Rooney's transfer to MLS is a done deal

Always a Blue. And I for one was happy to have him back, even if it didn't prove to be part of the new dawn we'd all hoped.

I can't wait till he comes back as a coach and manager for us, as he's clearly cut out for those roles.

[Sarcasm not directed at you, Martin; I'm just flabbergasted that people are sentimental towards him when he gave all his best years to United, and then, when he finally came back, he lacked professionalism.]

I wanted it to work; it didn't. He wasn't the worst signing last year though.

I can't comment on our transfer targets, but so far good progress on the squad clearing. Still plenty more to get off the wage bill, mind.

Thankfully that whole embarrassing saga is over...

That said, he has still cost us something between £15 and £20m for a mediocre season, taking into account the implied transfer fee we paid as part of the Lukaku deal.

The scary thing is that it makes him nowhere near our worst piece of business in the last year or two.

I wish him all the best, and let's face it without his goals last season, where would we have ended up?

The numbers are gradually being reduced, as is the wage bill, maybe some incomings soon.

Ultimately for me, he came back 2-3 years too late; but I wish him well.

If that's the case. It was an experiment worth taking for me. Wayne didn't disgrace himself and still had the quality. I'll always remember the West Ham performance and goal against Man City. Unfortunately he just didn't have the legs and he ended up slowing play down in a side that wasn't blessed with pace as it is.

That's before we get to the large number of times he gave up possession in dangerous areas... and that's before we get to his so-called role-model profile that was anticipated by those who signed him before he showed himself to be the twat that he's always been on a personal level, unlike role-models, even at United.

Without him, I believe the squad will function better by taking more responsibility personally on and off the field.

A bit like the Fune Mori fee. Freed up wages, but no big transfer kitty just yet.

No, it wasn't, because of the Kitbag deal. No extra earnings on shirt sales, nor did the club really market the player. It's just a meaningless year at the end of his career.

If Bill had gotten rid of Moyes and held onto Rooney for even three years it would be a completely different story today. What a waste.

Sold WorldWide? You're joking, aren't you?

Try buying an EFC shirt in the USA, Australia, Asia, Middle East, Africa or Europe...

As for the goals he scored, well I guess someone else can take the penalty kicks. Besides, even Niasse already showed he can score as many as Rooney from the run of play.

He came, he did okay for a bit in an awful team, he has gone and Rooney as an Everton player will never be more than a footnote in the history books.

Hopefully Lookman and Dowell come in an make a legacy in blue.

But what was Rooney to do? A supremely gifted player, was he going to stay with his boyhood club for the 'the shirt' or follow the same path as Alan Ball, Ray Wilson, Martin Dobson, Gary Lineker etc leave the boyhood club to win trophies? I never heard any Evertonians complain when they went to a 'Big Club'.

It is hardly Rooney's fault that the stewardship of our club was so ramshackle, and had become so in double-quick time. Can you imagine a decade earlier, Sharpie being called into Kendall's office to be told he was being sold to Man Utd What would the reaction be? I'm going to a better club to win things?

So the people that blame him for going to Man Utd, he really had no option.

BTW – Good luck, Wayne

Leaving wasn't the problem, coming back was.

That's 14 players got rid of, generate 𧵎m buy a commanding centre-back, a left back, a centre midfielder and a target man.

That would put us back on track.

Always an Evertonian in my eyes.. but an Everton legend – do me a favour!

Are you related to Taylor Swift?

Now I will return this season for my annual pilgrimage COYB

And I'll get to see him live in person! Saw Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Henry, Landon, and our own Tim Cahill. Now Wayne. Not to shabby.

MLS is a lower league. As other have mentioned, it is a fast, physical league. Wayne can give it as much as takes it (which he will) on the physical side.
God help him, though, playing game after game in the heat. And for that terrible team.

Just checked ESPN on-line. They open with Belgium-England. After that it's Wayne, then more World Cup stuff. DC United getting more coverage in a few minutes than they've gotten ever. Don't give a shit about DC United. Which they won't miss, since they're completely shit on their own.

The ownership have their new Park opening (a massive upgrade from the crumbling relic RFK Stadium) and they're getting in a player who was once one of world football's elite. As far beyond Beckham as Rooney was on the pitch, I'll guess DC United views him as their "Beckham".

The difference is that Galaxy went all-in to win after signing David and reaped the rewards. Nothing about DC United indicates a like ambition.

