby, he loved this club, he was desperate to stay " Once Everton has touched you "
Rooney on the other hand, could’nt leave quick enough, he has won only one trophy since he left, and lets get this right, the way Ronaldo, Scholes etc were playing they’d have probably won that without him. When he left, Everton lost a very good player, but when Bally left we lost a genuine world class player
Comparisons ? lets face it there fucken isnt any. the point I’m making is that even after Bally, we found greatness
Apologees in advance to the people I offended by mentioning this guy in the same sentence as Bally
This guy has shown no respect, no loyalty, not even mild affection for our club or any of us supporters since the day he left
When Bally, who epitomised everything blue, was sold I cried like a baby, he loved this club, he was desperate to stay " Once Everton has touched you "
Rooney on the other hand, could’nt leave quick enough, he has won only one trophy since he left, and lets get this right, the way Ronaldo, Scholes etc were playing they’d have probably won that without him. When he left, Everton lost a very good player, but when Bally left we lost a genuine world class player
Comparisons ? lets face it there fucken isnt any. the point I’m making is that even after Bally, we found greatness
Apologees in advance to the people I offended by mentioning this guy in the same sentence as Bally
To all those who have commented that Rooney has not done anything since leaving you are deluded. Whatever we think of Shrek his talent cannot be disputed which is why we lament the fact he left and that he wanted to. Yes I hate him but we let Kenwright off too easily again.
An argument I’ve heard several times from Man U fans and their purchase of Wayne Rooney was that Evertonians were asking too much of a player of Wayne’s talent to stay at a then struggling club with its world beating days in the distant past when he could achieve so much more with the biggest club on the planet.
I appreciate this point and I can understand Rooney’s desire to ’move forward’ and ’actualise his full potential’. I can also sympathise with Blue Bill and his need to bring in much needed funds from the sale. But to this day I always think about Alan Shearer and how he was faced with a similar diverging road; Alan Shearer too had the opportunity to join the biggest name in world football and he did the right thing-he chose the club that gave him so much growing up. I guess one could argue that Newcastle were title challengers at the time of Shearer’s arrival so if you want an even more notable example of loyalty and devotion with no shiney reward at the end-Matt le Tiss.
Thers been so much written about Wayne:Alan Stubbs told him to leave, David Moyes ordered him to leave, Wayne wanted to stay but was forced out by chairman and family alike etc etc.
What I do know is that Wayne has stated he no longer feels the same about the club he once loved...I hope someday he’ll rekindle some of that love.
Personally speaking-Wayne you’ll always have a place at Everton.
I appreciate this point and I can understand Rooney’s desire to ’move forward’ and ’actualise his full potential’. I can also sympathise with Blue Bill and his need to bring in much needed funds from the sale. But to this day I always think about Alan Shearer and how he was faced with a similar diverging road; Alan Shearer too had the opportunity to join the biggest name in world football and he did the right thing-he chose the club that gave him so much growing up. I guess one could argue that Newcastle were title challengers at the time of Shearer’s arrival so if you want an even more notable example of loyalty and devotion with no shiney reward at the end-Matt le Tiss.
Thers been so much written about Wayne:Alan Stubbs told him to leave, David Moyes ordered him to leave, Wayne wanted to stay but was forced out by chairman and family alike etc etc.
What I do know is that Wayne has stated he no longer feels the same about the club he once loved...I hope someday he’ll rekindle some of that love.
Personally speaking-Wayne you’ll always have a place at Everton.
Earth to you people who are still upset.
Get a grip, life goes on, and er on and one day the spud faced one will hang up his boots and..... Will you still be seething with anger?
I live in Ausralia now, but I was born in Liverpool, followed Everton from a kid, third generation Evertonian.
My first game Everton v Burnley 1962, we won 3-1, the same season we won the league.
But over the many years of following Everton, I have seen my fair share of dross served up.
Players were once paid bugger all. Dixie Dean, arguably the best player ever, not just for Everton, but for any team, anywhere. When he retired he ran a pub in Birkenhead, not because he wanted to be ’ mein host,’ but because he actually had’nt made that much money.
Now, even the mediocre players are wealthy beyond their expectations.
It’s the way of the world, nobodies from big brother are suddenly worth a few bob, it’s the world we live in, like it or not.
