Rooney to return for Ferguson testimonial

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!!

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.

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.

Water under the bridge. Move on.

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 㿀 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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)

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.

Dean@55, Funny lol.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Spot 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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??

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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?

Still, 㿄 million for Lescott never got us much.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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

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

Danny Cadamarteri better be fucking playing too....