Rooney 'ready to go' as he targets silverware with Everton

And he looks good in the shirt.

He has two years to sign off a great career by helping this generation of players achieve what wasn't possible back when he left, and win some silverware.

In any case, bye bye Rom. How much does a new stadium cost?

I think he's wanted this move for a while now. A nice Number 10 role for me... his legs may have gone but his football brain certainly not.

I genuinely think he will add so much to the squad on and off the pitch. He's still got a lot to offer; just wages, so a no-brainer for me.

Good luck, son. As for the PJs – he bought them off my market stall for a fiver, lol.

If anything having Rooney on the pitch should open up space for other players such as Sandro.

This is redemption at long last. It was obvious he was always a Blue through and through... only sad to see some fans on here repeatedly denying it. Hopefully Wayne can finally shut them up by giving us some inspirational football on the pitch that has been so lacking for so long.

Welcome back, Wayne!

Got his glory at Man Utd. Now on his way back. Will welcome him with open arms (and a clean pair of PJs).

Try the link or you will have to copy the link in your browser –- it went crazy with over 80,000 hits with mainly RS calling me unpleasant names– shows how worried they are I guess.

Link

Welcome home, Wayne!

Rom who?

Time for special things to happen.

You can do it!

I don't care if he is the Man Utd's record goal scorer, I bet none of those goals gave him the same elation as that goal against Arsenal all those years ago.

I can't wait for this season to start – and neither can Wayne, I bet.

Once a Blue, always a Blue!

Great to have Wayne back because he wants to BE HERE... Only time will tell if this move has a happy ending. I certainly hope so, one of the few last Roy of the Rovers stories that could go down in history if he lands us a trophy...

Welcome back Wayne I look forward to seeing your boys at the old lady cheering you on...

Play him as striker with others to do his running for him and he will score plenty of goals.

As for Lukaku he clearly had no love for the club but, as a piece of business, he was a very good buy. Just a shame he couldn't have worked harder here!!

The special one has made many a knee jerk error in selling players a little to early.

Hoping to add Rooney to that list.

Glad he's back.

I'm made up Wayne's back – let's hope 'Everton are back' as well!

George, I saw you on Granada Reports, typical of you! Enjoyed it.

Still buzzing about Wayne. How the hell have his legs gone? He's 31, not 41. He's never had a bad injury. He lost his mojo and now he's home he'll have it back.

Let's sign someone who can link up perfect with Wayne and Sandro. A true No 9.

On the subject of transfers, I was in town with a plastic red, he went into Greggs and came out eating a pastie. I pretended to look at my phone.

Me: "Oh wow"
Him: "What?"
Me: "Suarez is having a medical at Goodison"
Him: "Aggh, urgggg, flaaa" choking on his pastie.
I laughed so hard I almost shit myself.

Defensive/Central Midfield looks solid with the likes of Gueye, Schneiderlin, Besic, Davies, Barry and McCarthy competing for playing time. If we need to play wider we have the option of Bolasie & Lookman.

Central defence is covered, though replacing Funes Mori with Van Djik would be the icing on the cake. We have a top class keeper.

Providing the Giroud & Sigurdsson deals come through (and right now I have no reason to doubt they will) we just need a bit more cover at full back. I think Kenny will fill in admirably for Coleman.

Really, really excited to get going now. I know there are a lot of new faces, but most of them have plenty of Premier League experience (bar Sandro) so should gel quickly, plus they have a full pre-season to get settled in.

We have two routes into the Champions League and I think the potential to mount a title challenge. Perhaps still a little behind Chelsea, but Leicester did it with hard work and a great chemistry. With the players Koeman/Walsh/Moshiri have brought in I can see those same ingredients.

We have offloaded the egomaniac and have a really good blend of youth and experience. I can't quite believe all this is really happening after all these years of struggle!

As some posters have said, at least he is a winner (not a whinger like the other big lazy, egotistical lump).

I look forward to our time at the top again and hopefully the demise of the not so special one.

Rooney is here more than just a player. Koeman would use his presence in the dressing room and training ground IMO. The only catch is his salary as I think it is too high for this gamble. I do see him doing great things with us but it is a pricey gamble nonetheless.

With the other signings, and it looks like more to come, we should be set up to play possibly 60-odd games.

I am delighted he is back and I must remind Mr Moshiri to invest in more footballs to replace the ones he kicks to his mates in the kick-in.

Note to Santa – Rooney pj's please.

Now that he's here I guess we hope for the best but I honestly can't see him being able to play the pressing game Koeman wants. He is not and never will be a top midfielder. We've had enough square pegs in round holes over the years so I really hope its not the plan to play him in midfield in some 'quarterback' role where everyone else has to do the running. Didn't work when he tried it for England or Man Utd and it hasn't worked when other 'ageing stars' have tried it when their legs have gone.

He's wearing the 10 so presumably that means (a) he'll play up top next to or just behind the main striker (whoever that may be), and (b) with his salary, media circus and shirt number, he won't be sitting on the bench and will be in the starting XI (at the start of the season anyway).

Hope it works out for the team but, more importantly, if it looks early on that he's not going to be able to contribute as imagined, the club has some sort of get out and we don't have to pay him 㾻m odd over the next 2 years for the odd substitute cameo role or just for the Europa League games.

Am pretty sure had he not been at Everton as a kid we would not be signing him now, based on footballing abilities alone. I just hope the quality other signings are not forgotten about when the inevitable 'coming home' drama will be built up in the press.

I bet he's given the captains arm band to boot, so Kenwright can add the icing to his theatre drama 'Rooney coming home' cake.

Btw, I couldn't less care about the badge kissing and how he left, all so long ago and I'm not bitter about that. I am completely against signing him because I just don't think he's good enough for what we want to achieve and the inevitable circus may be a negative for the dressing room. Never mind his questionable off field antics which won't have a positive impact on the youngsters – the guys smokes, ffs.

He's still got it, but he needs to play through the centre and let players like Gueye and Klaassen do his running. He still has that class and intelligence to see a pass early, unlike Barkley.

A great signing imo, and he will be highly motivated, because – let's face it – he is an Evertonian!

I always remember before he left lifting his blue jersey to show a tee shirt underneath with the words 'Once a Blue, Always a Blue'. Shortly after, he went to Man Utd.

What I really disliked about him was the way he celebrated with enthusiasm when he scored against you. Normally, ex-players show respect for a club they supposedly love.

I genuinely feel sorry for your supporters who can see through his false persona. 😈

At least Barkley now knows he will be playing with selfless players who will work with him and for the team. Here's hoping it will all fit into place now.

Denis – That's the whole point of why this is potentially a great deal for the club!

Koeman has made it clear that he needs to be performing to be playing, but the Rooney 'x factor' is what he can give to the squad throughout the week. He is emotionally invested in the future success of the club and brings a wealth of experience of competing at the highest level.

