Rooney to return for Ferguson testimonial

, 20 July, 137comments  |  Jump to most recent
Former Everton forward Wayne Rooney will pull on the Royal Blue jersey again when he turns out for Duncan Ferguson's testimonial against Villarreal next month, the club have announced.

The pair played together when Rooney was still a teenager before he eventually left for Manchester United in 2004 and they will be reunited on 2nd August when the Spanish club visit for the Blues' final pre-season friendly before the new campaign kicks off the following Saturday.

“As a young lad growing up in Croxteth, Duncan Ferguson was a hero of mine, as a young player at the Club he was an inspiration and when I broke into the first team he helped and looked after me," Rooney said.

"I cannot think of a better way to thank Dunc for all he did for me than turning out in his fully deserved testimonial match.

"Had he not asked me to play I would have gone and supported him on the day as I am sure most other Evertonians will."

Ferguson, meanwhile, was equally happy to have his old protege on board for his final game in a Blue jersey.

“I'm absolutely delighted that the wee man has agreed to play in the game," he said.

"Everybody knows that we go way back. I knew him as a kid, he's a top man and I'm proud as his friend that he's fulfilled the potential we always knew was there.

"Wayne's a world-class player and I'm genuinely thrilled that he will play on the day, just as I'm so grateful to the Club for putting on this game."

Tickets are priced at £20 for adults and £10 for under-16s and over 65s. You can purchase tickets by visiting evertonfc.com/eticketing, calling 0151 556 1878 (option 1) or in person by visiting the Park End box office or the city centre ticket facilities in Everton Two, Liverpool One or TicketQuarter, located in Queen Square.

 

Reader Comments (137)

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Jim Bennings
1 Posted 20/07/2015 at 16:47:45
Lets friggin' keep him!!
Ryan Snyder
2 Posted 20/07/2015 at 16:52:30
This should be interesting.
Conor Skelly
3 Posted 20/07/2015 at 16:52:42
He's planning a return. Perfect way to break the ice before he comes back for 16/17 season.
Christopher Wallace
4 Posted 20/07/2015 at 16:58:36
I'd rather he didn't to be honest, but I wouldn't argue with Big Dunc!
Richard Reeves
5 Posted 20/07/2015 at 16:52:25
It's going to be weird seeing him in blue again but I'm looking forward to it. He could be the answer to that Number 10 role we've been looking for...

Just joking, he'll be off to America after Man Utd but I would love him to come back. I also wonder how big a stadium this one-off match could fill.

Frank Mullin
8 Posted 20/07/2015 at 16:53:11
It's blindingly obvious this is the opening gambit from Wayne angling for a permanent move back to Goodison. He's finally realised the error of his ways that he shouldn't have left in the first place. Maybe we can get him on a loan deal.
James Stewart
9 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:06:25
Well here is the striker we were all calling for! I hope Rooney returns sooner rather than later
Julian Wait
10 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:11:05
Can we afford him for one game even?
Stephen Brown
11 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:13:11
Good for him! Time has mellowed my feeling towards Rooney.
Should add a few to the gate!
Phil Wood
13 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:14:38
Disgrace! Years of badge kissing and in a red shirt and berating Everton fans will not be forgotten or forgiven. Not once has any respect been shown to our club during departure or since it left. I wouldn't let it in to the stadium never mind to play in the shirt. I only pray that it's a one off.
Ste Traverse
14 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:20:33
Oh god no.

The thought of that phony twat puling on our famous Royal Blue is enough to make my skin crawl.

I was never a massive Ferguson fan anyway so will definitely be giving this game a wide berth.

Alex Mullan
16 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:29:54
It's Big Dunc's day, why turn up and take all the coverage from him? This will be in the media 'Rooney returns to Goodison' and you won't hear a thing about the guy it's really about. I know he likes him and all, but he's going to risk overshadowing his former idol.
Steve Durham
17 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:31:14
Looks like this is the pre-cursor to a return in the not-too-distant-future.

I loved Big Dunc as a player, worshipped him in fact - but there is no way I will attend this game now. His conduct during and since his move has been a disgrace towards our great club and he represents almost everything that has turned a once beautiful game sour.

There were much better options to ask back (any team-mate 1994 - 2000 for a start!) which is why I think this is very orchestrated regarding Fat Boy's return.

Craig Bellew
18 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:38:47
This game is the final game of OUR pre-season and we are giving game time to a Man Utd player... REALLY! This smacks of a certain ginger one portraying to be the Everton manager and still being paid by us but sitting down with the Man Utd heirachy to discuss his summer targets etc.

This has to be a joke surely. The game time he is taking up should be given to one of our players and just for the record I don't want to ever see him back at our place ion blue. We give too many over the hill (played their best footie elsewhere) players their last pay day knowing they aint the player they were.

It has to stop otherwise we may as well invite Gazza back for the No 10 slot we are so desperate to get filled.

Mark Robson
19 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:37:39
The Usual split opinions on TW, imagine the further dogs abuse he'd have been given if it was released that he was invited to play/attend or whatever his role is likely to be and that he refused to do so. Fair play for wanting to I say whatever has gone before.

The lad still has blue in his veins despite the poor actions of the past and I'm sure he'd jump at the chance of a return. He's won his trophies and money isn't an issue. Is anyone on here gonna boo him if he does return for a season or two? I'd have him as our No 10 like a shot!

Scott Hall
20 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:41:56
I was 20 when Rooney left. I hated him for it. And being a kid himself he showed immaturity in his actions and comments in the few years that followed.

But since then I've grown my own career by not being overly loyal to one company or country. For his career and his trophy cabinet, moving on is the best thing he ever did. Had he stayed he'd have as many Premier League trophies as Steven Gerrard.

He's grown up now, he hasn't kissed the badge or criticised Everton in a long time. Far from it.

Let the bitterness go gentlemen, you'll feel much better.
Les Newsham
21 Posted 20/07/2015 at 17:42:52
I’m happy enough to see him play. My son will get to see Rooney play in a proper shirt.

I was angry when he left, more at the people around Rooney rather than Rooney himself. Time has passed.

Will his presence help put more, or less, on the gate you reckon?

Liam Reilly
23 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:02:16
Will be interesting and takes some courage to do this.

Hope he gets a good reception and decides to come back in the not too distant future, because to me his departure was all about unscrupulous agents and money men.

Anthony Fielding
24 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:10:46
I was gutted when he left and felt he could have handled it better, but he was a young lad. Just get over it, I think its great that he wants to play and great that he’s still a blue.
Alan Humphreys
25 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:07:12
I tell my 11-year-old boy about Rooney and watching his goal fly in against the Arse so I'm with Les on this one.

And for a glimpse of Duncan will add meat to the bones of my tall tales about him too.

If it adds to the gate, then great, more money for Duncan's chosen charities. Would assume the vast majority of the game will be a proper warm-up game with the odd cameo from the aforementioned duo.

Patrick Murphy
27 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:09:40
I do hope that Wayne hasn't set his heart on buying the club when he retires, he would get short shrift from some on here. Remember he was only a young man when he left to join United, he has proven himself to be worthy of his place in the pantheon of English football.