So Wayne, your entire reason for coming to DC is for ME to get to see you in person.

He may find the MLS a bigger challenge than he probably expects. We should all wish him well, but I will be surprised if he lasts more than one season.

I get why people were reluctant, and those naysayers can congratulate themselves on being "right". What a pity.

Jay Wood will tell you better, but basically Pele has never once said George Best was the best to anyone who wasn't British; sorry to burst your bubble mate, but this is typical Pele playing to the gallery.

In reality, the walking ego that is Pele only rates one player, and that's the one he sees in the mirror. I'd actually agree with him (that Pele is the greatest) but that's beside the point.

Unfortunately he suffered from the soul sickness that afflicts so many supremely talented individuals. It makes me sad when I think of his demise. But then again we can always remember him as

"The best player Pele ever seen"

But, as a player, he SAW Best in England when the WC was there. No one in England then was paying him money to say something nice about England's players, for God's sake.

"Jay wood will tell you better, but basically pele has never once said George Best was the best to anyone who wasn't British, "

So you have no clue, yet "pele has never once said"? And, for some reason, Wood has to find you a supporting document?

If Pele never said it, I'll posit that his ego was swollen (Which is fair) to the point that he wouldn't accept talk of another player being able to do what he did. Even though Best could and routinely did for years, while getting the shit kicked our of him the entire way.

"pele never once said". You have no idea what he said when. Fuck Pele's opinion anyway.

Does anyone in England, watched Best play, need Pele's opinion to validate their own? It remains that he popped out of his mom's belly with a name described him, Best.

Pele certainly did speak highly of George Best - he gets a special mention in Pele's autobiography. But as Steve mentions, Pele is a consummate publicist (especially when it comes to 'Brand Pele') and he does have the habit of feeding the local press flattering lines about their local footballers, knowing full well it will be well received.

Anyone remember Pele telling the English media at the 2002 Asian WC that 'Nicky Butt was the best player at the tournament..?' Pure Pele, that.

Of course, in Brazil he is still called 'O Rei', the King. But you may be surprised that he is far from the most loved or respected of Brazil's greatest player. More of that in a minute. Fran refers to 'a silent Pele is a poet' quote.

That was uttered by Romario (who won the WC with Brazil in the USA). Now a senator, there was a war of words between Pele and Romario ahead of the 2014 WC in Brazil when Pele incurred the wrath of the Brazilian public for telling them 'not to mix politics with football' as nightly demonstrations flared all over the country.

Bloody ironic when you consider how close to politics Pele was his entire life. One reason he never played for a European club and remained at Santos in his prime years was because the military government at the time wouldn't sanction it - there were plenty of offers!

In the late 1990s he was also appointed as the 'Extraordinary Minister of Sport', charged with reducing corruption in Brazilian football. Only he was forced to step down due to charges of...corruption!

So if Pele isn't the most popular player among Brazilians, who is? That honour probably falls to a player I have written about before on TW, a player in the George Best mould: an alcoholic by the age of 10; exaggerated bow legs; amazing dribbler; made the World's Best XI when Brazil won their first World Cup in 1958; was named player of the tournament when Brazil won again 4 years later; even the home dressing room at the world famous Maracana stadium in Rio is named after him – 'the little wren', Garrincha.

Another title he had was 'alegria de povo' - 'the joy of the people'. Tragically, he went the way of Best and died of cirrhosis of the liver 10 years younger than Best's death, aged just 49.

He died in hospital, an anonymous drunk picked up off the street. Next day, his funeral procession stopped the traffic in Rio. Some calculate 2 million people followed the cortege.

Oh! And Pele's health has prevented him from travelling to Russia. It is the first World Cup he has failed to attend since announcing himself to the world as a precocious 17-year-old in Sweden in 1958.

I only saw Best in the US, at the end of his career, and yes he was dazzling. But I also saw Pele, Beckenbauer and Cruyff in the US at the end of their careers, and I thought they were all way better than George. And in all the many years I've been reading books and articles and rankings by writers and experts from all over (I love footy history), I've never yet seen a list that ranked Best even in the top 10, let alone #1.

But his videos are the best ever, I'll grant you that. Saw him do things that nobody else did.

I was right behind him in the Goodison Rd when he did this against Bulgaria.

Link

Jimmy Greaves was another one:-

Link

The master of being in the right place at the right time. Like Best and Garrincha, Jimmy Greaves has also had to battle his demons.