There is literally no-one else like him available to our club at this moment in time and the experiment deserves some time to see if it can bear fruit.

As far as his play being something that will put us over the top, I don't think that for one minute. I think he does have a lot of talent and skill, a wealth of experience and still has a big name in the game.

I just don't need to hear about Everton pajamas and all that nonsense. He left and was right to do so, he proved it. He won just about everything there is to win at the Club level, earned an enormous amount of money in what is a short career window.

Now he's come back and I think he will be a positive impact with the squad as well as, and in my opinion more importantly, greatly increasing the brand recognition of Everton FC. That's what is needed to get the shirt sponsorship at the same level as those above us, and absolutely is being considered with a new stadium on the way that will have a sponsor attached.

It's now time to see just how much the new marketing department at the club has improved under Moshiri.

Welcome back, Wayne.

There's a lot of talk about "rewriting history" on the other thread. All I remember is that Moyes tried to sign Alan Smith saying he wanted to play him up front with Rooney. Then I remember Rooney releasing a statement saying he wanted to leave to win trophies.

A verifiable fact or two would be welcome rather than a few "I think that's".

I do not want this ride to stop and let's hope we get a couple of derby wins in the first season. Now wouldn't that be something.

Romu, Romuwho?

Romu, Romuwho??

Romu, Romuwho???

Who the fuck's Lukaku????/p>

Mourhino says he had a lot of respect for Wayne and said it was sad that he couldn't play him as much as Wayne wanted. But we have to remember that Wayne couldn't get into a side that finished one place ahead of us in the league. So I just hope that our supporters don't expect Wayne to be able to be the player that he once was.

Bring in another 20+ goal a season striker to replace America's most wanted and watch us go. Time to make history again.

In Rooneys first ( I know!) autobiography he claimed Moyes's lack of support and attitude forced him out of Everton.

Moyes initiated a libel case against Rooney which ended up being settled out of court. Subsequent editions of the book had the passage removed.

I guess you pays your money but I always thought Moyes's handling of Rooney was pretty poor. I think he had a bit of a Fergie complex thinking he had to be all alpha male and keep Rooney in his place. In reality, Rooney could just say fuck you, there are teams who want to give me 10 times my wages.

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I own a pair

It seems in his book – the one Moyes sued over – Rooney saw him as overbearing, controlling and ultimately responsible for his transfer to Manchester United in 2004. Put like that, it sounds like Moyes was just being a manager, but in that dreadful last season, something was clearly seriously wrong between Moyes and Rooney.

Given the club's dire financial situation, and Wayne being the potential/eventual golden goose egg... was Moyes doing someone's bidding to make him unsettled? Or did he mess up his development for other reasons? All speculation on my part of course... but completely unfounded? Well, it depends how much of the story you feel inclined to piece together.

If you're a Moyes lover, and gawd knows we still have plenty of them, you're not going to hear a word said against the miserable Presbyterian. So best not read this post.

He knows what happened, and others do too. ;-)

WTF!! ... best transfer business this Summer would be getting him out. Three seasons of gormless meandering. What do you watch???

What I do think is he'll leave everything out on the pitch. I'm expecting us to really push for silverware this season we've got a squad shaping up nicely to be the dark horse team. Definitely excited for the season to begin. COYB's!!!!

I think you are correct in a lot of ways. The relationship between Moyes and Rooney was poor in the final season.

I think it's conspiracy theory on steroids that Moyes deliberately engineered a situation to force Rooney out of the club. I think he just managed it badly.

And of course Rooney had to pay Moyes considerable damages in an out of court settlement for suggesting such.

In the end I'm convinced by his statement. "Sorry I'm going but I want more money and some silverware."

Let's hope we can now get some more silverware but in a blue shirt.

Must have imagined that he was going to join Newcastle in order to force United to come forward and the fact he slapped in a transfer request the weekend before the deadline.

Mourinho said: "It is no secret that I have long been an admirer of Wayne. He has been a model professional throughout his time at the club." Rom & his agent will never hear words like that attributed them.

Which Sky interview was it?

We're 80/1 to win the league. And 90/1 to get relegated. Which, according to the bookies' estimates, puts us upper mid-table, i.e. 7th.

I was expecting odds on how many points we'd win the league by!!!

My hopes (realistically):-
(a) 4th
(b) A trophy (League Cup please)
(c) The double over Liverpool.
(d) Repeated after-match phone-ins on Radio Merseyside with kopites complaining about the money we've spent and are we trying to buy the title? And they can't jeopardise our World Heritage status with thas stadium cos it's our year etc etc. (All in a Norwegian dialect.)

I had professional dealings with a locally well known Evertonian and after a dire away game at Birmingham in 03-04, where I think we lost 3-0 , he told me that he saw Rodney's dad in the stand and said to him that he never thought he'd see an Everton side with Wayne Rooney play so poorly. Rooney Sr responded with "What do you expect when that red haired prick plays him out wide?"

However, I don't buy into the assertion that he was forced out. There were a number of factors, not least that he was outgrowing us at an alarming rate and also we were in the shit financially. Sadly, the way it played out left a bad taste with many people.

Ultimately, he has had a great career and is one of the best British players ever. His goalscoring records back that up. I'm glad he's back to supplement the signings we've made and hopefully will further make.

People will always have it in for Kenwright, and many have been sceptical about Koeman, Moshiri and Walsh, myself included, but if you can't be excited about what is happening at the club at the moment, I think you should pack it all in and do something else.

Great thread – this and the earlier thread before he had put pen to paper spoilt by Moyes getting a mention. He is one former employee who I pray will never return!

Welcome home, Wayne – would love him to run out against Stoke in his jim-jams but not because he overslept!

No point trying to re-write history. Rooney was well out of order. He should have given us 3 or 4 years before going (like Torres at Atletico Madrid) and no-one could have really held it against him.

In any case, it doesn't really matter. We have all moved on, and I am delighted to have him back. Even if it is for the twilight of his career. He's better than any other number 10 on the books. Better than Kone and Valencia. And he should be good for 10 goals and 10 assists this season.

He will also give us some narky leadership. We have often been too nice in the past. Rooney is a horrible little so and so, he'll be in the ref's ear, and he'll also expect us to turn up away at the top 4 – something which hasn't always been the case.

He's a great signing for all of these reasons, but please don't re-write history and say he was forced out of the club – he wasn't. He was made a record offer to stay. He couldn't wait to get out of here as soon as he'd hit the big time with the England team in Portugal 2004.

I remember telling my son "This one won't leave, a proper blue" and seeing his reaction two years later.

I always felt that, once Rooney had won everything and made his money, he could have seen out a contract and come back for free at any time over the last however many years... but he didn't.

He may love the club but, if his love for the club was like ours, he'd have been home at least as soon as Moyes left.

When he walks out in the shirt, I'll be behind him, of course I will, he's an Everton player. Same as Franny Jeffers.

