Wayne Rooney’s appointment as Manchester United captain last night stirred up a lot of feeling. Two of our writers discuss whether it’s a big deal or not and you can vote and tell us what you think too.
Sean Nolan says… picking Wayne Rooney as skipper was a no brainer for Louis van Gaal, as the importance of the role is vastly inflated in most people’s eyes.
When news broke last night of Wayne Rooney’s appointment as Manchester United captain, social media had one if its frequent mini meltdowns.
Accusations of tarnishing the armband, rewarding disloyalty and querying Rooney’s starting spot in the team were flying about like seagulls near a burger joint.
The thing is, the fans who were tweeting those things were right, spot on in fact, but only from the fan perspective. From the comfortable seat in Louis van Gaal’s office, selecting Rooney was one of the simplest decisions the Dutchman has ever had to make.
Let’s start with the obvious point; there is simply no player in the dressing room with the standing of Rooney. Senior figures like Evra, Vidic and Ferdinand are gone, leaving Rooney the figurehead. It might be unpalatable to some sections of the United support but it is a fact.
Linked to this is the fact that not only is Rooney the most senior, he is also the best and most important player at the club. United’s best times over the last decade have been when Rooney is in form. Those patches of form vary in length but when he hits it he is still one of the best in the Premier League and if a piece of fabric around his arms summons up those great days more regularly, then it is a great tactical move by van Gaal. It is worth a shot anyway.
And that brings me to the main reason why selecting Rooney as captain was not the drama many think it is; because the role of captain is nowhere near as important as fans think.
I saw Roy Keane, Bryan Robson and other great United captains listed last night as examples of what a leader should be but these players were leaders regardless of the armband. They were great players and leaders first, with the captaincy tacked on later.
The captaincy isn’t just a ceremonial role to choose ends and talk to the ref but it isn’t much more either.
In GAA, or rugby, there is no way a player who threatened to leave twice, held the club to ransom for monster wages and frequently criticised the way the club was run would be handed the captaincy as the role matters more in those sports.
But in football it doesn’t. Arsenal won their first trophy in years while captain Thomas Vermaelen was largely a spectator. Can you name the captain of Everton? Or Tottenham?
For Van Gaal, selecting Rooney was easy. It makes his most important player feel loved, which is always a handy shortcut to an improvement in performance. The fans who are outraged right now will forget all about it if Rooney scores a few goals in the opening few games and while he may never be the rabble rouser that some of his illustrious predecessors were, he doesn’t need to be either.
Paul Moore says… picking Wayne Rooney as captain has made a rod for Louis Van Gaal’s own back and the striker is the polar opposite of what a captain should represent.
Having read Sean’s very articulate and persuading article there are countless points that I agree on. A fit and in-form Wayne Rooney is without doubt Manchester United’s most influential player and he has been a large factor in many of the club’s most recent successes.
Man United are obviously in a rebuilding period and face a critical juncture in terms of where they want to go. The glorious era of Alex Ferguson is well and truly over and Van Gaal has to deliver on the job that David Moyes spectacularly failed to comprehend.
Van Gaal is the architect but Rooney would make an awful foreman. Sean raised the point that the captaincy isn’t as highly valued as it was in the past but that doesn’t always ring true with me.
Take Vincent Kompany out of Manchester City and look at the seismic difference it makes. As much as I don’t agree with a lot of John Terry’s actions, he has some fine virtues as a leader on the pitch, and rightfully or wrongly, he has revolted against certain managers that weren’t delivering to the high standards he felt Chelsea deserved.
During Rooney’s first attempt at extorting United for more money, he rightfully questioned the transfer policy of Sir Alex Ferguson. The same man remained quiet under Moyes who only managed to sign Marouane Fellaini, did the passion to win trophies go as soon as he put pen to paper?
Rooney started the season in blistering form, got his pay increase and then stayed quiet while club spiralled downwards through no fault of his own but where was the fire or will to win trophies that inspired him to go against Ferguson?
It’s been wildly said that the captaincy is a win-win for Van Gaal because it will keep Rooney happy and help him perform to his best levels. My questions is this; why does he need the armband to do this? Isn’t he a professional who should be driven to win any game regardless of a piece of cloth on his arm?
I’m very old school in my belief that the captaincy of any club should be a reward for a player’s leadership, authority and selflessness to his team-mates. It shouldn’t be handed over via an ultimatum, psychological tactic or as a reported clause in any contract negotiations.
My romantic view of the armband isn’t reflected by Rooney’s many moments of petulance, defiance and poor judgement, both on and off the pitch, which have tarnished many of his fine achievements at the club. United need guidance, an assured head and inspiration right now all of which I feel Rooney is incapable of providing.
Is he a leader of men that’s capable of taking on the huge challenge of helping the club return to the top of English football. I doubt it. This is the same man that wanted to leave a multiple title winning team… twice.
Yes, most fans won’t care about seeing Rooney’s name alongside previous United captains like Keane, Robson and Charlton. They will probably scream his name from the Stretford End if he scores the winner against Liverpool but it appears that Ferguson’s retirement has seen Rooney’s wish to be more heavily involved in team and club matters rise.
He has asked for more authority and leadership but to most fans this has to be earned not demanded.
The issue of where best to play Rooney is also one that Van Gaal must be seriously thinking about because in my opinion he isn’t as good a finisher as RVP. The club’s last title winning season saw Rooney used sparingly and he played more frequently as a make-shift midfielder.
Yes, not all captains have to feature in every game but any notions that Man Utd will suddenly fall apart without Wayne Rooney in their starting XI or squad is silly. He isn’t indispensable. A fit RVP is clearly a better figurehead for Manchester United’s attack while a properly used Juan Mata has the vision, technique and passing skills required to unlock any defence.
Mata is a 10, Rooney is not. The Englishman has often played as if he want’s to be a jack of all trades but frequently ends up being a master of none. What happens if Rooney is asked to play wide-left this season? Will he throw his expensive toys out of the pram, challenge the manager and then pine for a move elsewhere as he has done before. Hardly captain material.
Ferguson knew where best to deploy him and he didn’t give in to his demands. Van Gaal needs to be clever and do the same. Moyes backed the striker, on and off the pitch, and Rooney delivered however I can’t shake the feeling that he would be comfortable seeing Manchester United drift into mid table obscurity as long he can earn his 300k a week.
I don’t believe that the captaincy decision was as simple a decision for Louis Van Gaal to make as my colleague does, especially considering the obvious close relationship he has with Robin Van Persie. A captain should be the manager’s eyes and ears in the volatile environment of egos, money and bravado that is a Premier League dressing room. Van Persie would have been my option because the relationship is already there plus his example, on and off the pitch, is more professional than Rooney’s.
A good captain should represent the virtues of their team and manager. Despite not having a terrific World Cup, Van Persie skippered Holland to a semi-final and we all know the difficulty of keeping Dutch camps happy at big tournaments.
The woeful smell of the Moyes regime needs to be removed from the corridors at Old Trafford and RVP has already shown that he is a convert and disciple of Van Gaal’s teachings.
Rooney’s inflated contract is testament to the indulgences that Moyes offered him. Rooney is undoubtedly talented, hard-working and has the potential to win games but as a person he strikes me as lacking the important qualities that define a good captain.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