Whilst he might not be the sharpest of people does he really deserve some of the vitriol dispensed on here since the news broke? I don't believe that he does.

Danny Broderick
29 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:07:03
This is the start of a Rooney love fest, which will see him come to Everton when he's about 35 and carrying even more weight. Once a Blue, always a Blue.
Barry Morrison
31 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:24:42
I'm not against Rooney playing in a friendly game, but like Craig #18 points out, this is the last game of our pre-season.

By all means give Duncan a testimonial, but it shouldn't be this game. We should be setting up against Villarreal almost as we would on the first day of the season, with the time for experiments over.

I think to treat the final pre-season game like this is ill-judged.

Sam Hoare
32 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:25:40
He'll only get 45 mins if that. Will help raise money for the charity and clearly he still loves the club. Some people find grudges hard to let go of but I'm pleased by this. He might even help boost our confidence and start to the season if he scores the winner!
Jon Cox
33 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:22:16
"Once a Blue, always a Blue"

I believed him then I still believe it now.

You don't buy your nipper an Everton kit if you (Rooney) don't have Blue blood still running through your veins.

And get this, if he waits too long to come home, he'll be remembered as being shite. He won't want that.

That's why I think he'll be home in the next few seasons.

You could say he's the archetypal Prodigal Son.

Jack Cross
34 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:28:40
Barry Morrison, would it really make that much difference?

Maybe it would or maybe not. We won't know now will we. The way they played against Arsenal, that could have been a testimonial.

Chris Milligan
35 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:17:59
Excellent news! I had a dream that he would finish his current contract and tell his agent the only place he would play his remaining years is where his heart has always been. Even if that does not happen lets not shoot ourselves in the foot by making him feel unwelcome.

I agree with Scott 20 we all try to get our careers to the highest level and even if he had stayed with us does not mean we would have won anything as we still would not have the big bucks to buy the players.
Joe Ainsworth
38 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:35:36
I'd love to see Rooney back in a blue shirt. In any other era of football he'd have been at Everton for years if not his whole career. He's a product of the age, a world full of oligarch chairmen, snide agents and global TV markets. He'd have won little or nothing at Everton and in fact his departure allowed Moyes to rebuild the side to very good effect.

This could be his way of testing the water for a future return; if he gets a hostile reception he'll rule it out, a warm welcome and who knows, maybe we'll get a magical Indian summer out of the best English player of his generation.
Charles Brewer
39 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:30:52
I was as disappointed as anyone when Rooney left, but it was clear that Everton could not afford him, and that the club was on the verge of financial collapse.

We were certainly screwed over the price - the idea that he was worth less than Ferdinand was ludicrous - and whoever negotiated the deal was clearly inept. There should have been a public auction with Barcelona, Chelsea and a few others thrown in. But that's all gone and inevitable.

Duncan Ferguson, for me, epitomised the best of what Everton has stood for in the past quarter century, spirited, aggressive, never-say-die. Half the time he was crocked but still played, something I'm sure he pays for now. I am confident that whenever he was not playing it was due to something severe.

But the sight of Ferguson against despicable opposition - Liverpool, Manchester United and scaring the living daylights out of their "hard men" was wonderful.

I'm sure that if they had had what my Canadian flatmate used to refer to as "their druthers" (as in "they'druther do X than Y") both would have had long, successful careers at Goodison rather than have played anywhere else.

Of course Rooney "kisses the badge", he's a bloody entertainer, he's got to keep those who pay his wages onside.

I think this sounds like a great event, and I hope we get some revenge for the dubious Mr Collina.

Helen Mallon
40 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:44:25
My lord I am deeply worried by some people's reactions on this site. He was a young footballer asked to play for the biggest club in the world and so he did and won a shed load of medals.

If he had stayed we would not have won anything and, God forbid, may have went down because his transfer money saved this club. Please Rooney haters, get a grip.
Kevin Tully
44 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:03:58
Come on now, BK put up one hell of a fight to keep Rooney when Fergie came to see him. He put his mum on the phone...

It's OK though, he's one of us.

Mike Green
45 Posted 20/07/2015 at 18:54:18
Now that’s quite a coup......I raised my eyebrows when they selected Villarreal but this tops it by a distance. As for Rooney, it’s an ongoing journey, but if nothing else you’ve got to say the lads got balls. Could be an interesting evening...
Stephen Brown
46 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:02:30
I've got to agree with Helen! He was a (not very bright) 18-year-old when he left! With the benefit of hindsight the decision realistically suited everyone!

He clearly is still an Evertonian at heart otherwise he wouldn't put himself through a game when he could be barracked! Let's hope he's not! It's made my mind up I think I will go along to have a look!!

Ste Traverse
47 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:09:01
I can't believe the amount of beauts who really believe he'll come back.

Who really wants him back when he's in his mid-30s and way past his best??

I can just see in 6 or 7 years from now Kenwright all over a fat over-the-hill Rooney saying how great it is 'to have Wayne back home'.

That said, he in the last week has said publicly he wants to go and play in America when his Man Utd career is over so anyone thinking he's going to pitch up at Goodison are kidding themselves.

Colin Glassar
48 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:25:04
Wazza to come back in two years time as player/manager/owner?
Paul Jeronovich
49 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:31:43
He'll only be on the pitch for five mins tops. I for one would have him back in a shot but it won't ever happen.
Bill Farmer
50 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:23:12
Many of the same people who can't wait to see the back of one-club servants like Hibbo and Ossie now vent their spleen over a marvelous player who had the temerity to seek fame and fortune elsewhere.

Whatever some may think, the football world is bigger than Everton but I have not the smallest doubt that had our club been nurtured and grown in the way it should have been, the lad would have been glad to have stayed with us.

As it was, his very timely transfer probably saved us from the administrators (good) and kept the present regime in power (not so good).

I, for one, will be delighted to see him in the colours to which he belongs.

Karl Parsons
51 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:36:02
Welcome home Wayne
Jack Plant
52 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:57:40
Let's all give him a cracking reception, make sure he knows he'd be accepted back!
Alexander McNamara
54 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:02:52
He'll sign for an MLS team and return to us on a winter-loan deal.
Dean Peamum
55 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:04:29
Not surprised, given his track record, that he'd want to enter the Old Lady again.
John Keating
56 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:08:42
How I wish he was back permanently!
Kase Chow
57 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:00:14
I, like many, was absolutely gutted when he left but it's worked out for everyone and what's the point in being bitter? Surely we're not that small-minded.

Water under the bridge. Move on.

Christy Ring
59 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:11:26
I'm delighted to see him coming back. Let's not forget, he was sold to keep our club afloat.
Jim Jennings
60 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:13:35
Good news. It can certainly do no harm and as others have alluded to, if he's raising his kid as a blue he clearly is still an Evertonian. Not his fault his talent outgrew the club's finances.
Paul Thompson
61 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:13:30
Delighted. To the irreconcilables, let it go FFS.
John Raftery
62 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:12:05
He'll go to the States, earn another fortune and return at the head of a consortium to buy our club.
Tony Abrahams
63 Posted 20/07/2015 at 19:44:53
He was a stupid kid alright. I read a book about gangsters and football, and the brass who Rooney and his mates got asked him for his autograph, because she said she recognised him.