Since I started watching the game in 1961, there are a few players that really stick out in my memory because they were a joy to watch and captured my imagination. These are 3 of them – they all had a touch of genius. Isn't that what football is supposed to be all about?

I have to mention that one footballer who also got to me during his all too brief time with us was Samuel Eto'o. It was this headed goal against Burnley that did it.

Link

A thing of beauty.

But I think him moving on may reflect a change in that stewardship. Maybe, just maybe, we are leaving that Blue Family approach.

Nice idea and can certainly be applied to fans but we need steely recruitment and not some wooly idea of any new player fitting in with some kind of imaginary blue ethos. They are not being signed by EitC!

In the end, what will make a player fit in will be skill, effort and a passionate desire to win.

It will be fascinating to see who we sign as players leave. I agree with most that we need patience but we do need some indication of a new approach.

Younger, hungry players seems the order of the day. Risky but the tried and tested approach such as Schneiderlin and Klaassen seems to just get some experience, big wages but little passion.

So this could be a moment we look back on as the time when we changed for the better.

Used to be a wonderfully gifted footballer, but has now realised he's no longer up to it.

All the records he holds don't tell me anything about him. I've watched his whole career, and what strikes me is what a boring career he's had. He's gone hundreds of games scoring a decent amount of goals without doing anything of note on the big stage.

He did nothing in an England shirt after Euro 2004. He was finished as the player he was by the age of 28. So basically he's had about a 10-year career. Contrast this with Cristiano Ronaldo who broke through at the same time as Rooney and who is still very much going strong.

It is a case of what might have been for Rooney as I think he sacrificed much of his talent to compliment the riches of Tevez, Ronaldo, Berbatov and Van Persie.

Good Luck to him anyway; his initial plan has worked. Hopefully Everton have now moved on. Great news he is finally gone.

At the end, Man Utd were glad he was gone also; his final years there weren't that great.

Not one bit a fan.

I don't think his performances ever excuses his many moments of terrible behaviour.

Kissing the Utd badge was a bad moment but a minor indiscretion.

The ‘nice to see your home fans booing yer' moment was the absolute pits for me.

In a World Cup, he had the nerve to address a nation in that way after a shocking personal performance and a truly abysmal collective one.

The man has shown absolutely no class in his behaviour on a personal or professional basis.

There are long hot summers over in Maryland for him to sit in a pool and smoke in.

Like or dislike him, his prime years wielded a lot of trophies including top scorer for Man Utd and England.

Some of the abuse he and his family got at Goodison after the initial move was shocking, so I'm not surprised he reacted to some of the bile.

To be clear; he's no Everton legend for me either, but it's difficult to argue that he's not done well in his career (no matter how short that is or was because of his lifestyle).

I would welcome him back as a coach one day, he'd still be an attraction to a kid wondering which club he should sign for, and could be a great mentor.

Good luck Wayne, thanks for the memories, pity 95% of them were in a red shirt.

2007 league win - Ronaldo top scorer
2008 league win - Ronaldo top scorer
2009 league win - Ronaldo top scorer
2011 league win - Berbatov top scorer
2013 league win - Van Persie top score

2008 Champions league final - anonymous in the final and substituted before the shootout.

Boring – was never the star man in any of these accomplishments.

The argument is that he was a decent part of a great side.

‘Wayne didn't disgrace himself and still had the quality.'

You seem to have forgotten his last dalliance with yet another boy-like looking whore. Even his choice of sluts are not exactly quality are they?

He won tons of trophies while at Man Utd but I feel he paid for being there by having often to play second fiddle to others.

I think playing "under orders" for SAF blunted some of that raw, instinctive play we saw in the short time he played for our first eleven.

With regard to being an Everton legend or not it seemed, even when he was at Man Utd, the Everton link was forever mentioned by media etc much to the annoyance of the Mancs.

The Ronaldo comparisons IMO don't wash as they never take into consideration physiology, cultural upbringing, genes, and all the other contributing factors which would effect both players differently.

You only have to glance at their builds to know Rooney could never stay at the levels he previously reached no matter what lifestyle he chose to adopt. Like comparing a greyhound and a Rottweiler.

I disagree. Physiologically they are different. But then so is every human being.

Ronaldo is the ultimate professional and has absolutely maximised his physical attributes.

What is it about Rooney physiologically that means he's finished at 32?