And there is a hell of a lot more to get angry about in the world. Wayne Rooney has come and gone, we will all remember his goal, the goal, against Arsenal, 3 o clock in the morning Oz time, I shouted so loud, I must have woke the street, my wife got up to see what had happened, she understood. But he moved on, just as we move on. We have a good manager, a good squad, we are in Europe, we don’t fear anyone at the moment. We are a living breathing entity called Everton Football Club, we are very special and unique. 1878 to God knows when, Rooney was the blinking of an eye in our history. That’s all he was. Stop being angry, if you want to hate something hate something worth hating eg, the Tory party, for those of you too young to remember a Tory government, read the history books, for those of you who can remember one, then think back. Now that is something to get angry about. A young lad who was once a Blue but is no longer, that’s life. Let’s enjoy the moment.
Get a grip, life goes on, and er on and one day the spud faced one will hang up his boots and..... Will you still be seething with anger?
I live in Ausralia now, but I was born in Liverpool, followed Everton from a kid, third generation Evertonian.
My first game Everton v Burnley 1962, we won 3-1, the same season we won the league.
But over the many years of following Everton, I have seen my fair share of dross served up.
Players were once paid bugger all. Dixie Dean, arguably the best player ever, not just for Everton, but for any team, anywhere. When he retired he ran a pub in Birkenhead, not because he wanted to be ’ mein host,’ but because he actually had’nt made that much money.
Now, even the mediocre players are wealthy beyond their expectations.
It’s the way of the world, nobodies from big brother are suddenly worth a few bob, it’s the world we live in, like it or not.
And there is a hell of a lot more to get angry about in the world. Wayne Rooney has come and gone, we will all remember his goal, the goal, against Arsenal, 3 o clock in the morning Oz time, I shouted so loud, I must have woke the street, my wife got up to see what had happened, she understood. But he moved on, just as we move on. We have a good manager, a good squad, we are in Europe, we don’t fear anyone at the moment. We are a living breathing entity called Everton Football Club, we are very special and unique. 1878 to God knows when, Rooney was the blinking of an eye in our history. That’s all he was. Stop being angry, if you want to hate something hate something worth hating eg, the Tory party, for those of you too young to remember a Tory government, read the history books, for those of you who can remember one, then think back. Now that is something to get angry about. A young lad who was once a Blue but is no longer, that’s life. Let’s enjoy the moment.
The thought of deserting Everton when Rooney left never occured to me. Just like when Latchford or Lineker left, the club is bigger than one man, the game is bigger than one man.
Whether Everton consist of 11 Carlton Palmer’s or a team of Brazilian superstars it is not the person inside the blue shirt I support it is the blue shirt itself.
The sale of Rooney was something that was inevitable once he switched agents and the fact that Rooney was mixing at an early age with prima donna egotists such as Lampard, Terry and Ferdinand was bound to sway his head and cause him to want to move to a so called bigger club.
If Everton would of gone backwards since his sale fair enough but we then went onto qualify for the Champions League and last season the UEFA Cup.
Slowly the clubs financial plight is being turned round and better players are coming into the club with each transfer window making us one of the better clubs of the Premier League and an attractive club for new players to want a join. Moyes seems to be filling in the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle as we go.
On top of this the club has moved to a state of the art training facility which is attracting young players to join us and current players to want to stay. We have some promising youngsters coming along not just Vaughan and Anichebe but Rodwell, Kissock and Baxter to name but a few.
The destruction of a dream is usually the creation of a new dream, and the new dream is that the club now is healthier than it has been since the late 80’s, has better players and in Moyes a good team manager, the third longest serving in the Premier League.
Whether Everton consist of 11 Carlton Palmer’s or a team of Brazilian superstars it is not the person inside the blue shirt I support it is the blue shirt itself.
The sale of Rooney was something that was inevitable once he switched agents and the fact that Rooney was mixing at an early age with prima donna egotists such as Lampard, Terry and Ferdinand was bound to sway his head and cause him to want to move to a so called bigger club.
If Everton would of gone backwards since his sale fair enough but we then went onto qualify for the Champions League and last season the UEFA Cup.