Would I have wanted McMahon back around 1990? Definitely not... but if it had happened, then I'd have got behind him when out on the pitch, though I still remember the feeling when the ageing David Johnson was dumped on us by the Red Shite.

I still feel a little embarrassment about this, though, because it's Man Utd... again and once again, they have taken our top striker.

Looking on the bright side, only 9 more years till Fellaini returns! 😊

I can't see how this can go wrong. Well no, only if the Muppets who can't get over it, boo him. Because that will happen as some people haven't got two brain cells to rub together.

Moyes made Rooney unhappy at the club by unbelievably not playing him at times and playing him out wide.

Moyes was happy to sell him as he has admitted (sucking up to Man Utd and Ferguson) and then Moyes wasted every penny we got for Rooney buying shite!

And well said, Stephen Schofield, we should all be chuffed Rooney's come back.

COYB!

Do you all think that, if he does win a trophy with Everton, it will be his most treasured than the ones he won at Man Utd???

He became a bigger brand than them and, with Ronaldo and Beckham out of the way, they struggled with Rooney + Stretford having them over a barrel.

Watch him go now, for the club he really loves.

He did settle out of court after making that allegation in his autobiography.

1 Chelsea
2 Man City
3 Everton
4 Arsenal
5 Tottenham
6 Man Utd
7 Liverpool

Jose out by March 2018

I think our training coach and tactics will use the best of what he has left and I think it will be a perfect fit. Welcome back, lad!

Ronald Koeman really is buying a team that is full of 10+ goal a season players rather than relying on one. To me it's a great plan if, like Lukaku at the end of last season, our striker goes missing ,there will be plenty of backup who are more than capable of carrying the load and scoring goals.

With Sigurdsson, Klaassen, Sandro, Barkley, Rooney and hopefully another striker, Lukaku won't be missed and we won't be on tenterhooks every time our Number 9 goes down.

I include Moyes in that because he lost the momentum from when we finished 7th and I suspect was being the disciplinarian because it worked to stop us being relegated and got us to 7th but when things went wrong, he probably continued doing it and it backfired. He was a young manager.

Rooney was also embroiled in a few tawdry headlines and does anybody remember the incident at Pompey when he pushed an opponent over? But he was mint for England, hence the eventual move.

I also recall the departing Tomasz Radzinski saying some disparaging things about the club and encouraging Rooney to leave, then the random Newcastle bid and us having very little money to strengthen. We were in very bad shape.

My conclusion? Moyes was struggling as a manager (has anyone heard that in the run up to the next season post-Rooney he softened up by leaving little notes of encouragement in the players lockers?) and this episode along with the 2003-04 finish made him a better manager. But I don't think he was instrumental in Rooney going.

I think the triumvirate of Alex Ferguson desperate for him, the board needing the money, and Paul Stretford were the factors for his departure.

So to blame Moyes for him going is wide of the mark. Hey, dropping deep too often and driving expectations down, I'll accept Moyes was guilty there but Rooney going? Nah.

Happy Bob?

Quote at the time:

'David Moyes, the manager of Everton, accepted "substantial" undisclosed libel damages yesterday over a "wholly untrue" allegation in Wayne Rooney's autobiography that he leaked details of a confidential conversation with the striker.'

Not for saying he left Everton when he did because of Moyes.

I'm commenting, in general, as I see it as a Yank, Evertonian since only 1999.

Rooney had great potential, Blue "for life" but as I saw it, the difference between his performances with Everton and those with the England side were "glaring". He needed to be at a club with greater support. I was sad to see the transfer but sadly recognized he needed to progress at a higher club level.

We have improved and circumstances being what they are at Man Utd he recently has been underused. Wayne will be a positive addition for Everton, brings experience, knowledge, a winning attitude that will be all positive to our younger players as well as our veterans.

Only part of the story

A quote from the Telegraph

"In the book Rooney claims he told Moyes he wanted to leave Everton after a newspaper revealed he had visited prostitutes.

The footballer goes on to suggest Moyes leaked details of the conversation to the Liverpool Echo newspaper, which led Rooney to leave the club he had supported from childhood."

That part of the book was removed in all future prints.

What's more pertinent, Andrew (#77), is what Rooney thought at the time. Which is why he wrote in his book that Moyes was instrumental in him leaving Everton after that awful season.

First, we were 15 points out of the top four last season, and I do not see our signings so far making a 15 point difference. (I reserve the right to adjust this assessment if Sigurdsson and Giroud come in.) And the sides above us will strengthen as well.

Second, our two most important attack signings, Klaassen and Sandro, have never played in the Premier League. It could take them a while to get up to speed.

Third, a team with this many changes will take a while to jell properly and learn to play together.

And fourth, there will be no time for "bedding in" because our early league schedule is brutal. After the Goodison opener against Stoke, the next four are City away, Chelsea away, Spurs at home and Man Utd away. We could easily be in the relegation zone after five games. That's a deep hole to climb out of.

So while I share the optimism about where this young team is headed, I believe they'll need a full season to grow into a top-four side. I predict sixth this year and a full-on explosion the next.

Graham - Your full quote is still nothing to do with Rooney saying he left Everton when he did because of Moyes.

I remember at the time thinking Rooney will leave Everton because of the way Moyes was treating him, leaving him out the team and playing him out of position, which was ridiculous.

So are we really saying that Rooney, without whatever Moyes did or didn't do, would have remained?

There were rumours going round that summer that we were hugely in debt. The Moyes / Rooney story was a sideshow. The club needed money, Streford was hawking him round and SAF had made him his priority.

My problem with the "twat" remarks about Moyes is that he was not instrumental in Rooney leaving (as the court order demonstrated) and we went on to finish 4th with a low budget squad. For me, Rooney going was the sad inevitability of a board who'd been forced to sell our best players regularly due to debt and mismanagement.

There's a few posts on this and other threads that explain the mitigating circumstances around the infamous badge-kissing. But you're right in that a number of the Rooney haters use this as one of the reasons for their continuing hatred.

Others saw at the time a brilliant footballer who loved the club he'd grown up with for 10 years, a fantastic talent pushed out of the club by a manager who failed to utilize him properly and who nearly got the side relegated in the process.

They saw a conflicted 18-year-old being mercilessly hammered by the fans who had idolized him months earlier, and it was his way of standing up to them. Some still bear the grudge; most seem to have moved on.

Throughout his time at Man Utd, Rooney retained his obvious love for Everton despite how he'd been treated. Hence the prevailing truth in that almost equally famous tee-shirt: "Once a Blue, Always a Blue" – that is his true persona, not a false one,

The background to it, though, was an awful season where the relationship between him and Moyes had seriously deteriorated. That is in the book and was not expunged – as the focus of the libel case was pretty narrow (see above).

Thing is, if you don't believe Moyes played a significant role in him leaving, then no facts I put before you are going to change that mindset. It's called 'confirmation bias' and it's very powerful!