Modric is the same age and hardly blessed with any physical attributes at all.

Bigger build players such as Zlatan and Alan Shearer did it at a much older age.

He has played top league football since he was 16 and as a player he is worn out.

A shame but we need pace in the team and Wayne's time is done.

Let's not forget however that the money we got in 2003 for him helped save the club and for that I'm very grateful.

Coach? He's a prime example of how a professional sportsman shouldn't behave – body abuse shortening his career, abusing England fans in South Africa, cheating on his pregnant wife, and no thought for his 3 kids.

Compare to how the likes of Gareth Barry, David Silva, Giggs etc looked after themselves to prolong their top-level careers.

Rooney 1 goal (a penalty) for England in World Cup Finals, Tim Cahill 5 playing for the mighty Australia!!!

Just go away ... ONCE A TRAITOR, ALWAYS A TRAITOR!

Bobby Charlton
Gary Lineker
Jimmy Greaves

To name just 3 players that Rooney has scored more international goals than. The rest would be too long to list as it includes every England international ever

But you must be right — complete failure! He must be appalled at his wasted career!

They must've had an in-house competition to see who was the biggest twat.

Answers on a postcard for the winner.

We Evertonians would have like most of the good stuff to have been with the Blues but it wasn't to be.

Hopefully we will still be privy to some excellent stuff in the MLS from time to time but as a striker we have to accept that the best days are gone.

Hopefully the 2nd coming is not something we will see again – a vestige of a teary-eyed loser of a chairman where sentimentality rules over logic and business acumen.

Good riddance; for a professional "athlete" his age he was/is in terrible shape.

Hopefully Kenwright is next, Onwards and Upwards!

An interesting but flawed statistical point

Robbie Keane
Didier Drogba
Stern John
Clint Dempsey
Samuel Eto'o
Jan Koller

A list of players with more international goals than Wayne Rooney. Some in less caps. Some very average players.

I don't see what point scoring a few goals against San Marino and Andorra over the years proves.

My point was more about the impact and massive moments that his goals have brought. There are none.

Wayne Rooney scores a perfect goal against Arsenal to end their 38-game unbeaten streak.

Go to Everton for one season then off (regardless who was manager) to the states. I bet he's already planned to go to China. Bye-bye, Wayne.

Tommy thats exactly the point when you compare Modric with Rooney. Modric weighs 66 kg while Rooney weighs 83 kg.

I know everyone's different so there has to be some generalisations and that's what I was alluding to physiologically. You don't get people with Mo Farah's build winning 100-m sprints just as Usain Bolt couldn't win a marathon.

My point was purely with comparing Rooney and Ronaldo. It's not valid, IMO, to say "Look at Ronaldo and he's the same age or thereabouts."

We all know that Wayne's not looked after himself as much as he could/should have done in recent years but to suggest if he had, he'd be like Ronaldo, is a flawed argument.

Yes, gone when he came back, but what an incredible player he was. He didn't stay long enough at Goodison Park but no-one can deny what a brilliant player he was, no-one.

Thank you for posting the clip, Michael, it was a very special day for me and my mates. We were celebrating the life of a great pal who had died a few weeks earlier, and those last few minutes of the game were some of the most memorable minutes I have spent at a match.

What do you mean exactly, Tommy? Do you mean for us or over the course of his career?

He was integral to Man Utd's success and has his trophies to show it. Didn't he score a hat-trick on his debut?

As for England, there were his goals and performances in the Euros whilst he was still an Everton player.

Absolutely bizarre assertion you've made.

I'll always remember it for the tremendous scenes and noise inside Goodison from the moment that goal was scored until the end of the game and then the chaos outside in Bullens Road and Gwladys Street with everyone talking about that goal and fans on their remotes talking to fans and friends all over the world describing the Rooney goal, an incredible day, one I'll never forget.

I think it would have been better if Wayne had never came back, it soured the memories he created the first time he was here.

DC United – I doff my cap to you.

My lovely missus put her foot down and wouldn't let me go. strangely enough we aren't together now.

My main memory of the game was being in the local at about 5:30pm and fellow blues (who had been there) coming in, and they were just buzzing and raving about the goal, beating The Arse, etc. It was a great goal, so cheers for the memory, even if was only on TV that I viewed it.

Got to see him play a couple of times and score (Fulham if my memory is right) Anyway, cheers Wayne.