The autograph he gave said, "You was shagged off me tonight, Wayne Rooney!" I'm pretty certain it was the same night, after he had given the finest individual performance I have ever witnessed live off an Everton player, against Bolton.

I think he will return Ste, but it's going to have to be soon if the kid wants to prove himself to us again, otherwise it would be a complete waste of time.

When Kenwright took over Everton, the club had net assets of over £20 Million. Now the banks have a charge on Goodison, and we rent our training ground, with the only assets remaining out on the pitch.

The asset that was Wayne Rooney, possibly kept this club alive and, although he'll never be the hero he could have been, he's still one of the best players around.

Mike Owen
64 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:17:48
Look at this another way:

Given the worldwide fame of Wayne Rooney, it will be a talking point among football fans and players in many, many countries that a week before the Premier League season starts, he wants to go back to play in a game for his boyhood club.

As a result, the thought occurs to millions of people:
Must be something special about that Everton club

Callum Lapsley
66 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:33:17
Can’t wait to see him back in an Everton shirt. No explanation needed, thank you!!
Christopher Wallace
67 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:34:52
I'd get behind him if he returned, but I do not want to see a United player in an Everton shirt.

Honest question - am I the only one that hates United and feels this way?

I don’t care what top he wore growing up. Not only is he a United player, he is also their captain and face of the club. And he really suits the role and the club.

Colin Glassar
68 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:35:56
Rooney will go and end his career in the States but like John R said, I wouldn't be surprised if he tries and buys the club at some point.

I was gutted then angry, then gutted again when he left but I was told that he was "asked to leave for the sake of the club" and that he was made the fall guy, hence his initial anger towards the club and his former fans.

I have now forgiven him and I know he watches us when he can and is bringing up his kids as Evertonians. So his heart is still with us even though his wallet is somewhere else.

Phil McKeown
69 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:39:39
The sale of Rooney stopped us from going under at that time before the TV deals got really huge.

At the time I was gutted angry etc and gave him dogs abuse (arguably the most poisonous atmosphere I have ever been at that 2-0 home FA Cup defeat). However, now I am older and wiser, he can't be blamed for abandoning a sinking ship and Stones arguably couldn't be criticised either.

He kissed the Man Utd badge because we give him loads of grief, the vitriol should be directed at Kenwright and the board not Rooney

Kevin Elliott
70 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:23:42
Welcome back, Wayne.

Fantastic footballer, and whatever you do with the rest of your career, I wish you the best of luck.

Stick one in the onion bag and shut the bitters up.

Steve Cotton
71 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:47:43
Put it this way, who do you want to see play up top for us against Villarreal – Kone or Rooney?
Ray Said
73 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:47:04
There is a great line in Star Trek IV-yes I am going full on nerd now!
Dr. Gillian Taylor says to Kirk: 'Don't tell me! You're from outer space'.
Kirk: 'No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space'.


Thats Rooney to me-he is an Evertonian, he just works in Manchester.

Raymond Fox
74 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:43:12
The world's a bigger place than football and club rivalry.

His move was essential for the club and Rooney's career at the time, it was hardly his fault the club needed the money.

He deserves credit for playing in this game, the easy option was to refuse. Do I think he'll play for us again, no there's too much easy money elsewhere.

Jim Lloyd
75 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:55:03
Well said Ray! There are some really bitter posters on here. Dear me, if he came back to play for us permanently, I'd be proud of him and I'd also be chuffed to bits.

The lad's come back to pay homage to Duncan. What better way than to pull on a Blue Shirt for Everton. A great pity it's only a friendly, as the lad is one of the best footballers in England.

What he did when he was 17/18 was to move to a vastly better team than us. Yep, he wanted to go. Who knows what influences played on him; or what he thought in his heart about the situation at the club.

So, he kissed the Man Utd shirt when he scored. No wonder, seeing the tirade of non stop abuse he received. None of us know what went on leading up to him leaving but I would hazard a guess that we were so desperate to sell we'd have been in shit street if we hadn't sold him and flogged him for a fraction of his true worth.

Wayne is a Blue and his son's a Blue. Welcome back Wayne... even if it is only for one game.

Dave Horne
76 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:58:40
Tony #63,
That Bolton game actually finished 0-0 but Wayne could (+ should) have scored 5. He was absolutely brilliant. The best 0-0 game I have ever seen in 60 years of watching Everton.

I would have him back without hesitation, but only in the next 2 or 3 seasons. A poor imitation of the young lad who scored that screamer against Arsenal would not be in his, or our, best interests.

I am going to see Dunc's testimonial and hope to see them both on the pitch at the same time. You get nostalgic when you get older!

Jay Harris
77 Posted 20/07/2015 at 20:57:50
Bill
let me correct you.

To most Evertonians the football world is Everton.

I have mixed views about Rooney. He has undoubtedly been world class but for me he no longer has the stamina for the Prem but still retains that silky touch and an eye for goal.
Even on crutches he would be better than what we have now but I wouldn't want him back.

The Rooney chapter is over for me and while he can still claim to be a Blue at heart he did a Moyes but unlike Moyes he knew and understood what most Blues fans would feel about him leaving for Man U but still did it.

I wouldn't boo him but I certainly do not think he is the innocent some of you make him out to be.

Charlie Burnett
78 Posted 20/07/2015 at 21:16:54
Play our proper full side using him as the number 10. Let him get a taste of feeding the big lad in. All happy, we out-play them, all the fans going crazy. Rooney walks off the pitch with a smile but most of all the thought of "I want this again."
Christopher Wallace
79 Posted 20/07/2015 at 21:29:42
Raymond

How much money does one need? Even though he has about £100m, you still think he'd be too greedy to come back and play for the team he supposedly loves - what does that say about the man?

I'm not bitter and I know his sale was necessary. I would back him if he came back. My point is - he is a United player, he is a United captain, the club and person are well suited to each other, and I do not want him pulling on the Royal Blue whilst contracted to that shower.

And I'm not sure what to say to those people begging him to come back, then in the next sentence stating that he will probably go to America for the money. Seriously?

Mike Connolly
80 Posted 20/07/2015 at 21:28:10
Maybe Rooney had a bit of a nudge from BK to go. This could happen to three of our top players now. BK will always cash in. Also I would like to see Rooney up front, even if it is only a testimonial. He better than some of the dross we have
Raymond Fox
81 Posted 20/07/2015 at 21:47:12
I don't think any bodies begging him to come back Chris.
You make a good point about choosing money before us, money has a very strong pull though!
It remains to be seen.
Christopher Wallace
82 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:01:45
He's made in excess of £100m and has won pretty much everything worth winning in club football. Fine. Fair play.

Our club progressed since, and his fee contributed to that. Great.