I just think the £'s came first.

I had the same beliefs in 2004...I certainly wasn't blaming Moyes at the time, I was just sad that our club was such a mess. So the "confirmation bias" stuff is a leap.

I do not understand this narrative whereby people want to do Moyes down. There are much bigger fish to fry.

Each to his own. I am personally pleased to see Rooney return and hope he and Jags can hold a pot aloft this season.

Disappointed as I was at the time of his move to Manure, I have never held any rancour against the 18-year-old Rooney as many did (and continue to hold, in some cases!).

That summer of 2004 he lit up the Euros in Portugal and was the standout talent, even more so than the home boy favourite, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Injured as he was in the semi against Portugal, he of course never kicked a ball again for Everton on his return, even though the chairman declared to the world the boy was not for sale, 'not even for 㿞m.'

Wayne Rooney was the tiddler in a sea of sharks. Can anyone realistically believe it was Rooney himself who fly baited all the players to push through his transfer?

The corporate suits, the Glazzers, at United? The most successful club manager (and tyrant) in the history of the game, Alex Ferguson? The theatre impresario, Bill Kenwright? The morally challenged agent, Paul Stretford?

To add to the mix, this was the summer BK and Paul Gregg had their power struggle for control of the club and Trevor Birch came and went in a matter of weeks.

With all this going on, to say Moyes was the principle reason WR left for Manure is a considerable stretch, IMO.

Bobby Robson at Newcastle started the ball rolling with a bid at the Manure machine kicked into action. Everton promised to make Wayne the highest paid player in the club's history. Moyes went public and said he wanted to name him as captain. To force things through, Wayne put in a transfer request. In Fergie's biography he recalled BK phoning his mam once the deal was sealed, in tears, saying "They're taking our boy, ma . they're taking our boy."

Subsequently, in Rooney's first biography he did accuse Moyes of betraying a trust in relation to Rooney's 'Granny Shagging.' No mention at all of being dissatisfied at how he was being used or asked to play by Moyes.

It is indisputable and on court record that Moyes sued for defamation, Rooney retracted and apologised and that passage was removed from subsequent prints of the book.

It is also on record and indisputable that Moyes donated the entire sum of the damages he received from Rooney on this matter to the Everton Former Players Fund. Some 'twat', eh?

It is also on record and indisputable – you can hear Rooney saying the words himself in the 'Wayne's World' BBC documentary some linked to on TW - that he later phoned Moyes to apologize. Moyes himself confirms this and told Wayne "forget it – it's in the past."

We received a world record fee for a player under 20 at the time. That money, arguably, saved the club from even more dire straits.

Moyes worked miracles that season and got us 4th. It was all the more credible that he did so with the same team – minus Rooney! – that finished 17th the season before. AND without being able to immediately spend any of the money generated from the Rooney transfer as, in typical Everton fashion, the deal went through on the last day of the summer transfer window.

Me thinks the likes of Michael Kenrick and Jim Wilson are way off beam on this subject in this thread.

Can only agree with all the above – you put it better than I did sir.

You've got to remember just how much of a hot property Wayne Rooney was back in summer 2004. You couldn't go a day without at least one rag riffing on the 'Rooney is too big to remain at Everton' theme. They were literally dripping down their leg at the prospect of the lad pulling on a different shirt.

You've also got to remember how his own actions served to increase the spotlight, scrutiny and speculation during that time, whilst simultaneously making it less likely he would stay.

There were stories about Rooney rejecting a significantly improved contract offer as Everton sought to keep him. He was coming under fire locally for, stupidly, selling his 'life story' to the Sun (for a considerable sum) after they anointed him the 'nations' new hero. Throw in the Pound Stretcher remake of Pretty Woman (no romance, no Roy Orbison, and ropier looking leads) along with a pissed-off other half and you can see why moving away might suddenly have increased in appeal, even before you lob in the enticing lure of 'competing for trophies' and trading an autocratic boss for...err Alex Ferguson.

The only question left for me is what has the lad got left to give our team now? He is saying all the right things and he definitely hasn't played too much football over the last 2 years so I hope that he can provide something for us.

Trouble is, I am not totally sure I can work out what that is at the moment, I assume he will not be playing central midfield... so Number 10 then?

● The ill-advised Sun column – who advised him? Stretford. In full knowledge of the impact it would have on his reputation.

● Dishonourable mention also to Kenny Dalglish, a shareholder of Proactive and who was in the family's ear to get Rooney switched to Stretford's "tutelage".
● Grannygate. Wayne wasn't alone that night – there was another player with him from the RS. But he wasn't a big name, so wasn't part of the narrative and it only emerged months later.

Like many on here, I didn't want him to return, as I didn't think an aging, pint-loving and occasional smoker was going to be what we needed. However, it's looked inevitable for a long time now, and to be fair having seen the pictures recently, he looks in the best shape he's been in for some time.

To those saying he's taken a pay cut – I don't think he has – for the first year at least. Man U are supposedly topping up his wages so he's still on 𧷤k. Everton are just paying half of it. Still, at least Kenwright fulfils his promise of making him the highest paid player in our history – albeit 13 years later...

Bless his little cotton socks.

Some serious re-writing of history here. Rooney never minded playing left wing for SAF.

Jay (93) is spot on with the indisputable facts.

Can we do a Leicester City? It would be brilliant but I think I have more chance of winning the lotto. But I think Rooney will make a impact – more behind the scenes than on the pitch.

As far as I know to date, our prima donna hasn't spoken a word of thanks which is about his level. Pity a restraining order can't hold him in The States until his court case is resolved...

On a plus factor, we're getting all the media attention now: BBC, ITV, Sky, breakfast programmes across the world... the strategy is working; the Everton Football Club brand name is gaining momentum. Clever stuff!

Let's make a massive signing this week. It's so exciting for us all. My phone never stopped ringing on Sunday about the news so, imagine globally.

I'd back the stroke of brilliance at this point.

John (#95) Yep! History repeats itself. Okay, Rom is now a bit older that Rppney was at that time but its the same ol' story. Once the media get hold of the sniff that a so-called "smaller club" has a player with special talent they and agents beat it up until one of the "top 6" or other "favourites" wins the player over with the greed machine.

Everton develops some real talent and, until we're seen as one of the "top" clubs we will continue to lose the likes of Wayne and Rom. Now, personally, I think it looks like we're making a lot of the right moves and, with Moshiri's influence (building a top rate crew around him), we will crack the shell, as did Leicester, but with a more permanent plan. COYB

The story is a global football story which is something we do not often get. This can only be good for Everton Football Club.
COYB

Rooney wanted out, blamed Moyes in his book, got sued for libel and lost, apologised and reconciled with Moyes. I always though Rooney threw his toys out of the pram and got his move.

I have no ill will towards either party, I'm happy to have Rooney back. But this idea it was all Moyes fault is nonsense.