Slowly the clubs financial plight is being turned round and better players are coming into the club with each transfer window making us one of the better clubs of the Premier League and an attractive club for new players to want a join. Moyes seems to be filling in the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle as we go.
On top of this the club has moved to a state of the art training facility which is attracting young players to join us and current players to want to stay. We have some promising youngsters coming along not just Vaughan and Anichebe but Rodwell, Kissock and Baxter to name but a few.
The destruction of a dream is usually the creation of a new dream, and the new dream is that the club now is healthier than it has been since the late 80’s, has better players and in Moyes a good team manager, the third longest serving in the Premier League.
A very interesting and heartfelt piece...perhaps slightly melodramatic, but I think it encapsulates how "family like" we are and how meaningless the business side of things are to Everton fans.
Him going has changed us as a club forever...would we have finished fourth that season? Would we have the top quality squad we saw destroying Sunderland last week had he stayed? The answer is no, there is a real chance we would have got relegated that season....he was simply a walking financial redemption which got that high interest 20 mill monkey of our back. Not saying he should be martyred, but his brief tenure will indirectly benefit us for decades to come!
Him going has changed us as a club forever...would we have finished fourth that season? Would we have the top quality squad we saw destroying Sunderland last week had he stayed? The answer is no, there is a real chance we would have got relegated that season....he was simply a walking financial redemption which got that high interest 20 mill monkey of our back. Not saying he should be martyred, but his brief tenure will indirectly benefit us for decades to come!
get over It!!!
i cant belive anyone is still interested in this shit.
Rooney went to a bigger club that actually wins things and has become a better player as a consequence.
What we need is for him is start playing his top performances for ENGLAND
i cant belive anyone is still interested in this shit.
Rooney went to a bigger club that actually wins things and has become a better player as a consequence.
What we need is for him is start playing his top performances for ENGLAND
I reckon your just using Rooney as a smokescreen for the fact that yer just can?t be arsed going no more, just spare us the crocodile tears eh.
I’m still gobsmacked that the head honcho of this site still feels such loyalty and admiration for such an undeserving subject !
Would Duncan Ferguson have kissed his Newcastle badge and jeered at Evertonians if he had returned and scored at Goodison for the barcodes....would any ex Everton player treat the club and supporters with such contempt ?
Of course not. Rooney and his clan are as rough as a robbers’ dog and if his brain was dynamite he wouldn’t have enough to blow his chav baseball cap off !
For Christ’s sake,find someone worthy of your undying devotion !!!!
I read this post and immediately knew how the author felt. I have been watching the Blues for 40 years and remember the devastation I felt when my all-time hero Bally left. But this was different. After that shirt he wore in the Youth Cup ( 'Once a Blue, Always a Blue?), I never thought he would ever leave , and not to Man Utd of all teams, but he did.
I was determined that he wouldn?t take MY TEAM from me, then came that game when Dunc somehow became ten years younger and ran Rio Ferdinand ragged, score EFC !1 Man Utd 0 , The best atmosphere at a game since Bayern. Oh God, did that feel good .
A young lady I know, in her early 20s, season-ticket holder since she was 9 years old, has said to me on many occasions, "At least you?ve seen Bally, Latchford, and Kendall?s team; I?ve seen nothing." But she still goes, home and away, rain or shine . "Those who understand need no explanation.... " ? ask Bally, Labby and Dixie!!!
What? Rooney’s just been sold!
I wish I did the lottery - I must have had a premonition. I thought he left 3 years ago!!
Get a grip - why the furore now? Yes I was bitterly disappointment that BOTH the Club and Rooney engineered his exit, but times move on.
By the way, I can’t tell you how I know, but EFC were in real financial dire straits at the time and the Rooney money may just have saved our bacon. It has allowed us to move on and plant the seeds of a new crop to hopefully be proud of, as opposed to someone who I suspect even Manure fans aren’t proud of.
I wish I did the lottery - I must have had a premonition. I thought he left 3 years ago!!
Get a grip - why the furore now? Yes I was bitterly disappointment that BOTH the Club and Rooney engineered his exit, but times move on.
By the way, I can’t tell you how I know, but EFC were in real financial dire straits at the time and the Rooney money may just have saved our bacon. It has allowed us to move on and plant the seeds of a new crop to hopefully be proud of, as opposed to someone who I suspect even Manure fans aren’t proud of.