Now considering the fact that any one of us would play for Everton for free, and be the happiest man in the world whilst doing so, why would there be a question of him wanting to go earn some more cheddar in the states, or elsewhere?

He should be striving to get back to Everton while he still had something to contribute. I would get behind him then. Not this though, but each to their own I suppose.

Tony Dove
83 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:16:45
Thankfully most of the views here are in favour. I imagine some Man Utd fans might feel differently.
Eugene Ruane
84 Posted 20/07/2015 at 21:42:00
Those seething about Rooney putting on a blue shirt?

Fine, their anger and 'I'm out-fucking-RAGED!!' nonsense affects only their stress and blood-pressure levels. To be honest, my guess is a pickle jar that won't open can set 'em off.

(And yes I was gutted when he left but the idea of fuming at him forever I find ... insane.)

Plus, as for any idea of him not 'fulfilling his potential', this is as desperate as it gets. He will finish his career as England's top goal-scorer (ever!) and Manchester United's top goal-scorer (ever!) (nb: not to mention the goals made for others, or the fact that in loads of these games he's not been played as a striker).

All that said, I'd feel better if the game was more testimonial 'in name' and the actual game was just a serious, no distractions game between us and Villarreal.

I have no problem with Rooney at Goodison and would be made up if we signed him tomorrow, but I wonder about the wisdom of him being involved in this game a week before we kick off.

I suppose it won't be mentioned if we tonk Watford; if we lose, however...

Oh and those who are outraged, it is you (as others have pointed out) who undoubtedly would have screamed the loudest if Rooney had turned us/Duncan down.

Tony Abrahams
85 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:26:20
Dave 76, I'm not old enough to get really nostalgic, but I'm sure I saw Rooney's parents at Goodison a few days later, and was tempted to tell them to get home and make more babies!

He left a bitter taste in my mouth, by leaving two seasons too early, and I would only want to really have him back if it was for the start of next season, (16-17).

Don't go to pre season games but I might take my one year old son, just so he can say he saw Ferguson and Rooney in the same Everton team when he's older!

Danny Broderick
86 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:16:55
There is no right or wrong here. Some people don't want him back, some people do, and some are indifferent. I think I'm in the middle. I just wish he had given us an extra couple of years – like Torres at Atlético – and we all would have understood that he had to go for the good of his own career. He would have been welcome back forever.

The fact is he jumped ship at the first opportunity. He was only 18, he didn't give us much of a go did he?

I can forgive his silly comments, badge kissing etc. He was young. Let's face it, we've all done stupid things in the heat of the moment as young men. But I will always wonder why he couldn't have stayed until he was about 22.

Like the previous guy said, he can come back if he wants, but no-one's begging him to come back either. If he had shown us a bit more loyalty at the start of his career, he would have been guaranteed a fabulous ovation.

Hopefully he'll get polite applause. I don't think he deserves dog's abuse, or a hero's welcome. Just something in the middle.

Eugene Ruane
87 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:29:44
Tony (83) - 'Utd fans might feel differently'

They certainly will if he breaks his leg after 5 mins.

Adopts druggie-manccy Sean Ryder accent: 'Ver lickle twat, ver fuckin' lickle bastard! Eeez disrespected us t' be fair. Eez a lickle Scouse bastard. Yeah aaaawrite, eez arr gray'ust evva player, buh now eez out fer six mumffs...eez bang out uv ordah, juh knowarramean?"

(Bez appears, does dance like 1850s Bedlam inmate being poked with a hot stick)

Trevor Lynes
88 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:33:28
It should put more bums on seats and Duncan is giving the money to charity so what is the gripe some people seem to have.Rooney left to win trophy’s and that is obvious to me anyway. He was playing in an ageing, poor team at Everton and I believe that he was sold by the club to bail them out.Footballers are contractors and they will play wherever they can get the best deal. Clubs sell them at will so like in every other business money talks as the footballers career is pretty short. Rooney achieved his potential, won trophy’s and caps plus he earned big money. All the fans who supposedly have never forgiven him for leaving us would do the same in his place.The lad was going off to play for his country surrounded by better paid players who were in his ear plus agent/s offering him fantastic deals elsewhere. I have never blamed him because many of the so called legends of our club have done the same in the past. Contractors are only safe for the length of their contract and the club can force them out by not offering extensions or pay rises to achieve parity.Pienaar and now McCarthy are cases in point. Pienaar wanted parity with Arteta and now McCarthy wants parity with our newest drone Cleverley. Pienaar was treated pretty shabbily IMO as he was worth the same money as Arteta .Now young McCarthy is being treated the same and I really think that he may be getting dangled in this transfer window.Rooney is welcome in my book.
Bill Gall
89 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:32:54
Is Rooney only playing in this game as a favor to his friend Ferguson, and not for Everton? Ferguson was friends with him during his time at Everton and, with other Everton players attended, his wedding in Italy.

Yes, it was a poor situation when Rooney left but it was his sleazebag of an agent who manipulated the move, and as an 18-year-old whose head would not be turned with the money that was on offer. Just another occasion when a greedy agent jumped at an opportunity to line his pockets with no regards to anyone else.

Colin Malone
90 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:32:10
Under Ferguson [Alex], Rooney has come on as a footballer and as a person, in my opinion, this would not have happened at Everton, I'm certain about that. I hated him when he went but it's a time to let bygones be bygones for big Dunc's day and cheer every player in a blue shirt.

Dean@55, Funny lol.

Alexander O'Brien
92 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:48:36
Good on him in wanting to play. Any Evertonian who wouldn't want him back is a big fibber.
Andy Crooks
93 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:42:02
Under the right circumstances, Wayne Rooney would have stayed at Everton for his entire career. The fact that he had to go was due to the plight the club was in.

If he was back right now it would be the best news in many years. He is one of the best we have ever had and his vilification all over the media, the snide taunting and the envy of his success is typical of the hatred for working class lads who make good.

Jim Lloyd
95 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:57:14
Bloody Nora! Brilliant EJ...got the Mancs off to a tee.

Danny (86) The main reason he went, was, because if he didn't, our club would have been yet again, up shit creek. Otherwise, we wouldn't have sold him.

Harold Matthews
96 Posted 20/07/2015 at 22:34:56
Yes Tony / Dave. That Bolton performance will live long in my memory. In all my long life, I've never seen a more dominating display from one player. As Big Sam muttered afterwards, "We'd all like one like that".

I'm a big Rooney fan. Always was, always will be. When I watch him playing for United or England I see him as an Evertonian. Don't know why. I just can't separate him from our club.

When he left he wasn't a traitor. He was a teenager. I repeat. A teenager. When I was a teenager I was as daft as a brush. Made so many wrong decisions it's a miracle I'm here now. Truth be told, common sense didn't start to kick in till around the 70 mark and, ten years later, it's still struggling to get there.

Big Dunc invites him back. So do I.

Bill Farmer
97 Posted 20/07/2015 at 23:46:08
Jay, I sort of get your drift but it would be a lonely football world if Everton was the only club who played in it!
Ian Smitham
98 Posted 20/07/2015 at 23:41:04
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=835012546613816&set=a.347912291990513.77238.100003152369052&type=1

One player in this picture has committed his career to Everton Football Club. Respect. To the other two, respect also.

