Rooney meets Francis Jeffers... “Leaving Everton Killed Me”

You could tell how much Granty, loved Franny, as a footballer and I remember agreeing with him about how good I thought Franny was, because let’s face it the young Francis Jeffers, was an outstanding footballer, and definitely one of the cleverest little footballers I have had the pleasure to watch.

My own view is that the greatest skill in football is movement, and Jeffers movement was definitely top drawer, but I had to tell Granty, to hurry up and watch the kid, because Wayne Rooney, was simply out of the very highest draw possible, and was already a truly great player.

I wish we never had either of those two kids from Crocky, because the money from both their sales, kept a horrible, deceitful fraud, in charge of our football club, for way too many years, but that’s another story and has already been done to death.

I still can’t help myself because as much as I didn’t really like Anthony Gordon, that much, he was another young scouser that was abused to death by the Evertonians, even though it was clear to see that Everton, had to sell the kid, because they were in massive financial trouble, and it was clear that the club had already decided to sell all three of those young scousers, no matter what.

Since he moved to Newcastle that potential has blossomed and Newcastle will not be his last move, other clubs have their eye on him including his boyhood club.

Rooney was a one off sensation, Frannie loved Everton but money talked to both sides Kenwright to help keep his train set and Frannie got a great deal off Arsenal.

Possibly Harrison Armstrong will get the Scouse flag rising again along with Everton’s banners.

Wayne is still hated by a few Evertonians that don't know the full story.

He had a good heart Bill,one of us.

For his own career he should have stayed with the blues and learnt more from Kevin Campbell before moving on when he was ready.

He was definitely the fox in the box and knew how to finish. Maybe badly advised? But another one who we never had the pleasure of watching more of.

As a fan I would have loved to have watched more of Kenny, Jeffers, Rooney and Gordon. As said above 3 of them sold off to balance the books and sod the fans whilst Kenny should have been looked after better at the club rather than his no mark mates.

Rooney couldn’t get out the door quick enough. Jeffers thought he was bigger, better than what he was.

Who gives a flying fook about either of them. I’d prefer to read about Everton players not kiss the badge no marks.

Would he have got there staying here at Everton and in the city ?

I very much doubt it !

The thoughts I have are that he could have been Messi, Ronaldo level if he was more professional, and didn't have all the off field shenanigans going on.

Leaving Everton was inevitable !

Yes he would sill have earned a massive wage, but who could deny what I believe is the best football player England have ever produced to go and win titles, trophies, and riches that go with it.

Yes we would have loved him staying here at his peak, and who knows what might have been with wayne staying, he was too good for us at that time, like all truly world class players in the modern game they want and should be on the biggest stages !

There was a brief window in time when I thought an Everton team with Rooney in it, would have been better than the Man United team without him.

I felt Pienaar Baines,Ossie, Arteta, cahill etc were only ever a Wayne Rooney away from winning silverware.

Paul #14 - well said indeed.

Darren #12 - those were the real Everton players: Pienaar, Baines, Osman. Cahill, Jagielka. Proper players.

40 senior level goals in his whole career. Didn't Rooney score that many in one season once?

Rooney, had it in spades, the little scouse bastard, didn't give a flying fuck for anyone when he was out on the football pitch, and although I'm sure he regretted kissing the United badge, the kid had balls, and was an out and out winner.

Everton haven't had a real winning mentality since Joe Royle left, and then it got a lot worse on Boxing Day 1999, when the second rate actor purchased Everton.

A second rate actor kidded thousands of Evertonians, he allegedly phoned his mother crying, telling her United, had robbed the boy, what a fucking fraud, and still we haven't regained our winning mentality, 31 years fucking later.

Also, the way he used to bend his run, or find that little bit of space that enabled him to peel away and then find the shortest route towards his opponent's goal.

He left too early, and wasn't ready to replace players like Henry, Wright, and Bergkamp (not many forwards in world football could have replaced those three in an Arsenal shirt).

He was another very good young player who was allowed to leave because of the circumstances around having a conman owner.

We were treading water as a club back then without ambition. (Has much changed?) Let's hope times are changing, for too long mid-table mediocrity has subconsciously been accepted at our club.

Ambition isn't a dirty word... what's our motto again??

Take away your fan mindset and if your lad was as good as he was then surely your telling him to go to a club competing at the very top?

Otherwise, you end up like Matt Le Tissier or Alan Shearer, a local hero with very little to show for it.

Kev Campbell brought out the best in Jeffers

And he played in the Royal Blue jersey. I'll never forget those two wonderful goals he scored, one v Arsenal, the other against West Ham.

I remember when Wayne came back in one of his games for Man Utd... he went past two Everton players and hit a terrific shot which just went over the bar.

I applauded the effort as I usually do, no matter if from us or an opponent — a big divvie ran down from about 6 rows behind me screaming with his veins sticking out of his neck “What are applauding that bastard for!!??"

I looked up at him and told him, “I wish we had another 10 bastards like him!” He glared and went back to his seat.

If you don't understand the situation Rooney was in then — even now it's you who is talking tripe and the players you mentioned I appreciated but each of them would recognise how far Wayne was ahead of them and they would acknowledge that absolute fact.

I spent the next 10 years hoping he'd fall over, balloon it over the bar, whatever. He could not have handled it worse. Effectively stuck two fingers up to the fans, no explanation given, just "I'm big enough and strong enough to deal with it".

Nobody expected him to stay with Everton his whole career, But he could not have left in a worse manner. Spirited out in the boot of a car by Stubbs and his agent, and then popping up at Old Trafford. I still can't bear thinking about it. And those awful fans with their signs: 'Siralex, pleez will ya sign Wayne Rooneh'

Young players have got to play. It’s no good playing in the premier league for one team but then signing for another team and being way down the pecking order, because although it would have been great to share a training ground with so many great players, you’re simply not going to improve if you aren’t playing enough.

Jeffers went backwards, he probably lost his hunger as well as his mojo, because he wasn’t quite ready to play for the best team in the country, and nowhere near filled his potential after that.

It’s probably a good reason why Delap, should have signed for Everton, rather than Chelsea, especially when you consider how much patience the player we signed instead, Barry, has been given?

Threw the two young kids under the bus Kenwright.

Had to sell them to cover up how hopelessly he ran the club, then spread the word the lads were agitating for moves.

Rooney was more fortunate in going to Manchester. There the nightlife is more contained. You're only going to embarrass yourself once or twice a year, something an, ahem, pro footballer will be able to manage if given endless self-serving support by a club and family all dependent on your even more mega-salary.

To me neither hit the heights they should've due to their self-indulgent propensities.

And, lastly, as expected from me, having that conniving bastard Kenwright in control for decades was the ONE cause throughout our ongoing trophy-drought, not any player/s.

Well I never.

But we couldn’t keep him.

Shame as he would’ve been a God rather than a part in a team that Whisky Nose turned him into.

I don’t blame him kissing that badge either - he was getting dogs abuse and gave it back.

I hate them cnuts singing the new Pele song at our place though. Twats!

He may have made the difference, but it's all ifs and maybes.

Everton were selling him, and where would we be now if we didn't even have him to sell ?

Precisely.

He and his sons are also Evertonians. I respect that. Not Man-U fans but Evertonians, despite all the shite we have had to put up with and all the trophies Daddy won with Man-U.