So all of a sudden MONEY has been discovered in football ! amazing , unbelievable
I seem to recall going to goodison for the first time in 1958.
Believe me we were shite
Along came John Moores and quess what ? He poured a fortune into the club.
nobody has calculated how much he put in and what its value would have been today
and thanks to him - we won the league
Yes we did it with money . So what
there is’nt one of us who isnt dreaming that some sugar daddy will come along tomorrow and put in the sort of millions the RS have got
I just want us to win the championship one more time before I die . and I don’t give a fuck how its done
and I’l tell you something else - I may live a long way away - in Israel - and get to Goodison once every pancake tuesday - but I’m even more in love with this club after the little sod left than before
I seem to recall going to goodison for the first time in 1958.
Believe me we were shite
Along came John Moores and quess what ? He poured a fortune into the club.
nobody has calculated how much he put in and what its value would have been today
and thanks to him - we won the league
Yes we did it with money . So what
there is’nt one of us who isnt dreaming that some sugar daddy will come along tomorrow and put in the sort of millions the RS have got
I just want us to win the championship one more time before I die . and I don’t give a fuck how its done
and I’l tell you something else - I may live a long way away - in Israel - and get to Goodison once every pancake tuesday - but I’m even more in love with this club after the little sod left than before
I assume this is a joke article, Rooney left and the following season we got into the champions league having the best season since the eighties, and Rooneys autobiography shows he was a nob at Everton who didn?t want to be there.
So whos bothered that he left?????
So whos bothered that he left?????
Think about it this way to cheer you up. Okay we lost Rooney. But this saved the club from financial disaster. Improved the team spirit in the squad. And we’ve been able to afford Howard, Lescott, Johnson and Yakubu since. Seems like a pretty good deal!
Get over it, guys.
The player is not bigger than the club.
The player is not bigger than the club.
This article is spot on, i know exactly how you feel and Derek and paul hit the nail on the head to. Il always love and support Everton and what it represents, but i am also well aware that football is just a buisness now it have lost touch, it seems to just be about making money.
Lets get a few things straight from this thread. Rooney was an awsome player and better than messi! although i dont think he is as good now as he was with us. I dont begrugde Rooney leaving us as it was probabably best both for him and the club, but kissing the badge of Man U is a step too far, and as for money, i and any true evertonian would play for Everton for free. In fact i would pay to play. I already do for an amature saturdey league side, £2 A GAME!. Rooney did shatter my dreams he made a fool of all Evertonians regarding ’once a blue always a blue statement’ the fact that to me i see the difference between us and RS is that we are not glory seekers but Rooney showed himself to be a lying money grabbing back stabbing glory seeking scum bag, Id rather be like Shearer and Le Tiss, not win much but be a hero and a ledgend in my home town for my club. Who will Rooney show his medals to when he retires?
Lets get a few things straight from this thread. Rooney was an awsome player and better than messi! although i dont think he is as good now as he was with us. I dont begrugde Rooney leaving us as it was probabably best both for him and the club, but kissing the badge of Man U is a step too far, and as for money, i and any true evertonian would play for Everton for free. In fact i would pay to play. I already do for an amature saturdey league side, £2 A GAME!. Rooney did shatter my dreams he made a fool of all Evertonians regarding ’once a blue always a blue statement’ the fact that to me i see the difference between us and RS is that we are not glory seekers but Rooney showed himself to be a lying money grabbing back stabbing glory seeking scum bag, Id rather be like Shearer and Le Tiss, not win much but be a hero and a ledgend in my home town for my club. Who will Rooney show his medals to when he retires?
At last someone said it. People say I am bitter when I talk about Rooney, because I quite simply want him to brake his leg and have his career ended. He utterly disgusts me in every way. But I am more disappoitned than anything, because the motives of his transfer were greed and gluttony, not to win trophies and play football.
Wayne Rooney is a disgrace and the only single human being I want to fail and cause pain to. I think I’ve said enough.
Wayne Rooney is a disgrace and the only single human being I want to fail and cause pain to. I think I’ve said enough.