Also didn't Moyes give his libel winnings to charity? An Everton charity? Not the actions of a twat.

As I said, Jay, a lot of other things were going on in the summer of 2004. But I'm thinking back a little earlier, to how the relationship between Rooney and Moyes deteriorated over the course of the 2003-04 season.

And key to how a lot of those other factors you cite panned out is, I believe, a much earlier breakdown between player and manager. That laid the foundation, if you like, for the complex web of forces and impulses that saw Wayne Rooney leave the club way earlier than he should have. And for Rooney at the time, it was clearly a factor – otherwise, why would he have written about it in his book?

In an ideal world, he should never have left Everton; but, with Kenwright messing up the financial side, and Moyes messing up the playing side, that just fueled what sadly became the inevitable.

I think people's biggest fear was that the club would effectively swap Lukaku for Rooney and then spend the rest of the summer parading him about as some sort of "statement signing." However, it's clear that he's simply one piece in a much larger puzzle and that Koeman won't be rubber-stamping his name in the starting XI if his performances aren't up-to-snuff. Like many, I think he looks fit and will be extremely motivated – he doesn't need to carry the team, just do his part.

I really don't see the downside. Worst case scenario, the romanticism of Rooney coming home gets a bit spoiled by reality.

Over the last month we've signed player after player yet failed to receive any substantial media coverage. That changed over the weekend. I'm not sure how long it will last but we are now on the back page.

Compare that with our neighbours who, despite signing only one player of note had a whole page devoted to them on Saturday about why they are waiting to sign players, they don't have to do anything to get publicity.

Finally, I'm hoping and wondering if there is a final chapter about to be written. Maybe I'm a dreamer but it's about time we had a happy ending. Remember the name!

HEART – "ROONEY ROONEY ROONEY"

‘It was Aug 2004 and we had just played Everton. Bill Kenwright was crying. As we studied the Everton chairman in his sorrow, he announced that he would like to make a call. Through his tears, Bill said: “I'll need to phone my mother.”

“They're stealing our boy, they're stealing our boy” he said down the line. Then he passed the phone to me. “Don't you dare think you're getting that boy for nothing. That boy's worth 㿞m” said a female voice.

Bob Pendleton might not have known it that day, but his actions in moving forward Rooney, going into Bellefield 48 hours earlier, might have saved Everton Football Club from going into administration, during the Kenwright years.

One of the things I always admired most about Wayne Rooney was that once he was on a football pitch, he never gave a fuck for no-one, and I hope he still possesses this attitude, as he looks to prove his doubters wrong.

If you're talking about silverware, Rooney, then let it be Wembley next may, because that's what we need lad, we need to start winning things again soon!

But this belief in the second coming is beyond reason. He may raise the publicity profile of the club with his crap about pyjamas, but he had lost his place in a team that finished outside the top four and we are thinking he'll resurrect his form of five years ago, just because he's wearing a blue jersey.

My gosh, we aren't naive, are we?

Your ludicrous assertion that reason rather than emotion should be invoked in analysing this transfer, is negative and uncalled for. As for Lukaku well, he is a shite isn't he, how dare he leave after four seasons, scoring more goals than any other player for Everton in the premier league, I mean WTF! joining Man Utd because he thinks he might win things! – unheard of

If you are going to post drivel like that expect a stern rebuke from the fundamentalist TW's for whom any kind of deviation from the party line can't be tolerated. I am expecting you to be sanctioned by the high priest of TW grammatical gynmastics and prince of fencing sitting – Mr Ruane himself.

I suspect Rick, you and many other naysayers will cheer Rooney on, as we have cheered every other player to don the Blue of Everton. But don't come on here with your miserable misgivings.

"Thing is, if you don't believe Moyes played a significant role in him leaving, then no facts I put before you are going to change that mindset. It's called 'confirmation bias' and it's very powerful!"

Although this is actually not true (it's actually perfectly possible to change beliefs in the light of new evidence), it could equally be a statement levelled at you for having the opposite view.

For me, I was convinced at the time that the Rooney move was almost entirely engineered by Stretford based on significant financial gain and on the balance of probability I still hold that view. That's not based on confirmation bias (which I fully accept exists for many and which staggers me more when I observe US politics right now).

I'm more than happy to revise that view if evidence points otherwise.

Let's be magnanimous lads. We don't want to be called bitters now, do we?

I know many of the posters hammering Lukaku and eulogising over Rooney could be be labelled fickle. Let's face it, if Lukaku had chosen to stay and Rooney not arrived, would we honestly witnessing the Volte face we are seeing on TW? I think not.

Koeman has proven at Southampton that he can get a team to gel after a major rebuilding job, on top of that we had the 2nd biggest positive swing in points last season just behind Chelsea, he seems to have an igloo about what he is doing.

Rooney will be part of a bigger plan, not a replacement for Lukaku and I think we'll see a different style of play. We won the league without Lineker and we got Champions League with Marcus Bent. Point being, styles and approaches can be changed and Koeman's signings thus far speak of tightening the defence and distributing the goals.

Rooney will be a part of this and will offer much more than just playing time. If Koeman thought he had nothing left to offer I am sure he wouldn't risk his reputation just for some heartwarming sentimental return of a player.

Get and keep him fit and let's see what he can do. He's got a glint in his eye again, let's hope it lasts 2 seasons.

It would be nice to say that he's taking a pay cut to come to us, but he's not; the rest is getting paid by Man Utd. Imagine that, getting a player on a free and they are paying a percentage of his wages... makes you think.

But I'm not getting into the soap opera crap. Far too cynical to believe anything written about football.

The only non playing comment I'll add is that both of my boys now want "Rooney 10" printed on their new shirts. They're massively excited by this move – so it's a thumbs up from me. That's what the club is supposed to do? Inspire the kids.

On league predictions, I'll guess at 7th again. We're throwing some young players into the team – it's a revolution. Unrealistic to expect too much straight away. But we're building something... 2 to 3 years and continued investment and we might be genuine title challengers.

Can't wait. COYB

But if you wanted him back for football reasons I only ask where exactly do we play him? The consensus seems to be he can no longer cut it up front and given we, like pretty much every team in the league, play a 5 man midfield, where does he fit in? Surely Klaassen or Barkley (or even Sigurdsson) will play behind the striker and the others in the centre will be two of our many defensive midfielders.

That only leaves him out wide, not ideal for us or him. I am genuinely not sure how he fits the picture so I'm intrigued to see what the manager has in mind.

Still, he does look great in blue after all these years.

Lukaku signs for united for 䀆m and still Rooney is the story. It's all about Wayne and I think everyone has underestimated how big this is.

Rooney looks extremely trim. I hope he's not lost power. I really can't wait to see him on the pitch. I truly believe he's giving this 100%, that he's got a fire in his belly again, and that it's going to work.