In short, it was all about being an Evertonian that day, and thanks for that video, Michael, it should be sent to Jordan Pickford, and Gary Neville immediately, when you see which hand David Seamen went with to try and save Rooney's shot!

So true, Dave. And so sad as well that we couldn't hold on to him.

I'll never understand the hatred of those who deny his Blue heritage (you know who you are). I can only assume it's a warped way of dealing with grief/loss?

The frustration is fair enough mate but "ONCE A TRAITOR, ALWAYS A TRAITOR!"

Howard Kendall, Alan Ball?

Unless we know the exact negotiations and offers made and all agree on some kind of TW morality, that could be considered just a tad OTT!

And just maybe the reason players leave is because "we" (ie, Board, Managers etc) make being at Goodison Park not the best place if you have real talent.

How we, as fans, feel? As I have suggested many times, fuck all to do with it in Premier League era.

My point, if it wasn't bloody obvious, was that is there any evidence he'll be a good coach or do we just bring back supposed legends such as Rooney regardless. Maybe that's another reason for everyone to laugh at us.

It's not bizarre. He achieved nothing with England. His amount of goals is only representative of his just less than 1-in-2 ratio over a vast number of games.

He went from 2004 to 2016 without scoring a goal in the knock out rounds of international football, that being a penalty versus Iceland. He went from 2004 to 2012 without scoring in a major tournament at all.

For someone so gifted, he virtually went a whole career without any meaningful magic moments at decisive times.

And I mean SO gifted. When I think of decisive moments by players that gifted, I think of Zidane in a World Cup Final, his volley in a Champions League Final, Ronaldo has too many to mention, as does Messi; I think of Robben in a Champions League Final, and his volley at Old Trafford for Bayern Munich; I think of Suarez and his goals vs England and his Champions League Final performance for Barcelona; Bale has had several at Madrid; for his own football club Giggs produced several.

For someone so talented, Rooney has done absolutely none of this. Nothing of significant note. Nothing where Man Utd fans or England fans could ever say ‘If Rooney didn't do [insert moment]' then we wouldn't have won that trophy, championship, etc." Man Utd fans' attitudes towards him are a reflection of this as well as a reflection of the shortcomings in his personality that led to him holding the club to ransom.

I don't think any of this was down to a lack of talent. I think it was largely down to a waste of his talent that a poor personality and all-round lack of discipline contributed to. I've no doubt that he gave 100% on a training pitch. But where else did he apply himself in the way that Bale, Ronaldo etc have?

How many cigarettes does he smoke? How much does he drink? How many nights did he spend outside of his marital bed the night before training or matches? How many times was he knocked out in a kitchen? We'll never know... but I doubt that these are isolated incidents.

Unfortunately, the lifestyle he chose to lead caught up with him at the age of 28 when he should've been entering his peak.

For a period of time, we were only a decent striker away from being a team to challenge for honours. Man Utd, on the other hand, were a team winning things because of his talent.

There were times when I believe an Everton team with Wayne Rooney would have been better than a Man Utd team without him.

Thank you, DC, for freeing more funds.

I bet you if you take away the anti-scouse brigade, and especially now that he's been gone a while, then Wayne Rooney the footballer would be held in the highest possible esteem by sensible Man Utd fans.

He played anywhere he was asked, ran himself into the ground for his team, and when you consider this, it's probably no wonder he's well past his best.

I wouldn't argue with anyone who says his lifestyle hasn't helped his career but I always think he would have stayed a better and more individual footballer if he had never left the Toffees – although I've obviously got no proof!

I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating (cue the "Rooney's ate a few" jibes).

You only have to look at what Man Utd have done against what we have. Much as I'd love to agree with you, we were way behind Man Utd then... and just as much, if not even more so, now.

Tell you what, though, Toe, he would have been frustrated as fuck playing with Moyes for a few years – he'd have needed that imitation hair long before he bought it.

I appreciate that the advent of the electronic age has given fans the opportunity to express their opinions (exactly what I am doing now), but I don't recall anyone complaining about the number of cigarettes Roy Vernon smoked, nor do I recall Trevor Steven being castigated for rolling a penalty kick to Ray Clemence, at the Park End, in an Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur fixture.

Returning to the Wayne Rooney situation, I repeat that my feeling was one of bitter disappointment; there's no doubt that his decision was the best outcome for him, both financially and from a trophy-winning perspective. It's my opinion that we look at 'professional football' through 'amateur' eyes and, whether we like it or not, money rules.

