[Archived] Fergie Set To Retire?

[Guest Norbert]

Shearer was excellent, but he never had the skill that Rooney does. He was an old-school battering-ram centre forward.

Shearer squandered his talent, albeit in a diferent way to how Rooney is perceived to be throwing it all away. He could have tried to prove himself at a big club, but instead chose to become a £15m Matt Le Tissier and ended up with one trophy. All those years as the top striker in the league, and only one medal to show for it.

He wasn't much good at international level either, except for a handful of home games at Euro 96. A flat track bully.

And Colin Hendry was nowhere near as good as David May, Djimi Traore or Georgios Samaras is 100 times the player Matt Le Tissier ever was..........

Alan Shearer became the bulked up target man after his major injury at Newcastle, and that shows how he could adapt his game to suit his physical limitations. As Gordon said, Shearer was a striker, wheras Rooney is more of a number 10 kind of forward, and should be compared to Del Piero, Totti or that type of forward.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

[M-K]

M-K, you think trophies = being a great player? No. TALENT and using it well = being a great player, regardless of club size or trophies won. Otherwise Danny sodding Murphy is better than Fellaini! Or Quedrue was better than Baines

Rooney is a great player, as was Shearer. Different players. While I express a preference to Shearer (the goals thing was actually tongue-in-cheek), I think a neutral would actually struggle to say which is better.

Completely different players, I know. Apples / oranges.

I agree that comparing trophies isn't how it works, otherwise Super Atko = Shearer. However, Shearer won one title, then opted to spend the rest of his career as a big fish in a small pond, and never won another thing. We'll never know if he could have performed on the kind of stage Rooney has done, because he never set himself that sort of challenge. He was content to plod along at a middle of the road club.

Also, he is the most boring man on television.

[DP]

Rooney is technically a better player than Shearer, .

And Paul Scholes is technically a better player than Rooney

And Hughes was better at bringing other players into the game

And Bellamy is/was quicker down the flanks and at running at defenders

And Shearer was a much much better striker

Rooney's a very good all round forward but unfortunately at just 26 falls short in nearly every department when comparing to the best of the rest (and I haven't even mentioned Bergkamp, Henry, Cantona etc)

[ABBEY]

Ha just been talking to a utd fan . He was up in arms about Moyes . He was ranting about mid table and his season ticket going back . I didn't wind up ... Honest

[K-Hod]

Ha just been talking to a utd fan . He was up in arms about Moyes . He was ranting about mid table and his season ticket going back . I didn't wind up ... Honest

My heart bleeds for him....

[adopted scouser]

Ha just been talking to a utd fan . He was up in arms about Moyes . He was ranting about mid table and his season ticket going back . I didn't wind up ... Honest

Even for a neutral the images on Sky of Old Trafford are amazing. The atmosphere in there must be electric

[ABBEY]

I'm not 2 faced .. Fergie love is getting on my nerves .. He's an arrogant turd.

[adopted scouser]

I'm not 2 faced .. Fergie love is getting on my nerves .. He's an arrogant turd.

And you wouldn't want his success for Rovers would jou Shaun ? Give your head a wobble mate !

[ABBEY]

I can't stand his arrogance or his manipulation of refs . I has wound me up since he started . I won't change my mind just because he's retired . I don't do head wobble neither am I two faced.

[DE.]

If he was our manager you'd love him for it.

[ABBEY]

He's not so I won't .

[Batman.]

It's a sport Abbey. How you can be so childish over it is pathetic.

An absolute monster of a man is Sir Alex, who will quite rightly go down as the greatest of all time. Football will be worse off without him, however, it will be intriguing to see how/ if Moyes grows into the role. Massive credit to United for going down the old school route and rewarding a manager who has done a great job over a consistent period, rather than the current flavour of the month. I must admit though, I'd have moved buildings to get Jose if I were in charge.

[booth]

Rooney is technically a better player than Shearer, who was really the archetypal old-fashioned centre-forward. And that's not to discount Shearer's actual ability, but it's not in the same league as Rooney. My namesake is still vastly overrated because he's English, however, and I think while much of his game has improved at OT, that mercurial side he had when he first exploded on to the scene at Everton has been beaten out of him by Fergie.

Rooney isn't fit to lace Shearer's boots. Shearer at his best was unstoppable.

[DE.]

It's a sport Abbey. How you can be so childish over it is pathetic.

An absolute monster of a man is Sir Alex, who will quite rightly go down as the greatest of all time. Football will be worse off without him, however, it will be intriguing to see how/ if Moyes grows into the role. Massive credit to United for going down the old school route and rewarding a manager who has done a great job over a consistent period, rather than the current flavour of the month. I must admit though, I'd have moved buildings to get Jose if I were in charge.

Absolutely. Love him or hate him, Ferguson did everything he could to bring success to his club. The man's a winner, plain and simple.

Moyes' success or failure will rest on whether he can gain the full respect of the squad and stamp his authority on the club, rather than being viewed as Fergie-lite. I get the feeling with Ferguson hovering in the background the squad will be on good behaviour to begin with, but whether that'll extend for a prolonged period is another matter.

[Guest Norbert]

Just read Steve Kean was on SEM Sports News talking about Ferguson, and he said he'd have won the champions League twice if he was at Blackburn for 27 years. Can anyone verify whether this is true, and whether he was being serious?

And I also found out that there is another Steve Kean who had been naughty. Remember this scandal? http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudEnronCast.htm

[BlueMonday]

Has he gone yet?

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Rooney is technically a better player than Shearer, who was really the archetypal old-fashioned centre-forward. And that's not to discount Shearer's actual ability, but it's not in the same league as Rooney. My namesake is still vastly overrated because he's English, however, and I think while much of his game has improved at OT, that mercurial side he had when he first exploded on to the scene at Everton has been beaten out of him by Fergie.

Depends which Shearer you're talking about. 97/98 onwards Shearer was about half as good as pre 97/98 Shearer. Pre 97/98 Shearer in my opinion had Rooney for pace, finishing, heading, strength and movement in the box.

[John]

Interested to see what Moyes does re back room staff - they've got a good structure there which works well. Ferguson delegates a lot so would you keep the same staff?

Round is a good coach though and has been an important part of their success at Everton.

[Stuart]

Wouldn't be surprised if keeping the existing back room was part of the deal.

[davulsukur]

A big Man Utd fan I know told me that Moyes was keeping the same backroom staff.

No idea if its true but he is generally reasonably clued up with regards to Utd.

[Mike E]

A big Man Utd fan I know told me that Moyes was keeping the same backroom staff.

No idea if its true but he is generally reasonably clued up with regards to Utd.

Not hard tbh. I'm sure ManUtd can afford a copy of the latest Football Manager

[Rover_Shaun]

Why would he change them?? Staff from any other club is a downgrade

[thenodrog]

dunno if this is totally kosher but a little bird tells me that Phil Jones and Rooney had a bust up on the training ground last week and Jones came out on top. Reckoned that Rooney's no show at the weekend was due to visible marks on his face.

[Sparky Marky]

dunno if this is totally kosher but a little bird tells me that Phil Jones and Rooney had a bust up on the training ground last week and Jones came out on top. Reckoned that Rooney's no show at the weekend was due to visible marks on his face.

Totally incorrect I'm afraid my friend. For certain.