I think he's looking at the side and thinking, this side is almost there, I can make the difference and take them to the top! If Wayne thinks this, and gets everyone else thinking it, and we start with a few wins, especially with those games, why not dream big?

We became so predictable last season playing through Lukaku. Yes he scored a lot of goals but we had minimal goal threat anywhere else in the team – Seamus was our next best. The types of players we've got now should be more unpredictable and we might see plenty of in game movement between positions.

Next year I'd hope we'll see Rooney, Mirallas, Klaassen, Sandro, Barkley (?) and any other additions fighting for those spots. Plenty of competition, options for rotation... that's what big clubs do. Figuring it all out is the reason I see us only in 7th. It will take some time to bed in.

Always the one way, a great fella, I was always made up to bump into him, never a bad word about anyone, very down to earth and never fails to ask how you are doing Tony.

Last time we saw him was at Freddie Armstrong's funeral. Freddie was an Everton fanatic, Bob wasn't in the best of health, struggling to walk, but he had taken the trouble to come to Freddie's funeral and show his respect for a great Blue.

Bob is a well respected man and tells the signing of Rooney without any real dramatics, just the way it was.

What a summer!! The best one since 'Frampton Comes Alive' came out.

Thanks for flagging up that article on the Beeb site. That is a cracking read.

When Everton first signed Wayne Rooney: the inside story

[Worthy of it's own thread, Eds.]

As ever with the club, it's also a nice touch that in recent years they named a couple of training pitches after long-serving scouts who found us some gems down the years.

Since I don't watch Man Utd play, I have no idea. But last summer when he played for England, he still looked a player to me.

I'm glad Everton now have Rooney as Sigurdsson is not wanted now.

It's reported that Sigurdsson wants to go to Everton, and Everton made him their Number 1 target from the outset.

We'll see I suppose, but Swansea's owners don't seem to have much idea.

Probably all bollocks anyway

Think of the game at Goodison when Man Utd were destroying Everton, 3-0 at half time, Wayne never started the game but came on for the second half, we battered them to get back to 3-3 only for Man Utd to score the winner in the last few minutes.

That was the game that convinced many United players to suggest to Ferguson that Rooney should be playing for them; it was no secret at the time that there was no love lost between Moyes and Rooney.

One incident which I heard about and believe to be true was after a game in London when Rooney had permission, before the game, to remain in London to meet family and friends. After the game, which Everton lost and Wayne was booked, the permission was taken back and Rooney had to return with the team on the coach.

Little incidents like this didn't improve their relationship. I wouldn't know if Moyes drove Wayne away but he (Moyes) didn't help to foster it.

I remember getting emotional when the goal went in against Arsenal. I had waited 30 plus years to watch a player in a Blue shirt who could be in the same bracket as my all time great, Alan Ball.

We didn't have him for long but he's back now.

I just hope Rooney has got something left in the tank now he's back at Everton and if he has, then I think we need runners.

No need for Giroud then because he hasn't got much pace? But he's another fantastic footballer who would probably command as bigger fee as Lukaku if he did have pace; and his all round game would be a big improvement on Romelu, which might just improve the team?

Tony, I'd take all three. I'm still slightly gobsmacked by being able to write stuff like this.

I said I didn't want him back because I can be a spiteful fucker at times, and I just had a feeling that this has been Rooney's biggest wish for years. The fact that he left us, when we had waited for such a player for ever, was a proper sickener, and was behind my reasoning for not wanting him back.

But I'm sure Koeman has based this on nothing but football ability, and Rooney is the most talented individual I have ever seen in a blue shirt.

Barca fans have a saying. "We hate you so much because we love you so much."

Second best player I ever saw in an Everton shirt. Even in the short time he was with us.

When was the last time the Beeb linked to a live feed for an Everton presser?

Link

Or the Everton Facebook page had tens of thousands waiting for the same feed to start...?

Link

Finally going live NOW!!!!

Crucially he also looks happier and more relaxed than I've seen him in years – he's at somewhere he loves, that he's wanted and in the midst of an upswing.

Suffice to say my glass is well and truly topping the 50% capacity... ;-)

I have been sceptical about the impact that Rooney can make on the pitch, but hopefully coming back to play for Everton will reinvigorate his form and fitness.

Also, I got the impression Koeman wants him to play up front.

Rooney wants to play for Everton and Koeman wants players who thrive on pressure, which is something he never encountered when he first became the Everton manager.

It's being reported on Sky that Arnoutavitch from Stoke, has put in a transfer request, and Everton still need a couple more players, who are comfortable out wide?

Both mentioned the 'W' word a lot – WIN!

They also spoke of managers and players needing to perform under pressure.

When asked about where he will play Rooney, Koeman acknowledged Wayne is a 'striker', but with the ability to play 7, 11, 9 and 10 "and that is where he will play."

He also highlighted how Everton was too dependent on Lukaku's goals and the need to get more goals from other players, saying he prefers to have a number of players contributing 10-15 goals than having one player giving you 25 and the next best only 5.

He dodged commenting on Lukaku, other than acknowledging he was aware of the situation and believes Rom has made a good move.

Totally stonewalled a question about where all this leaves Barkley. "Today is about Wayne. At the next press conference you may hear about Barkley."

He gave a similar response to questions about further transfer targets.

Wayne looked very relaxed and keen to stress he wants to play, not sit quietly on the bench as he had to do for much of his last season at Man Utd.

I enjoyed it.

It's 3/4 days after the transfer was confirmed and it's still all people all talking about. Even old dears in the office who don't like football know that Rooney has re-signed for Everton.

There's such a forward thrust at the moment, and we need to ensure that we harness this and keep going forward, most importantly, on the pitch, where it matters most.

It must be hard for these young players being around seasoned pros and their bullshit spiel. Didn't Terry and Cahill admit to doing the same with John Stones?

I hope we keep young Tom well away from that shower.

He didn't give much away, but Rooney will certainly not be playing deep in midfield – he's either up top, or off the striker.

Said this presser was about Wayne and the "next" presser was the time for other players. Something to that effect anyway.

There will be a big presser before the window shuts!!!

He admitted to not being fit in training today, so he needs to knuckle down and use that determination and excitement to get himself to peak physical condition and built up his match fitness in the early Europa League games.

I watched the Everton training video and after some concerns I had that perhaps Wayne looked a bit too thin in the photos, and that perhaps he would be lacking power. I can say he still looks powerful, and that he does still need to be a little bit thinner.

If Rooney had been such a true blue surely he could have come back three years ago and offered us some of his talent. Will someone please tell Barkley's agent to let it be known that he's never ever worn any underpants but Everton ones for the last ten years, then perhaps the Everton crowd will love him as they seem to love "Once a Blue" Rooney who gave one of our rivals his thirteen best years.

For the record, I've always loved Blue Bill who has took dog's abuse here over the years, strange how that has gone silent since he got Moshiri in, isn't it?