I think it’s time for anyone who is still hurt by the Rooney situation to receive some counselling. I am sure it will be good to stand up in front of a crowed room and admit your problems by issuing the folloeoing statement:
"My name is ...... and I was duped by Wayne Rooney. I worshipped a false God and he shat on me. I believed all the bullshit written about his childhood innocence and playing football on the streets with his mates, despite the fact he visited prostitutes. I beleived that he would never leave Everton despite living in a time when Mo Johnston joined Rangers, Sol Cambell joined Aresenal and Barmby joined the shite. I promise to rid myself of this shame and get my arse into gear and start going back to Goodison to watch the team I love."
"My name is ...... and I was duped by Wayne Rooney. I worshipped a false God and he shat on me. I believed all the bullshit written about his childhood innocence and playing football on the streets with his mates, despite the fact he visited prostitutes. I beleived that he would never leave Everton despite living in a time when Mo Johnston joined Rangers, Sol Cambell joined Aresenal and Barmby joined the shite. I promise to rid myself of this shame and get my arse into gear and start going back to Goodison to watch the team I love."
I remember Bob Latchford scoring for Swansea against us he ran back to the half way line without celebrating the goal to a tremendous round of applause from the Goodison crowd.
Scum like Rooney and egotists like Lampard and Joe Cole would never do that as Cole proved on Saturday against their old clubs and boyhood idols.
Scum like Rooney and egotists like Lampard and Joe Cole would never do that as Cole proved on Saturday against their old clubs and boyhood idols.
David - I can appreciate your sentiments.I replied to the main article - basically that I think we should stop the excessive jeering of Rooney and just get behind the Blues with evn more passion than ever when we play Man Utd.
I understand your views on the modern game. It’s become too wrapped up in money making and the rich clubs just seem to get richer. Remember the time when if you were asked to name which team you fancied for the title you could name about 8 teams ? Now it’s only 4 and the same 4 for the last few seasons.Even the media have started to coin the term " The Big Four"
One of my best mates used to follow the game passionately.He had lived in Australia for a time when he was a kid.When his family moved back home he was able to go to Goodison in person. But now after 30 years he couldn’t care less and prefers to follow Port Adelaide Power in the AFL. I am saddened at this but I can understand his scepticism.
Personally being an Evertonian and all that’s involved in our traditions and our history is what matters to me.The big 4 can keep on getting bigger - but eventually the bigger they are the harder they fall. There have been many eras in football of seemingly endless domination - remember Leeds Utd in the 1970’s ? The likes of Arsenal,Man Utd etc will have their moments of decline
Everton will always be bigger than WayneRooney or any other so called superstar.And for every mercenary their are more players who react like Bob Latchford as referred to above.remember Graham Stuart,Peter Beardsley and Brian McBride when they have returned ?
Perhaps some may dismiss it as nonsense to think that there is any romance left in the game.Personally I still believe that there is - I have a Celtic T shirt that my mate gave me for Christmas or birthday a few years back - it’s got a great quote from one of the truly great managers Jock Stein. " Football without fans is nothing". I am foolish enough to believe that there are still players,managers and chairmen out there who do care.
I understand your views on the modern game. It’s become too wrapped up in money making and the rich clubs just seem to get richer. Remember the time when if you were asked to name which team you fancied for the title you could name about 8 teams ? Now it’s only 4 and the same 4 for the last few seasons.Even the media have started to coin the term " The Big Four"
One of my best mates used to follow the game passionately.He had lived in Australia for a time when he was a kid.When his family moved back home he was able to go to Goodison in person. But now after 30 years he couldn’t care less and prefers to follow Port Adelaide Power in the AFL. I am saddened at this but I can understand his scepticism.
Personally being an Evertonian and all that’s involved in our traditions and our history is what matters to me.The big 4 can keep on getting bigger - but eventually the bigger they are the harder they fall. There have been many eras in football of seemingly endless domination - remember Leeds Utd in the 1970’s ? The likes of Arsenal,Man Utd etc will have their moments of decline
Everton will always be bigger than WayneRooney or any other so called superstar.And for every mercenary their are more players who react like Bob Latchford as referred to above.remember Graham Stuart,Peter Beardsley and Brian McBride when they have returned ?