I have always said that until Wayne "calls" us I will not call him. I was at the Badge game, he was brilliant, and with the stick he got off our fans at OT and as a poster said above, he is in the entertainment business.

I believe he was ill advised, but also that the club were in a financial plight that it suited the for him to go, Patrick Murphy has another thread on this subject that is well worth reading.

If you were a taxi driver smoking round a less than prosperous area in a heap of a car, and were offered a move to somewhere a bit away but with a much better car and loads more earnings , what would you do? If he had not of gone I would have thought less of him, it's common sense. He has won everything and earned a fortune (not that all players don't) .

I will stand and applaud Wayne for this jesture of coming back, I believe (maybe naively) he will come back, and yes he will not be what he is or was when he does, but a couple of seasons like Beardsley did will be great.

Was gutted when he left, might need some tissues when I see him on Goodison with a man who he obviously has high thoughts of.

On the other hand, if I was a Man U fan, I would be truly seething.

Ian Smitham
99 Posted 20/07/2015 at 23:56:33
Oh yes, that Manc taunt of "Once a blue...." Is redundant
Sean McCarthy
100 Posted 20/07/2015 at 23:41:54
I take it from some of the responses here that the average TW reader is aged about 10???? Grow up!!!!

Rooney left and, given the same circumstances (in our dreams), the majority on here would've done exactly the same. His antics in his first few years away were of those of an immature young man. Not helped by the bile coming his way from the Goodison stands.

The past few years he's shown nothing but respect for this club and whenever he's asked in interviews speaks highly of it. Now he is putting an appearance in at one of his closest friends' testimonials and some on here start gobbling off with their childish shite!!
Grow the fuck up. Rooney has... and I for one will look forward to seeing him on the 2nd of August.

Ian Smitham
102 Posted 20/07/2015 at 23:59:09
Sean, quite right and well said. The bile comment included.
Jamie Sweet
103 Posted 21/07/2015 at 00:05:18
Harold Matthews again wins the "Voice of Reason" award!

Spot on.

Mike Corcoran
104 Posted 21/07/2015 at 00:09:14
Christ. He's a footballer, a great one, and an Evertonian. But sometimes you have to move on.

I'm moving now from the best team I ever worked with to take up a more challenging post, I'll miss em forever, but I've got to stretch myself, it's more money, etc. I'm going with the best wishes of my team cos they know it's right. And I know they will welcome me. Back with open arms.

The vitriol from some of the high blood-pressure trolls on this site is pathetic. I wouldn't have them round for a pint, freaky fuckers.

Jay Harris
105 Posted 21/07/2015 at 00:35:46
Live the dream, Bill.
Peter Fearon
106 Posted 21/07/2015 at 02:27:40
If Wayne Rooney crawled through a hundred yards of broken glass and offered to play for Everton for free I would still say no. It is Big Dunc's night and if he wants Rooney there so be it. Rooney isn't fit to tie Dunc's boots, however.
Ernie Baywood
107 Posted 21/07/2015 at 04:04:50
We weren't much of a team or club and Rooney left. There's a fact.

Badge kissing, taunting, snarling... that's all just panto (yes, it riled me at the time too). I'm a long way past that.

If Stones goes and never kisses his new badge, taunts or snarls at us... does that make the situation any better? The answer is a clear no - he's either with our team or not.

I still think Rooney's greatest regret will be that he had the opportunity to achieve something he dreamed of as a kid, and when the opportunity arose he left before he had a chance to get a mass more goals than cards. I actually think I see this in his attitude in the last few years.

I'm 66% certain this won't be the last time we see him in an Everton shirt.

Anto Byrne
108 Posted 21/07/2015 at 05:54:32
We have a similar predicament with Stones and Barkley. Both have potential world class billing. Can Everton keep them?

Unlikely when they can win trophies and earn fortunes with the money clubs. Stones is a modern day Beckenbaur and Barkley can be special.

Dave Abrahams
111 Posted 21/07/2015 at 09:15:20
I've never forgiven Wayne for leaving Everton because there wasn't anything to forgive, he saved Everton financially, for Gods sake. I wasn't going to this game but I am now, in fact can't get there quick enough.

Referring to that Bolton game, he was absolutely brilliant, in the stands Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer were raving over him, they couldn't believe such a young lad could dominate a game like that, on TV miserable arse Moyes said, "He never scored though, did he?" No wonder I couldn't stand that man.

Charles Brewer
112 Posted 21/07/2015 at 09:49:46
What is it with this club?

Living south of London in Surrey, I haven't been to Goodison in ages, indeed I've seen lots more of Everton at London grounds than anywhere else.

However, the prospect of Duncan Ferguson's return and Wayne Rooney returning was irresistible. My son was delighted when I told him and we spent half an hour trying to work out how to get him back from performing at the Secret Garden festival at 4am on Sunday morning so we could set off ... until he remembered that the festival is a week earlier. Grrrrr!

So I got onto the web site, to buy tickets. The first point was that Upper Gladys and Upper Bullens stands are closed. Then I found that most of the seats on offer are restricted view. This suggests to me that the tickets are selling very well. So why are two sections of the ground closed?

Then I tried to buy the tickets. I had to log in. Well the last time I bought tickets was in about 2008, and funnily enough, I didn't remember the email account or password, so I tried to register. Then the web site told me I was already registered, so I hit "Recover password", it asked me for my "Account number" What??? I can't remember my password, but I am expected to remember a 9 digit string of near random numbers?

So we registered my wife instead. Went back through the process, and requested 2 tickets. It came back with 8, so I clicked on one of them and discovered that it was going to charge me for all of them. You have to unselect. Finally, we managed to get the right tickets, and fill in the credit card details... which went off for validation .... and never came back.

After 45 minutes with the screen still up, it was 9am, so I phoned. Spoke to a most pleasant lady who confirmed that the transaction had never made it to the queue, told me my account number and sold me two tickets, unrestricted view.

The web site is an atrocity, the process flow stinks, exception handling fails and the interface to Visa doesn't work. Meanwhile, a testimonial match gives all the signs of selling out (or at least attracting a lot of supporters), so two major sections of the ground are closed. No wonder this club is in a permanent financial mess.

Brian Griffin
113 Posted 21/07/2015 at 11:24:16
I'm really pleased to see the lad coming "home", even if it's only for one game. Like so many others posting here, I was gutted when he left but never felt the same hostility towards him that many other Evertonians did. Call me naieve or stupid, but I still believe that he's a Blue at heart.
Brian Wilkinson
114 Posted 21/07/2015 at 13:38:56
Charles@112 been there, done that, got the tshirt.

Absolute joke trying to get a password reminder, you have to be logged in to see your account number.

Everton need to get this sorted, I too had to phone in so just to make you feel a little bit better, you are not alone at smashing at the keyboard and muttering to yourself.