Signing Rooney has energised many people, including non-Evertonians which is so important. The profile of the club is being lifted from the dolldrums.

The big question is can aided with the Rooney capture Everton buy a genuine world stage name?

I agree should Sigurdsson's price tag be excessive for his age and talent then Everton should find a high-profile player open to a move in a World Cup year.

Either a centre-back or centre-forward for the balance of the team.

The big answer to your big question is Yes!

We have lived through some dark days but hopefully the good times are going to start returning simply because it seems that, for the first time in a long time, Everton football club, looks like its got a real plan. It's been that long that some people don't even understand what one of our players is on about when he says he's targeting silverware!

During the 80s, I always had the horrible feeling that it would come to an end and we'd be back to reality. I guess as a self-defence mechanism this cynicism is helpful to some.

"For the record I've always loved Blue Bill who has took dog's abuse here over the years, strange how that has gone silent since he got Moshiri in isn't it ?"

I can't say I've loved or hated Bill. But at least he opened the door to Moshiri. Thank God that load of bile has gone silent, as you say.

I forgive Nyarko,Bernie Wright, Glenn Keeley, Mike Walker, Peter Johnson,Ian Buchan and Sandy Brown for that own goal in the derby game and Joleon Lescott for being a greedy so and so. God's in his heaven and all's well with the world.

If Sigurdsson is the great signing then I'm even more confused. I forgive them all cause Wayne "I ran away at 18" Rooney, is back.

Sell Barkley, why not sell Davies as well? We've signed an ageing has-been and we're massaging his ego and pretending he's still one of England's best and Everton fans are objective and rational judges. In sixty years of watching them from their days in Division Two, I've never known such claptrap.

"I've never known such claptrap."

I have, Rick. In fact, I've just read it and you are the author of it.

What did Bernie Wright ever do to you?

As for Bernie Wright, for those who remember "The Golden Shot" he was nick named Bernie the Dolt!! Brilliant!!

At least we can follow your example of being one of the "objective and rational judges".

What will happen if after your sentence he does well? Probably be unforgiven for that too.

Bernie was indeed total crap and utter shite as well as abject, abysmal and without a single redeeming feature, skill wise. His mum loved him mind, and I blame the soft shite who signed him.

Before I leave out tonight can I just mention, the good money spent when we never had any, on Gareth Farrelly, John Oster and Simon Davies, goodnight all.

If you totally choose to ignore the evidence that has been presented and continue to resent his return, then that is your choice.

It has been quoted for many years now his transfer saved the club, is that alone not cause for just a hint of forgiving.

If you think an 18-year-old Wayne went fuck you all just to spite all fans you are deluded. As for the badge kissing, he was getting so much abuse – did you join in? When he did his job and scored he did the only thing he could in retaliation, what would you have done?

I know for a fact that at 18 years of age I made some dodgy decisions and I was only on peanuts. Are you without fault?

Rick, I will never forgive Kenwright for the lies that he told and the truth being held back, but he was good at looking after the people that count (the players) even if he turned Everton into a second-class club in the eyes of most outsiders.

"But", the time has come to move-on, otherwise we will never get back to where some of us think we genuinely belong! And After listening to that press conference today, it seems to me that Ronald Koeman is a man who wants to take us back there, but who really knows in football?

I seem to recall he was a weight lifter in his spare time.

If Wayne Rooney is not good enough for Manchester United, he is not good enough for Everton.

A lot of people have been making this argument, but you could literally say the exact same thing about Schneiderlin. Should we kick him to the curb as well?

Gueye's game has certainly gone off since Schneiderlin has played alongside him, because Schneiderlin plays far too deep while McCarthy is up alongside Gueye giving the midfield a more solid look.

I think he is a very good player who will definitely be in Ron's starting eleven.

Far calmer on the ball than James, sees a pass and plays it more than McCarthy can.

Many players can be deemed surplus at some teams, yet thrive at others. Tevez left Man City and was apparently 'past-it' only to thrive at Juve. Dani Alves was deemed past it at Barca only to thrive at Juve also. Javier Hernandes was never deemed good enough at Man Utd but most fans would have him. Forlàn was a Flop at Man Utd, but one of Europe's most potent strikers for years.

Sometimes players need a change, be It club, manager, style of play, climate etc. Sometimes a player Just doesn't fit at one but can thrive at another.

Football isn't a science, so logical formations like the one above just have no validity.

Everton played much better when McCarthy and Gueye were together especially against Arsenal at home (2:1) and in the first half against a rampant Liverpool (0:0) but as soon as McCarthy went off injured, Everton fell apart and lost 0:1.

Next season, when Everton play away and Schneiderlin plays far too deep closer to Williams than anyone upfront, Everton will be on the back foot again as they were last season. That is the reason why I believe Mourinho did not play him and sold him to Everton.

All the top sides who play with a back four split the centre half's and have a defensive midfielder drop in.

Only opinions though mate. Nobody's is worth more than the next poster.

I like Macca too, but Schneiderlin is a vastly superior player and will I hope continue to anchor our midfield for years to come.

If Schneiderlin was that good, Mounrinho would not have sold him and be looking at Dier or Matic as replacements, because they are similar type players, but get further up the field!

Matic wasn't good enough for Chelsea but then they still brought him back and the manager who got rid of him first time round wants to bring him to Man Utd .

Mustafi is another player who got away from Everton under Moyes, and will be playing in next year's World Cup with the current world champions, Germany.

Matic has not done that badly with two Premier League title medals with Chelsea in the past 3 seasons.

I had been musing on Wayne not taking the No 9 shirt but keeping the No 10 he wore at United. I cannot believe as a 16 year old he did not dream of wearing the Everton No 9 shirt. To go alongside the greats of Dean, Lawton, Young, Royle, Latchford, Sharp.

Even coming to the days of squad numbers and those players who owned that shirt over the last 25 years: Cottee, Ferguson, Campbell, Saha, Landon Donovan, Kone... yeah I see what he means. Go for the No 10. Who would want the No after it was so devalued over the last 4 years.

BTW – I missed out Beattie but it seemed a shame to ruin the argument that the other 6 were guys who deserved the shirt and brought something to the team.

A lovely read which just reinforces my previously held view; how the hell does and 18-year-old so obviously dedicated to Everton up and leave?

1) We would have won at least one FA Cup

2) Had gone far in the Champions League

3) Probably won the Europa League

4) Probably having consistent top 4 finishes

Imagine the attacking line consisting of Rooney, Arteta, Cahill, Duncan, Gravesen, Pienaar, Bent (when he was lethal) and the experience of Lee Carsley behind the attacking line.

Rooney was actually the missing piece of the David Moyes era.

Interesting that Rooney doesn't fit into this or any squad Koeman has or can envision. Koeman cannot even figure out an actual place in the starting 11 for Wayne. "Where do you see him playing Gaffer?" "Umm, err, originally about a couple thousand miles or so away, but he could be an 11, 10, 9, 7, or, well, something." "Gaffer, I didn't ask for his number, I asked where he would play?" "Oh well, that 's easy, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, or hopefully China."