Perhaps some may dismiss it as nonsense to think that there is any romance left in the game.Personally I still believe that there is - I have a Celtic T shirt that my mate gave me for Christmas or birthday a few years back - it’s got a great quote from one of the truly great managers Jock Stein. " Football without fans is nothing". I am foolish enough to believe that there are still players,managers and chairmen out there who do care.
I never boo Rooney and never will I admire his talent and always watch MUFC just to see him score. What is sad about the whole affair was that a boy was allowed to turn his back on his boyhood and family dream by an agent. Stretford made this happen for his own gain, and mark my words in years to come he will regret it. I dont mind the fact he moved on but he should have given us at least another year then if we failed again then he could have gone with the blessing of the fans and be clapped on every return. BK was not to blame because the player and his advisors held all the cards and in the end we just had to get as much as possible. Newcastle (via proactive) made the whole saga and to this day they still get away with it. When Rooney left we had no guarantee we would finish 4th, I?m gratefull we did because if we didnt then Rooney would have been getting it a lot worse than he does now. kissing the badge etc and all that goes with it again is bad advice from his agents, he should respect his roots move on and back efc and all that goes with it in the press and maybe even apologise but I think proactive like the fact it continues as they have lost business out of EFC and they pay us back vis WR!! Wayne wake up and get the PFA to manage you it will be the best decision you have ever made. look at Ryan Giggs for advise (he had ago at him last year when he celebrated in front of RFC fans) Get proactibe not WR
I’ve shed tears three times while supporting Everton:
1. The ’86 Cup Final
2. The Wimbledon game
3. When Rooney left
1. The ’86 Cup Final
2. The Wimbledon game
3. When Rooney left
Pass me some Prozac please sum1 its the end of the world.
Mr Williams....why the hell do you care who Wayne Rooney’s agents are ?
Most Evertonians couldn’t care less if the Sicilian mafia were his agents...might be for all I know !
Most Evertonians couldn’t care less if the Sicilian mafia were his agents...might be for all I know !
I went the match for years, Latchford, Dobson etc were my heroes, took the kids later on, spent a fortune. Today I go because I got a job as a steward and they pay me. Even though I admire greatly the likes of Arteta and Cahill I don?t imagine for a second they would turn down the chance to join one of the "big four" nor would I blame them. They are professional sportsmen. My general disaffection with the game is the way it is played, the fear, the cheating and the means spiritedness of it all. The loss of a particular favorite is always galling but should not lead to a fans giving up the game. Remember, we bought the greatest goal scorer ever to draw breath- W.R Dean from Tranmere. He no doubt joined a bigger club that was prepared to pay him more and give him the opportunity for silverware. It has been ever thus.
David
Something happens and you don’t speak to you Dad for six months. Rooney leaves and you more or less abandon Everton/football. Might I suggest that you are a little prone to over-reacting?
Something happens and you don’t speak to you Dad for six months. Rooney leaves and you more or less abandon Everton/football. Might I suggest that you are a little prone to over-reacting?
Peter Eastoe - you’re not THE Peter Eastoe are you ? If so - your goals made all the difference in 1980/81.If not(and if you are !!) I think you made a good point reminding people about the Court case between Rooney and David Moyes. Lets not forget that Mr Rooney made some rather scathing remarks about DM. Perhaps he needs to be reminded that it was David Moyes who gave him his first team opportunity.
Most "great" players are humble enough to acknowledge those who were involved early on in their career.I think Wayne could do with being reminded of this, unfortunately it would seem that the only way he will learn this is via court.
Most "great" players are humble enough to acknowledge those who were involved early on in their career.I think Wayne could do with being reminded of this, unfortunately it would seem that the only way he will learn this is via court.
So the Pit Bull left us. Yes, it really hurt, but I certainly didn?t walk away from Everton then and won?t be doing so now, not after 48 years. After all, I?d be walking away from the club just like he did and he went for financial reasons. The same reasons that give us the so-called "Top Four" which I?m certainly not happy with either.
If people stop going to Everton because of that, it makes me really sad. After all, Shrek was still young and immature and was influenced by the filthy lucre. Ok, I?ve seen players in the Swiss league who show no reaction after scoring against a former club which they respected, and Rooney should tone down the celebrations a bit, but he doesn?t encounter much of a welcome from the Goodison crowd either even if that is understandable. Let?s show him were bigger than he is and just ignore him.