David Chait
115 Posted 21/07/2015 at 13:45:44
I've never been angry at Rooney... I was just virtually in tears when he left but never angry with him... It is BK who I hold responsible.

I cant wait to see him in a shirt... I even allowed myself to imagine this was a sneaky way we were about to announce our new number 10!

At least I will get to again wear my first Everton shirt I ever owned with the name "Rooney" at the back.

Brian Wilkinson
116 Posted 21/07/2015 at 13:44:20
One thing we can thank Rooney for is our club was in dire straits, the money we got from Rooney was a life saver.

I was sick to the stomach when he kissed the badge, the guy was 18 and got non-stop constant abuse before that.

He knows he made a mistake, I am not defending him in anyway but, at 18, he probably did what any of us would have done, if we were getting abuse: stick two fingers back.

The Rooney money helped our club, I would have the player back in a shot. It's time we put this to bed once and for all, this is big Duncs day, he wanted Rooney back, we owe it to Dunc.

One FA Cup Runners-Up medal in his time away says it all, if Rooney made the right choice.

I defy any person to stay at a struggling company, if another job came up with triple the wages, and lots of win incentives.

Charles Brewer
117 Posted 21/07/2015 at 14:14:11
Brian, many thanks for your sanity supporting comments!
James Marshall
118 Posted 21/07/2015 at 14:27:12
Exactly, Brian. I think Rooney was well within his rights to kiss the badge in the face of the abuse he was getting from our supporters. I've never understood the ill feeling towards him anyway. He was 18 and it was a business decision. End of story.
Ernie Baywood
119 Posted 21/07/2015 at 14:41:21
As I said earlier, if a young Everton player left and didn't do some of the things that Rooney had done, would that make the situation any better? We'd still be missing a young player.

Rooney's success isn't just down to his ability. He's a cocky lad, convinced of his own ability and determined to ram criticism back down people's throats. I'm trying to think of a way to express what he's got without using the "c-word" but, yeah, there's a fair bit of that about him. There are plenty of players who have got away with more of that than natural ability – Rooney is 'blessed' with both in abundance.

What would we have given for Rodwell to have had a fraction of that? "Too much Birkdale, not enough Kirkdale" was the phrase I think was coined on this site. For that matter, wouldn't you like to see Ross show a bit of arrogance and snarl?

Ant Dwyer
121 Posted 21/07/2015 at 15:21:45
It's been a long time since Rooney left Everton as a child. He's a world famous global star now and he will bump up the crowd.

Fact is, this is a good thing; hopefully we can find a billionaire asap and sign Rooney up on a permanent. Can't see it though.

Alex Fox
124 Posted 21/07/2015 at 16:16:23
Rooney's goals alone won Everton 12 points in his final season. Without them we almost certainly would have joined Wolves and Leeds in going down and never returning.

It's not too much of a stretch therefore to suggest that Rooney (and the eventual money we received for him) is the reason we're still in the Premier League. There's absolutely nothing to forgive.

He was brilliant and badly-advised. Only 18 years old and subjected to horrendous abuse upon his return to the club he loves. And make no mistake, Rooney loves Everton. You don't clad your child in Royal Blue before they can walk if you don't.

This return could not have come at a better time for the club with the big money vultures circling once again. When fans, players, and officials see the boy-turned-man back on home-turf, and a decade of what ifs flash before their eyes, it must steel the resolve to make sure we keep hold of Barkley, Stones, Ledson, Dowell, and whatever wonders emerge from Finch Farm in the future.

Shane Corcoran
125 Posted 21/07/2015 at 16:38:44
A lot of posters are comparing Rooney leaving Everton to a non-footballer leaving his job to earn more money, develop themselves professionally etc.

That's a fair enough point of view to take as Rooney is a professional after all.

However why then would we see any player leaving in a bad light? If it's just a business then why do any of us care?

There was also a comment saying that most of us on TW would do the same. Is that the general consensus? Would most TW posters ditch their beloved blues for any club willing to pay them more money?

This doesn't add up for me at all.

John Pickles
126 Posted 21/07/2015 at 18:08:37
Who's in midfield... Alex Nyarko?
Paul Washington
127 Posted 21/07/2015 at 19:01:36
Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I for one am glad that most posters are for this. Although I can't see it, I would love him back at a reasonable age.

The disrespect shown by both fans and player was over the top but it's the past, let it go. What can't be let go is Rooney's love of EFC. Yes, he left our shambolic club (and probably saved it) and won trophies and riches down the road, but his son wears blue, he always talks of us with respect and even Sir Arrogant has said he didn't always like playing him against Everton because he is too connected to the club.

Welcome him back; show how decent we are to the footy world.

Ste Traverse
128 Posted 21/07/2015 at 19:30:48
Can anyone please explain to me how the Rooney money was somekind of ’life saver’ as some are suggesting.

With it we bought that carthorse Beattie, the utterly pathetic Simon Davies, the invisible man Per Krøldrup, Andy van der Meyde, who was more interested in getting pissed, and phony Phil Neville.

Four massive flops and one who did a half decent job for us.

This euphoria I'™m seeing over a Man Utd player playing in this testimonial is nothing short of smalltime. Is this what our support is now reduced too??

Danny Broderick
129 Posted 21/07/2015 at 19:20:58
James 118,

I don't understand your comment that it was a business decision. We are talking about football, not trading in the City of London. From memory, he came back from the Euros in Portugal, handed in a transfer request, and confirmed later that he would have gone anywhere just to get away from David Moyes.

Once he'd grown up, he made up with Moyes again. But while his transfer possibly kept the club afloat, he didn't give the club much choice, did he?

I don't think it was a business decision at all. I think Rooney threw his dummy out of the pram, and the club then had to sell him. His money did save the club – true. But he made sure it was him who was sold, not any other players.

Brent Stephens
130 Posted 21/07/2015 at 19:51:50
Danny 129 "I don't understand your comment that it was a business decision. We are talking about football, not trading in the City of London."

Surely the two (football and business) are not mutually exclusive, Danny? In fact, to imply that the club were only interested in football seems to fly in the face of much of the opinion on TW which sees them as more interested in the lolly.

Danny Broderick
132 Posted 21/07/2015 at 20:24:03
Brent,

The two are not mutually exclusive. We need to make ends meet, just like footballers earning £10,000 a week need to make sure they are not spending £11,000 a week.

But we are not a business. I didn't see the business decision in selling Rooney. I saw an impetuous kid demanding a transfer on a whim, which put us in a position where we would have struggled to say No. We sold him in the end, and the rest is history, but I don't think we had much choice to sell him, given the transfer request and our finances at the time...

Christopher Wallace
133 Posted 21/07/2015 at 20:58:10
Ste

Couldn’t agree more with your "small-time" comment.

Eddie Dunn
134 Posted 21/07/2015 at 21:03:52
This is just a friendly match and whether Rooney plays or not is immaterial. I disliked his badge-kissing etc, and have no love for him, but does every guy playing in a charity game have to meet some strict criteria?
Tony Abrahams
135 Posted 21/07/2015 at 21:01:14
I remember reading that Rooney had said to his mother that he was going to get a similar tattoo to Duncan Ferguson's, with the Number 18. His mum talked him out of it by telling him, it might not be that long before he was the Number 9 himself.

