I always felt Moyes’s biggest handicap to getting that job was his negative and limited "brand" of football. Perhaps he’s realised that and that’s why he’s changing it eh.

I’ll get in touch with my contacts: "Deep throat" (she’s a lovely girl!) & the "Lone Gunman" to confirm this conspiracy theory.

Now back to researching that UFO over Michael Howard’s house!

Saturday went a long way to postponing that event for another season at least!

Most footballers are measured in their careers by the things they win and I'm sure that Rooney wanted to win lots of caps and trophies. I'm afraid he would not have won a fraction of the medals and caps if he had stayed in the squad he left.

Now he has blossomed into an almost complete player and I for one would love him to come back one day... sooner rather than later...

Darren took Peterborough United from 2nd division to Championship in two seasons before falling out with the PU chairman and mutually parting ways. PNE are now lower mid table in the championship however posh are now bottom and Ferguson has managed to stablize PNE from relegation fodder, all this on the price of a bus ticket.

My thoughts are that SAF is holding on to the Man United seat until he wins a ninetenth title and possibly another Champions League as well as keeping the seat warm while his son matures.

The only black mark against young Darren is a conviction for domestic violence. Given Man United's past history (Tommy Docherty) it maybe an injustice too far.

DM would be unlikely to achieve the former at Everton unless BK sold out to a mega billionaire similar to Chelsea or Manchester City. In that event he would surely stay on with Everton.

Who, of sound mind, would want to replace such an iconoclastic legend, who’s been at the helm a quarter of a century, and who would be impossible to eclipse?

Obviously, someone, at some point, will assume the position, and I’m inclined to agree with Dickie Price: a foreigner (Riijkaard, Sven, Jose, Bilic, Koeman et al) with a tokenistic old boy, as coach (G Neville, Keane, Robson, Ole Gunnar etc) will be the direction they go in.

On a completely different tangent — Jags is back! How good is that?

I watched his face on Saturday, staring at Rodwell and the fans’ mutual love-in while the Old Lady roared and rocked. He looked like I did everytime I subsequently saw the lovely girl I stupidly ditched and lost at 18...

In reality, Manure without him aren’t a great team, they won't let him go to Chelski so Barca or Madrid is his likely destination within the next 2 yrs, coming back to us???

I would hope we don't want him in 7-8 years time, as he’ll be a big fat bastard by then. The Moyes question, Ian got it right: European pedigree is what they want and not the shit Europa Cup but the big one.

I’ve posted this before but like thousands of footballers before him, Rooney looked at what was on offer at Everton and didn’t like what he saw, he wanted to win trophies and play at the highest level and who can blame him? It's hardly his fault that the stewardship of our great club has been so poor that we have fallen so far behind the so-called big 4 (and remember, we were once a member of the so-called big 5).

But having said that, if there was any chance of getting him back, I’d drive up to Manchester personally and fetch him: put Rooney in this current side and it's a Premier League winning side!

I think in retrospect, probably Moyes could’ve handled it in a different way... even though the results being the same. Hence less resulting vitriol aimed at Rooney. Rooney was only 18 at the time. I would give an 18-year-old the benefit of a doubt.

When Rooney came to the scene with the Dixie 100-year patch on our kit, it was like the Second Coming. He was destined to be the chosen one. Only George Lucas could make this up. Seduced by Darth Manu, only to be saved by the birth of his son. It’s A New Hope all over again. COYB MTFBWY

Neil,

Firstly, I am an avid Everton fan. Now that is out of the way, recently just before Everton's recent victory over Man Utd at Goodison, all the media from newspapers to TV were creaming at the recent performances of a certain Wayne Rooney. Perhaps rightly so. Many were rating Rooney as even the best player in the world. Doubtful.

I tend to watch every Barcelona game on Sky Sports in the Spanish League and in the Champions League, and although Rooney's recent performances have been of the highest standard, he still has some way to go to match the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta's almost faultless and wonderfully skilled performances over a much longer period of time.

Everton's result and performance against Man Utd was nothing short of magnificent. United complained about injuries, Everton had Cahill, Fellaini and Jagielka out. United complained about playing in midweek, Everton played the same night and Milan is not exactly a million miles away. United had no grounds for complaints. Everton simply out-fought, out-played and generally were the better team all over the park. This was even more amazing considering United had the new 'best player in the world' in their ranks, who was on top of his game.

The Everton defence contained Rooney to a bit-part player, without their best defender, Jagielka, the best tackler at the club, Hibbert, and without a defensive midfielder. Heitinga was outstanding which is turning into the norm since being moved into the centre-back roll and Distin composed and assured, not bad for a stop gap replacement. Neville's leadership skills organised a well deserved team victory.

Fast forward to last night's game at Old Trafford and the admiration for England's star man continues. I'm not saying I disagree with all the plaudits but in your column today you state:

"Rooney is now among the greatest to have played here (Old Trafford in 100 years) in that time."

and

"He is unstoppable, without parallel in the game at the moment."

The media in this country have a tendency to build up players far too quick and then watch them fall even quicker. Rooney is arguably England's best player at present. Possibly in the top 10 players in the world, top 5 doubtful and definitely not the best in the world, even on current form. If current form, is all that matters, surely Leon Osman would be better than Rooney for the way he controlled the game at Goodison?

There is more to football than just the big players or the big clubs, let the 'little' (as Benitez once described Everton) clubs get the credit they deserve. Rooney's performance against Everton may have just been a blip, a one-off bad performance. However, it might have been something more. It might have been Everton did manage to stop the unstoppable, Heitinga a better defender than Rooney is a forward, Moyes a better tactician to stop Rooney playing.

All I'm trying to say, is give credit where it's due. If Rooney is this greatest ever player that Man Utd have had and the best player in the world who is unstoppable, then give Everton more credit than one day's worth as it is them who tamed England's lion.