So, the pit bull left us. In 30 years he?ll just be another former name on an Everton team sheet.
Let?s move on. End of......
If people stop going to Everton because of that, it makes me really sad. After all, Shrek was still young and immature and was influenced by the filthy lucre. Ok, I?ve seen players in the Swiss league who show no reaction after scoring against a former club which they respected, and Rooney should tone down the celebrations a bit, but he doesn?t encounter much of a welcome from the Goodison crowd either even if that is understandable. Let?s show him were bigger than he is and just ignore him.
So, the pit bull left us. In 30 years he?ll just be another former name on an Everton team sheet.
Let?s move on. End of......
John, top marks for that last comment.
I hated Rooney when he left - to an extent I still do, but it?s clear his ability has not progressed beyond what it was at Everton. I say to United fans that he?s only their third best player behind Tevez and the Ladyboy. I don?t mind he left the club, it allowed us to move on, and we did in quite a way as well.
The lad didn?t even do that well for us, something like 15 goals in 60/70 odd games. Not exactly breathtaking is it? He?s never going to go down in the annals as an Everton great, and if there is any blue blood left in the little Manc bin dipper that?ll hurt more than any broken metatarsal he?ll ever suffer.
I hated Rooney when he left - to an extent I still do, but it?s clear his ability has not progressed beyond what it was at Everton. I say to United fans that he?s only their third best player behind Tevez and the Ladyboy. I don?t mind he left the club, it allowed us to move on, and we did in quite a way as well.
The lad didn?t even do that well for us, something like 15 goals in 60/70 odd games. Not exactly breathtaking is it? He?s never going to go down in the annals as an Everton great, and if there is any blue blood left in the little Manc bin dipper that?ll hurt more than any broken metatarsal he?ll ever suffer.
I personally was more upset when big Dunc had to retire ... there was someone who loved Everton so much, had the crest tattooed on his arm and wasn?t even a scouser!!
Give up on Rooney - I honestly believe he will be burnt out in a couple of years time. Did you see his performance last nigh and his ranting at the ref for which he never even got a yellow card, and his sheer annoyance at being substituted. He isn ?t turning into a very nice person and frankly I am glad he has gone although at the time I was furious with him for deserting us and, most of all, kissing the Man U badge in front of our supporters.
Give up on Rooney - I honestly believe he will be burnt out in a couple of years time. Did you see his performance last nigh and his ranting at the ref for which he never even got a yellow card, and his sheer annoyance at being substituted. He isn ?t turning into a very nice person and frankly I am glad he has gone although at the time I was furious with him for deserting us and, most of all, kissing the Man U badge in front of our supporters.
I wore my Rooney t-shirt everywhere. He was my idol. The day he left something died for me and it?ll never come back. Integrity. No one has it any more - and the day he signed for Man U was the day it was written in black and white the size of his ale baps.
If he truly loved the club like I do
If he truly loved the club like I do
I’m staggered by how many people have read and responded to this. The article such as it is was just a response to Charlie Percivals "Thank You, Mr Rooney"; it was never really intended to be an article on its own. Read Charlies article, then above for a bit of context.
That said, I don’t feel context is going to help some of you here. I’m only describing how I feel, how Rooneys departure affected me. It wasn’t a conscious decision to feel apathetic towards football because of Rooneys departure, just like it wasn’t a conscious decision to feel overjoyed when he he banged in that goal. They’re both examples of my reactions to events.
You don’t feel the same way? Thats fine with me, and I envy your continued enthusiasm for modern football. I’m not dismissing anyone for not having the same reaction; those who have dismissed me for mine have missed the point completely.
Rooneys departure was like having a curtain yanked from in front of my eyes. It revealed to me that a game marketed on tribalism and passion is completely devoid of such concepts in reality. Modern football is a cynical money making exercise. Everyone profited from Rooneys sale. Rooney, his agent, ManUre, our chairman - everyone but the thousands of blues who chanted his name and dreamt of him taking us to glory. We’re the only losers out of it all.
