It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

Chelsea match Manchester United's offer for Romelu Lukaku to begin tug-of-war but champions refuse to pay £12m to agent Mino Raiola
Romelu Lukaku looked destined to join Jose Mourinho at Manchester United
However Chelsea have matched Manchester United's recent offer
The champions will also match the contract terms offered by United
Chelsea are refusing to pay agent Mino Raiola £12m but United are
By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 21:05, 7 July 2017 | UPDATED: 22:00, 7 July 2017


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4676156/Chelsea-match-Man-United-s-75m-offer-Romelu-Lukaku.html#ixzz4mBTJ87fQ
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Lol only happy fans are Everton fans. Have spoken to two Chelsea and two Man U fans and none of them are happy.

I thought Everton were mugs paying what they did for him but now looking like good business.

I'd rather have Rooney than Lakaku.

Rom arrested in the States LOL!! you couldn't make this up. A Legend in his own mind. Good riddance. Welcome home Wayne.

Said it before and I'll say it again better off signing Andrea Gray... from you know who -):

Be careful what you wish for Stan, has been muted. EFC have't finished yet :0)

Great to see Rooney back. He will be rejuvenated in the blue shirt.

Another 50 Million and he's yours CC.. hot news just in from Goodison.

Following the signing of ex "lard arse" Waster Rooney, Michael Keene Everton's best signing since Martin Dobson has put in an immediate transfer request... nay demand!

Keane was overheard saying "I thought I was coming to a club that would be looking to the future not the past"... I want out and I want it now!

Think your getting confused with Romelu Lukaku's reaction when the Mancs get knocked out of the European Cup Stan :0). Rooney's value to EFC is not only his commercial value but the experience he brings to the club plus he no longer has to wear his 'jim jams' in secret no more LOL!! Great signing watch this space.

Rooney 'ready to go' as he targets silverware with Everton
Lyndon Lloyd Sunday 9 July 2017 105 Comments [Jump to last]
TAKES NO.10 JERSEY

Everton FCWayne Rooney says he is delighted to be back in an Everton shirt after jumping at the chance to return to his boyhood club.
The 31-year-old grew up in Croxteth as a Toffee-mad kid on the Blues' books but left the club as a teenager for Manchester United in 2004 after bursting onto the Premier League and international scene.

He spent 13 years amassing a trophy cabinet full of honours and is now hoping to help end Everton's trophy drought and back a concerted push for the top four under Ronald Koeman.

Rooney was confirmed as Everton's sixth first-team signing of the summer when he put pen to paper on a two-year contract after months of speculation about his future. He will wear the No.10 jersey that is being vacated by Romelu Lukaku.

"Throughout the summer I've been working out where I was going to go," Rooney said on evertonfc.com. "I spoke to my agent and said: ‘Listen, you need to speak to Everton, see if it can happen'.

"He said it could so I told him to speak to the club and get it done as quickly as possible. It's happened, I'm delighted and I'm ready to go.

“[Wearing the shirt] feels as special as it did 13 years ago and I'm just looking forward now to getting out on the pitch with it on. “[Goodison Park] has always been a special place, even when I've been on the opposing team,” he continued. “You always get that feeling when you walk out of the tunnel so to actually do it again in an Everton shirt will be a special moment for me.

"I've kept it quiet for the last 13 years but I've actually been wearing Everton pyjamas at home with my kids. I had to keep that a bit quiet!"

Meanwhile, his new manager is excited to have added genuine experience and savvy to the team to blend with the youthful additions he and Steve Walsh have been busy making this summer.

Rooney is the elder statesman compared with Jordan Pickford (23), Davy Klaassen (24), Sandro Ramirez (21), Henry Onyekuru (20) and Michael Keane (24) but he has played on the biggest stages for club and country and still retains a burning desire to push his former club back towards the top of the English game.

“Wayne has shown me that ambition that we need and that winning mentality," Koeman said. "He knows how to win titles and I'm really happy he's decided to come home.

“He loves Everton and he was desperate to come back. He is still only 31 and I don't have any doubts about his qualities. It's fantastic he's here.

“It's all about his fitness and his desire, but he has shown me that ambition that we need. He knows how to win titles, as I said. [H]e wants to play at the highest level that is possible for him. We have spoken several times about Everton and what we are striving to achieve.

“His main quality is his quality on the ball, his experience and what I describe as his winning mentality. Everybody knows he can play out of different positions up front. He's a smart player. He's an experienced football player and that helps everybody.

“We have a lot of young players and sometimes in life you need somebody who you look up to, who you learn from.

“One of the functions for Wayne is to show the rest of the team why he is - and still is - that player.”

Reader Comments (105)
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Mike Gaynes
1 Posted 09/07/2017 at 16:54:04 Love the quote about the PJs.
And he looks good in the shirt.

Adam Carey
2 Posted 09/07/2017 at 16:59:17 My head tells me his legs have probably gone but my heart says welcome home Wayne. Maybe I'm sentimental but we as a club always seem to keep a place set at the table for family, no matter what has gone on before.
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.
Keith Glazzard
3 Posted 09/07/2017 at 17:14:48 Head or heart? I really don't know. But with Koeman in charge I guess it will be head.
In any case, bye bye Rom. How much does a new stadium cost?
Colin Battison
4 Posted 09/07/2017 at 17:23:13 Welcome home, Wayne. You are looking trimmer than I've seen for a long time!
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.