This might be part of the master plan, in giving Ferguson a testimonial. Get him to invite Rooney, and see how it goes down with the fans? Rooney left too early, I hope he doesn't come back too late.

Darren Hind
136 Posted 21/07/2015 at 22:28:14
Who gets the call? When is a Blue no longer a Blue ?

Of course he was a young lad when he left and of course he was entitled to go wherever his heart/head told him to go, he was even entitled to snarl back at the Goodison Park crowd who gave him dog's abuse... but it didn't stop there, did it?

The abuse had long since subsided when Stephen Pienaar gave away a very late penalty which Ronaldo converted. Naturally the Mancs went mad. Rooney (who was no longer a boy ) could have celebrated with any section of the 73,000 Mancs inside the ground. He chose to run a hundred yards to taunt the travelling 2,000 blues with his badge kissing. He must have known how sickened we were to concede such a late penalty, but he chose to make a big thing of being a Man Utd player as opposed to being a blue... in front of a gloating Old Trafford.

Was that enough for him to be exbluemunicated? Fuckin' right it was.

Ste Traverse
137 Posted 21/07/2015 at 23:21:22
Well said Darren #136. Top post. Remember that game well.

And what's this deluded nonsense I'm seeing on here he's bringing his kids up as Blues?

His kids where on the Old Trafford pitch after the Mancs last home game of last season....dressed in Man Utd kits.

Another myth blown away.

Steve Durham
138 Posted 21/07/2015 at 23:24:34
I'm getting quite angry at the amount of people who say those of us who are opposed to this are somehow small-time and bitter!?

He left us and never looked back – often taking opportunities to wallow in our pain. Now the fact a Man United player is gonna get some kind of heroes welcome on an Everton occasion is not right. He should stay clear – if he loves Everton as some here think he does, why hasn't he said once in all the time he has been away that he would love to come back one day!

Let's put it this way. I (and many others here) am more of a vehement Evertonian than Wayne Rooney could ever dream of being. If I played for Everton, earning a good living and Manchester United came along and offered triple my wages, I would not leave and would fight with every fibre of my being to stay here. That's not some romantic idealistic notion but from a deep passion of my football club.

I may get dog's abuse for this but Rooney can stay clear from Goodison Park and anyone bending over to welcome him back has a short memory! Everton fan yes, Evertonian no!

Brian Wilkinson
139 Posted 21/07/2015 at 23:56:49
Steve@138, Rooney was sold for financial reasons, in the end he wanted to better his career. Ferguson left for Newcastle, again for financial reasons... one's a hero; the other a villain.

Only difference is Rooney wanted a move after, arguably at the time, the biggest Premier League team came in for him.

Brian Wilkinson
140 Posted 22/07/2015 at 00:05:15
Steve Bull stayed loyal to wolves, all the top clubs were after him, but he said no.

Had Steve Bull had a second chance over again, I am pretty sure he would join the top club, and show his grandkids the medals he won, instead of a couple of England caps.

Steve Durham
141 Posted 22/07/2015 at 00:10:13
Brian 139: not really the only difference though is it.

I was at Goodison the night Duncan was sold. It was horrible - a rumour went round just before kick-off that Ferguson was being sold and all had been agreed before the players had even got to the ground, I saw men in tears that night.

If rumour is to be believed Duncan was told he had to be sold and that Walter Smith had agreed to it (he hadn’t). Ferguson’s dad was in the Winslow after the game screaming blue murder "they have sold my son! that bastard has sold him". Very different to the agitated way Rooney left.

We all know about Rooney’s treatment of EFC since he left us. Robert Lee wrote about Duncan that the first thing he did after a game was ask how Everton had got on. I also know for a fact that Duncan wore Everton training gear for NUFC training days and wrote back to every Evertonian who wished him well. I have a signed photo of Dunc in his NUFC kit which reads "To a true blue from a true blue!".

Very different. Almost unfair to compare the two.

Colin Gee
144 Posted 22/07/2015 at 00:53:58
As Darren #139 said Ronney sold his soul the day he kissed the Man U badge.

Yes, he was a blue, playing for the team he supported as a boy.
I understand if he hadn't been sold the Club could well have gone under, yes I understand that he was once 'one of us' Yes I undersatnd the abuse he's been given over the years rightly or wrongly.

But after that badge kissing incident he as far as I am concerned, he is no longer a blue.
No matter how much you love the club you don't kiss the badge of a rival club having scored against the club you supposedly love.

I wonder what would happen if he broke his leg in this Testimonial...

As the song goes " You're just a fat little knob'ed"

Compare him to another ex blue who got loads of abuse whenever he came back, Gary Speed.
He said he would never tell the reason why he left as it would blow the club apart, we know the reason or most of us have certainly heard the rumours!

Brian Wilkinson
145 Posted 22/07/2015 at 01:07:21
This is why we have fan boards, people Have difference of opinions, not everyone will agree on things.

Some will never forgive Rooney, others will see it different.

I am with the forgiven side, that does not mean others are bitter for still disliking the player.

One I will never forgive is Nick Barmby.

Brian Roberts
146 Posted 22/07/2015 at 07:20:55
For the record, if memory serves, the money we recieved for Rooney was spent on Heitinga (at his best we got 3 years good service). Distin (well worth the £6M) and Bilyaletdinov (well, you decide) – all-in-all, hardly players that saved the club.
Tony Abrahams
147 Posted 22/07/2015 at 07:35:19
I wasn't aware of that, Darren. What was the score in that game?
Stephen Brown
148 Posted 22/07/2015 at 07:53:34
Brian (#1450, I think that was the Lescott money.
Shane Corcoran
149 Posted 22/07/2015 at 09:49:47
What's the relevance of what the Rooney money was spent on? It's not like Rooney thought it'd be great for Everton to get a few quid for me and stay afloat.

He left at 18 to play for a club that would pay him more and give him a better chance of winning trophies. Isn't it that simple?

Brian Roberts
150 Posted 22/07/2015 at 09:54:52
Stephen Brown, my mistake... thanks for pointing it out.

Still, £24 million for Lescott never got us much.

Simon Jones
151 Posted 22/07/2015 at 14:06:35
One day someone might make a film about this. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the news. Are Man Utd really going to let him play for us, even if it’s just a friendly?
Ernie Baywood
155 Posted 23/07/2015 at 00:43:44
We only care about the behavior of blues that we wanted. All over the world there are Evertonians playing for other clubs. I'll bet a few of them have kissed the odd badge.

For me, the only person who knows what he thinks and feels is Rooney himself. And I'll not accept that anyone has the right to declare someone else to not be an Evertonian.