To anyone who calls me a daft bastard for ever believing that football today is anything other than a grab for cash - I’ll concede the point. I’m a daft bastard. You don’t feel the way I do because you never had a curtain in front of your eyes to yank away. I believed football today was something it demonstrably isn’t. Thats why I felt so cheated then; thats why I feel so "don’t give a fuck" now.
I will reiterate - I have not turned my back on Everton Football Club. Thats why I come to Toffeeweb. This web page is not for all news and events football related. It’s for all news, views and events EFC related. I don’t give a fuck about football. I do care about Everton. That may sound like a contradiction; I assure you, it’s not.
I will reiterate - Everton Football Club is still amongst the greatest institutions. I’m immensely proud - and in a strange way even honoured - to be part of it. Even the minute, utterly insignificant and poxy part that I occupy.You know what I mean. {And if you don’t, you never will!}.
We have the greatest history and the most knowledgeable, proud, passionate and diverse fanbase that exists within the game. It has always been that way; it’s our job to ensure it always will be that way. We have the greatest ethos as well. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum shouldn’t be a meaningless marketing line. It should be an attitude by everyone connected with EFC towards it.
And finally - and finally - I will reiterate. Football today is thoroughly corrupt. Rooney was an incredible talent when he left us; he seemed assured a future as a once in a generation player. That the thousands of Evertonians worldwide were sold out so shamelessly, quickly and cynically - by two of our supposed own, Rooney himself and the complicit but to what exact degree we don’t know Kenwright - reveals a sport that has a unique degree of depravity it, and one that I find impossible to find any enthusiasm for.
That said, I don’t feel context is going to help some of you here. I’m only describing how I feel, how Rooneys departure affected me. It wasn’t a conscious decision to feel apathetic towards football because of Rooneys departure, just like it wasn’t a conscious decision to feel overjoyed when he he banged in that goal. They’re both examples of my reactions to events.
You don’t feel the same way? Thats fine with me, and I envy your continued enthusiasm for modern football. I’m not dismissing anyone for not having the same reaction; those who have dismissed me for mine have missed the point completely.
Rooneys departure was like having a curtain yanked from in front of my eyes. It revealed to me that a game marketed on tribalism and passion is completely devoid of such concepts in reality. Modern football is a cynical money making exercise. Everyone profited from Rooneys sale. Rooney, his agent, ManUre, our chairman - everyone but the thousands of blues who chanted his name and dreamt of him taking us to glory. We’re the only losers out of it all.
To anyone who calls me a daft bastard for ever believing that football today is anything other than a grab for cash - I’ll concede the point. I’m a daft bastard. You don’t feel the way I do because you never had a curtain in front of your eyes to yank away. I believed football today was something it demonstrably isn’t. Thats why I felt so cheated then; thats why I feel so "don’t give a fuck" now.
I will reiterate - I have not turned my back on Everton Football Club. Thats why I come to Toffeeweb. This web page is not for all news and events football related. It’s for all news, views and events EFC related. I don’t give a fuck about football. I do care about Everton. That may sound like a contradiction; I assure you, it’s not.
I will reiterate - Everton Football Club is still amongst the greatest institutions. I’m immensely proud - and in a strange way even honoured - to be part of it. Even the minute, utterly insignificant and poxy part that I occupy.You know what I mean. {And if you don’t, you never will!}.
We have the greatest history and the most knowledgeable, proud, passionate and diverse fanbase that exists within the game. It has always been that way; it’s our job to ensure it always will be that way. We have the greatest ethos as well. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum shouldn’t be a meaningless marketing line. It should be an attitude by everyone connected with EFC towards it.
And finally - and finally - I will reiterate. Football today is thoroughly corrupt. Rooney was an incredible talent when he left us; he seemed assured a future as a once in a generation player. That the thousands of Evertonians worldwide were sold out so shamelessly, quickly and cynically - by two of our supposed own, Rooney himself and the complicit but to what exact degree we don’t know Kenwright - reveals a sport that has a unique degree of depravity it, and one that I find impossible to find any enthusiasm for.
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1 Posted 01/12/2007 at 23:06:43
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The last time I set foot in Goodison Park was the occasion of that goal, and I vowed that if he was sold I would not go back, and I would stop providing my money to the club. Daft, maybe. But it?s for all the reasons you state.
They destroyed our dream.