Pickford might be the only player safe from being replaced by Wayne. Rooney ought to be embarrassed and ashamed for taking money from a club which he knows sees him as the prodigal son returned, rather than what he is at this point in his career, a shakedown artist with bad hair.

"Dropping back" into midfield is now outmoded in the modern game, when a forward player loses a burner or two. It's the most demanding area. Best place for Rooney's current legs is up front as much as possible... perhaps a realistic amount of pressing.

A certain very productive recent striker managed his job with minimal running.

“My dad is a huge Evertonian and he has been travelling to Manchester to watch me play for the last 13 years but he'll have a five-minute drive now so he's happy. I have bought my eldest boy, Kai, to Goodison a few times. He's got a season-ticket here and when I told him I was going back to Everton it was the happiest I have ever seen him.

“I had known for the last couple of weeks I was going back but I had kept it quiet from him. I had kept it quiet from my mum and dad because I knew they wouldn't be able to hold it in and I didn't tell Kai because I didn't want him speaking to his mates. When I told Kai, he jumped on me, he was absolutely made up. To come back and watch his dad play; he'll be buzzing.”

Couple of weeks, eh?

Last year as an option of wide forward or central attacker we had Kone and Valencia. Now we have Rooney and Sandro. Who's complaining?

Most bilious post I've seen here in a long time.

Let's all make sure we save up that truckload of manure for Mr Hardin... and we'll all bring the spoons when it comes time for him to dine on it.

Will all fade away when the new season starts...

Koeman was saying he could play anywhere across the front 3 and stating shirt numbers typical to that position in days gone by. What's wrong with that? Having a player with his class and versatility is exactly what we need.

And for his physique? Get a grip soft lad. I thought he looked ok and it's only the start of pre season not the end.

Very moronic comments. You really should play then out in your head before posting.

Others have already said it but my opinion was against bringing Rooney back but now he's here he'll have my support and hope that he is the catalyst for improvement. If it doesn't work out that way I just hope the Manager does not let it go on too long and to the point that it becomes overly bitter.

Rooney's actually quite good in goal.

That's the way forward, then.

Rooney in goal (until Pickford's ready) and Big Jim as goalkeeping coach.

Before Wayne has kicked a ball you you hold a pure biased opinion of his reason fur returning to us. Thank god you are in the minority.

Welcome back, Wayne lad. I firmly believe you'll be the extra bit that we need to climb higher in the Premier League and win us some silverware.

Each game is different and Wayne may be deployed in different roles depending on who else is picked, and who we are up against.

As for your comments on his appearance, he looks leaner and to me looks like he has something to prove.

Prepare to eat your words.

A star reborn... a blue legend – better late than never!

You're probably right, and you couldn't possibly blame him.

One last thing. He won't go into a derby looking for anything else but a win. At times it's seemed we've been defeated before the whistle blew... that's not going to happen now. I'll bet money on it.

Also, since since some of you who had to change your pants when Rooney was announced, have decided to make it personal in comparing me to a professional athlete over 20 years my junior, okay, although not sure why. Last season, Wayne was listed as 5'9" and 182 pounds. Per the BMI that is overweight. He is a professional footballer with no other job. He could hire a personal trainer and fitness coach and a chef/dietician. I would if I were a professional athlete. His weight has been criticised countless times in articles from 2008 on to this year. ESPN, in 2012 ran an article comparing Rooney on the list of ten other fat footballers. The concluding line in the article was that "Fat Frank" Lampard would look svelte when Rooney stood next to him. So I thank you for comparing me to Rooney in real time. However at Rooney's age I was just under 5'-11" and weighed 175 pounds with a full time job and kids.

As for the attack on what I post and how wrong I am, well we are dealing with opinions but here are some that off the top of my head, I believe I have been proven correct on:

John Stones is not that good. He is not starting first choice for Man City and Everton's defense got better under a new coach and without him, even with two second rate goalkeepers – Yep.
Funes Mori is a good defender, Argentine National Team starter – Yep.
Rom would score over 20 goals this season – Yep.
Besic is injury prone and not good enough – Yep.
DelBoy is a one-trick pony and not good enough for Everton – Yep.
Robles is not a No 1 keeper – Yep.
Naisy runs a lot but is not good enough for Everton – Yep.
Ross is not good enough for Everton or England. – Yep.
Niasse deserved a number and a place in training last season – Yep.

Tim Howard was not to blame for the problems with Everton's defense nor was he over the hill. He was treated disgracefully by some on here – Yep.

So, I will go on and be 80% wrong then if this is some of the 20% which I got right as that average is still well above many on here it would seem.

Now, you can all unbunch your knickers since I have once again said something which is factual but possibly negative, about Wayne Rooney. I will apologize for the hair remark as it must have struck home to some of you as well as the weight jokes.

BTW, If Wayne does anything near what some of you expect, I will gladly admit that I was wrong. Something many of you might try once in awhile.

Your post at #198 was pretty dumb and you deserved the backlash on that. Rooney can play and will do an excellent job at either right wing or Number 7, left wing or Number 11, behind the striker or Number 10 and directly up front or Number 9. It's called versatility. This is what Koeman was clearly saying not your warped interpretation.

As for his weight. Well, it's the opening of pre-season. I'm sure if you looked through the rest of the squad he wouldn't be the only one over at the moment. But that is what pre-season is for. The BMI scale? I'm sure that would have Lukaku over weight too. And if you dug deeper into that scale you would see there are many caveats into it and you can't just rely on height and weight.

"If Wayne does anything near what some of you expect, I will gladly admit that I was wrong." Let's see but the way you are with your comments about him I highly doubt it. What I can say with certainty though is if he doesn't play well in the first couple of games, you'll be the first one on here stating how right you were.

To repeat. He's signed. Get over it and get behind him.

And finally, looking deeper at your post at #220. Some of the things you state about players past and present are correct but others are way off, none more so than Howard. He was absolutely dreadful in the last couple of seasons and single handedly cost us many points. But I guess you're backing him as hes a fellow American? Would you do the same with Rooney if he was American I wonder.

"Ideal" is no fat and the strength to operate whatever weight and shape you are. I remember Gazza being given the Mars Bar jibes, then seeing him sat by the pool at the Euros, cut six pack on him.

John Robertson was a prime example and what a great player he was. Cloughie called him "fatboy". I had the pleasure of meeting him when Forest toured Bermuda (where I used to live).

He came drinking with us for several nights and he was/is a great guy. We questioned the fatboy tag. His response was to walk around the pub with his tee-shirt over his head, asking strangers if he was fat – and he wasn't.

He's fat, he's round he's worth a million pound (Well, that was when a million pound was... er worth a million pound).

What on earth are we going to do without Lukaku?