Anyway, Tom, you make a great point but it's very difficult to compare players against other players. They all have different attributes and styles and play with a variation of supporting players who can make a difference to what you achieve.

Sometimes there is a lot more merit to a player doing great things in a poor team than one in a great team. One in that category could be Alan Shearer but one cannot underestimate the skill Rooney had and what he achieved as a forward considering his smallish stature.

His footballing brain was second to none and in fact still showed it for the Blues last season until a man called Sam changed things.

I for one will still look forward to seeing him in the MLS during his remaining years and wish him luck – after all, he is still a scouser.

Back on topic, I believe that Wayne was the best I have seen since George. I don't think he should have come back. I think he is done... but he is a Blue and he was special.

Sure, he scored a few goals, quite a few penalties or rebounds, but, he slowed our play right down and hogged the ball when he played. We looked a more potent and dynamic side without him. Any player that isn't good enough for a team we aspire to rival shouldn't be considered good enough for us.

At least we're getting rid of the deadwood this summer even if we, as yet, haven't strengthened.

Remember, Everton have had a few young players that were supposed to set the world on fire and unfortunately we lost the one that did. We don't know what Everton was offering him but you can bet that his low life agent made sure he was aware that Man Utd's offer was better.

Remember, a footballers life can be very short.

Talking about players under-rated, yet brilliant (and now invisible) what about Scholes?

Mocking Rooney's contribution to England's team? What if Scholes was a regular instead of "commercial presence" faves Lampard and Gerrard?

Wayne was a 'monetary thing" to broke-ass Bill and his boys. He was dumped for some ready, because the banks were at the door ringing the bell.

He performed very well as a teenager; maybe, if we weren't such a mess, he wouldn't have left the first time?

He was our top goalscorer last season. Maybe he would have done even better had we finally got our act together?

Feel free to have a dig at him but recent history says Wayne Rooney has made better decisions than Everton have. He performed at a higher level than Everton have. And he still managed to be our top scorer after he'd been discarded by his club.

I'm far more interested and concerned about Everton than Wayne. He's no legend. Just a perfect comparison to view how poorly this club has been managed.

It is with sadness that I see him depart, as I feel in both spells circumstances outside his control may have played a part in his departures.

We were flat broke just before he left the first time. Also, he had just changed agents to Paul Stretford, a man who appeared to have muscled his way into the relationship, before promptly negotiating Rooney's contract with Man Utd. This seemed like no coincidence. I also seem to recall the club had put a contract offer on the table which would have made Rooney the club's best-paid player. But it just had an air of inevitability that he would go.

This time round, I feel he was to some degree the victim of circumstance again. The off-the-pitch shambles at the club prevented him being properly integrated into the set-up. Having started as our No 9 due to our failure to buy anyone half-decent, he was then played as a No 10, then shifted to a Pirlo position. In between, he was tried as an impact sub without much success. Also, I look at all our new signings from last season and I feel Rooney was not alone in suffering, as really only Pickford and Walcott have truly settled in.

I accept Rooney is not fit enough or quick enough to command a spot in the team. Despite this, during the dog days of October and November, he produced some memorable moments.

Consequently, I wish him well, and have feelings of sadness that his two spells with us coincided with so much turbulence at the club.

Wayne copped for all the stick and Kenwright was / is blameless to many fans... and much richer thanks to Wayne.

Rooney copped the stick for trying to pin the blame on leaving on anybody bar himself. He even had to swallow it in court when he accused Moyes of forcing him out in his biography. Truth was it was the best for all parties at the time and he should never have come back the second time.

Regarding Rooney and he's leaving Everton, Wayne was getting dragged this way and that way and didn't know which way to turn, Kenwright was desperate to sell him no matter what spin he put on it, alledgely bringing his mam into it, she's not innocent either, she's the one who brought him into the world. !!!!!!

"allegedly bringing his mam into it, she's not innocent either, she's the one who brought him into the world!!!!!!"

Ohhhh Dave! That's a low one mate!

But it made me laugh!

Because he can't be compared to Zidane, because he never won a World Cup for France you conclude that he has done "nothing of significant note."

Absolute bollocks - read his wiki entry and you'll see which of his moments contributed to "that trophy, championship, etc."

Like you I didn't want him back and guessed rightly he was spent at this level, but dismissing his entire career as 'boring' is pure jobbies.