Paul Kelly
156 Posted 23/07/2015 at 02:43:35
For those saying let bygones be bygones I'm assuming that would also apply to Clive Thomas, Collina, Barmby to name a few?
Ciaran Duff
157 Posted 23/07/2015 at 03:00:36
Pretty sure that Rooney has made it clear that he is still a Blue. He has been to games, said so on social media, had his kids bedroom decorated in blue etc. All this while still playing for Man Utd which is pretty unusual for a modern day footballer.
Mark Tanton
158 Posted 23/07/2015 at 05:44:20
We're comparing him to Collina now?
Brian Wilkinson
159 Posted 24/07/2015 at 00:09:31
Paul@124 why not throw the Jack Russell at West Brom in the Seventies that dribbled the ball as well into the mix.

I do not recall Rooney costing us a disallowed goal, he simply signed for the most sucessful premiership club, paines me to say it but its a fact.

AJ Doran
160 Posted 25/07/2015 at 08:57:28
This is the strangest thing ever. Rooney is not an Everton player! Why on earth is he being allowed to put on the jersey?

I don’t give a fuck if he once looked up to big Dunc, the fact is Rooney is not one of our players and has insulted Everton on way to many occasions since he left. Those of you who have gotten over his departure or are indifferent to him shouldn’t stop you from asking the question, What the fuck has Rooney got to do with Everton now? The answer is zippo, nothing...

If Rooney was a retired balding fatass no longer playing at United then maybe I could maybe understand some of the posts on here, but fact are he is and its embarrassing for Everton that this carry on is being allowed.

Brian Williams
161 Posted 25/07/2015 at 12:49:49
From some of the posts on here, I can see why the other lot refer to us as the "Bitters". Some of the bitterness comes across as desperate people expecting Rooney not to have made a career decision (if it even WAS his decision) and to have stayed and wallowed in mediocrity with the rest of us. It’s like wanting to slag off your much more successful mate who leaves the area and prospers somewhere else... because you don’t want him to succeed because you’re not succeeding. It’s small time and naive to the extreme.

People should accept that when a Crocky lad gets dog's abuse from thousands who think the world stops at the Lancashire border, he’s gonna react in a way that he hopes will hurt as much as the abuse hurts him.

People who claim they would never leave the Blues if they were a player are living in cloud Cuckoo land... that’s how you "think" you’d be because you’re looking at it from purely a supporter’s point of view.

I’ll be taking my two sons to the game and I’ll be made up that they WILL now get the chance to see Rooney in a blue shirt. I was gutted when he left as they were too young to go the game then and that was my biggest regret, them not seeing him "live" in an Everton shirt.

And for those of you who may disagree with me and think I can’t be a proper Evertonian if I don’t hate Rooney, then that’s just the small-mindedness coming through.

You feel how you want and I’ll feel how I want; if YOU hate him... DON’T GO.

Michael Kenrick
162 Posted 25/07/2015 at 17:55:36
AJ Doran, and those others who have such a vehement problem with Rooney playing in a testimonial for his old club (hardly unheard of in the annals of football), want us more tolerant Evertonians to answer this question:

"What the fuck has Rooney got to do with Everton now?"

It’s quite simple: "Once a Blue, Always a Blue." Isn’t that more than enough?

How many times have you heard former players using the phrase "Once Everton has touched you..."?

Rooney in is heart is clearly still an Evertonian; always has been.

I know these things are obviously hard to accept given your firmly held convictions; however, that does not in any way make them untrue.

AJ Doran
163 Posted 26/07/2015 at 10:13:12
Michael, we all know Rooney’s blood is Blue, we all know that Everton are small fry compared to Man Utd, we all know he left for money and to help that lot win more trophies, we all know he didn't turn out to be the player he could have been (because he left?), we all know now that as true fans we are expected to let time be the healer and be the better for it, we all know now that that will never happen and that Rooney has a place is many Everton fans' eyes as the greatest ever Judas of this club.

This testimonial, right before the season starts, having an over-the-hill Rooney welcomed back and parading around in a Blue shirt while he has no contract with us and has such a ignominious history with the club and fans alike, will only do two things: (i) overshadow Big Dunc's great day and (ii) is to guarantee Rooney a place back here and a nice hefty contact when his legs have truly gone aka Gazza/Ginola.

It's embarrassing and I don't want him back here, period.

He is quite welcome to watch us in those VIP boxes provided he pays which I'm sure he doesn't; otherwise, he can jog on back to Manchester in his true redshirt.

Michael Kenrick
164 Posted 26/07/2015 at 18:53:23
"Overshadow Big Dunc’s great day"?!?!

I think you’ll find it was Big Dunc who invited him... to help celebrate Big Dunc’s great day. I’m just curious how you rationalise that bit to yourself? After all.. if it’s Big Dunc’s great day... and he’s gets to choose...

Would you have some spotty oik telling you who can and can’t come to your own birthday party?

Not sure this guarantees him a place back at Goodison and a hefty contract when his legs have gone. Might be a little premature to be worrying about that.

This is just a testimonial... for charity. I suspect most Evertonians who attend will do so with no embarrassment, and I also think the crowd will be boosted by this. Typically a 20k attendance for such a testimonial... I'm thinking 25k -- maybe more if the Mancs come along too!
Paul Ellam
165 Posted 26/07/2015 at 19:02:14
I will be there at the game and I will be cheering Rooney on.

I was gutted when he left, but his sale helped pull the club back from the brink in my eyes, so it was bearable. I never really held a grudge against him as an individual although I didn’t like it when he kissed their badge.

Still, it’s only football. I have much bigger things to worry about in life so he gets a thumbs up on his return from me.

Graham Mockford
166 Posted 26/07/2015 at 19:12:19
Some crackers on here but my favourite is Pete Fearon #85:

"Rooney isn’t fit to tie Dunc’s boots"

Well sadly enough Dunc wasn’t fit enough to tie his own boots on far too many occasions. One of the most naturally endowed centre-forwards who, if he had shown a modicum of effort, could have been a great player. Unfortunately his ability to motivate himself in many games, his ability to remain fit or not get sent off, meant he ultimately under-achieved.

Unlike a player who will end his career with a sack load of medals, a host of individual records and most importantly a burning desire to give his best every time he crosses the white line.

I was disappointed when he left, but I understood why he did. It was 11 years ago and ultimately it was the right decision for him. Anybody to my mind who still wants to get all upset about it is a bit fucking odd.

Shane Corcoran
167 Posted 26/07/2015 at 20:19:38
Any chance that Gerrard, Carragher or Owen will line out for the Blues?

It'd be great to have them back on the blue side.

I bet if you cut them open they'd bleed blue too.

AJ Doran
168 Posted 26/07/2015 at 20:55:19
Not really interested in the monetary aspect, Media will have a field day with this garbage while we are in silly season. He shouldnt be allowed to play in a Blue shirt again, ever, unless we're paying him for playing for us. He has got some balls for agreeing to do this though or maybe not?! hope some give him a proper good roasting when watching this. Testimonial or not, certain bridges we burnt by the man and letting him play for us again in any capacity is a joke. Big Dunc was a legend for the passion and time he devoted to this club. If Rooney wasnt Rooney do you think he would be asked to play?

Danny Cadamarteri better be fucking playing too....


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