Jim Wilson
5 Posted 09/07/2017 at 17:25:08 This deal has got the place buzzing. I for one can't wait for the season to start now and a Derby winner from Rooney will make it all worthwhile. Good Luck Wayne!
Craig Harrison
6 Posted 09/07/2017 at 17:27:49 Maybe a change of style of play. Re buzz he will undoubtedly get from playing for Everton again will reignite his on field performances. The only time he seemed interested or put in decent performances last season was when he was chasing charltons record as an incentive.
If anything having Rooney on the pitch should open up space for other players such as Sandro.

Michael Kenrick
7 Posted 09/07/2017 at 17:48:14 Great to have him back. 13 years ago, that twat Moyes played a major role in his controversial departure from this club – something I never forgave him for. Ironically, Moyes went on to follow him to Old Trafford, only to crash and burn in fantastic style...
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!

Paul Kossoff
8 Posted 09/07/2017 at 17:59:36 Looks slim and fit! Glad he's back, anymore to come in this week? Apparently the red shite are not happy with their transfers.Wearing Everton pj,s for years while at Man Utd, lol.
Brent Stephens
9 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:01:01 Wayne was raised a blue. Played for his favourite team. Wanted glory elsewhere. He requested and got his move and I didn't begrudge him his move (regardless of whether Moyes aided that).
Got his glory at Man Utd. Now on his way back. Will welcome him with open arms (and a clean pair of PJs).

Daniel Whyment
10 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:03:29 Were they Tim Cahill pyjamas?
George McKane
11 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:04:55 On Wednesday local TV asked me for my thoughts on Rooney rejoining Everton - - they asked me to speak "live" and said I had about 1"45' - - so I quickly decided to say something light and different.
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

Tom Magill
12 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:09:50 I'm absolutely buzzing today,this transfer window rocks.
Welcome home Wayne!
Rom who?
Rudi Coote
13 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:10:39 Welcome home!
Time for special things to happen.
You can do it!
Rudi Coote
14 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:15:41 He's smiling like a kid in a sweet shop!
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.

Andy Crooks
15 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:17:08 In my view this is a fantastic signing. The best of the summer.
Tim Drake
16 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:22:14 It's telling that the number 9 jersey is still vacant. Looks like we are saving it for Lukaku's replacement. Place your bets now...
Fintan Spode
17 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:26:38 The Prodigal son has returned, kill the fatted calf and let us be happy for it is appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for our brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.
Once a blue always a blue!
Mark Andersson
18 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:31:29 I concur with Michael Kenrick...
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...
Jim Wilson
19 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:34:35 Well said Michael. Moyes was instrumental in Rooney's departure. And I agree he was a twat, few saw it at the time, unfortunately.
Dave Williams
20 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:47:34 Great news! He is a winner and a fighter and he certainly won't freeze walking out at Anfield for the Derby. He will instil confidence and arrogance into our game and this should rub off on the rest.
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!!

Jason Broome
21 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:48:42 Bonucci, Cech, De Bruyne, Robben, Gallas, Mata, Tiago, Ibrahimovic (Inter), Huth, Crespo, Lukaku, and dare I say Salah?
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.

Kenny Smith
23 Posted 09/07/2017 at 18:59:20 I've said before on TW there's no place for sentiment as we move forward but this feels and is different.
I'm made up Wayne's back – let's hope 'Everton are back' as well!

Steve Ferns
24 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:03:54 Didn't Sandro take 9?
George 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 no9

Terry Underwood
25 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:09:57 Welcome home.
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.
Drew Shortis
26 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:12:37 I hope this will convince Barkley to stay and learn from the best. Wayne has so much he can teach Ross. If we can get in Giroud then a front three of Barkley & Rooney just behind the big Frenchman will be a devastating attacking line. With Klaasen, Sandro and Sigurdsson as other options. Defensive/Central Midflield 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 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 LB/RB. 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!

Jay Harris
27 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:13:15 As one who did not want Rooney back under any circumstances I am pleased that it is exciting so many supporters and maybe it will be the galvanising effect that the club has needed for so long.
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.

Dennis Ng
28 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:14:25 Terry, that's a good one LOL
Rooney is here more than just a player. RK 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.

Ken Buckley
29 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:14:30 A real leader and fighter but mainly a hell of a footballer, the sort you cant coach as he is naturally tuned in and up to speed as that built in football computer brain whirrs away.
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.

Robert Workman
30 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:14:37 The prodigal son returns - a penny for your thoughts Romelu? Did you jump too soon?
Frank Sheppard
31 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:16:02 Club Captain ?
Denis Richardson
32 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:18:59 Was really hoping this wasn't going to happen but secretly thought it would. His wife has no intention of moving to china so never thought that was goer.
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 RK 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 manu 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 £15m odd over the next 2 years for the odd substitute cameo role or just for the EL 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 BK 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.

Paul Holmes
33 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:24:05 I watched him play for Man Utd against Spurs in the last match at White Heart Lane. He scored and played well until Mourhino brought on Rashford and moved Rooney out on the wing.
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!

Johm Pascoe
34 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:31:41 I am a Cardiff City supporter but also follow your team. I'm absolutely amazed that any Everton supporter would welcome Rooney back to Goodison Park.
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. 😈

Jeff Armstrong
35 Posted 09/07/2017 at 19:33:05 Costa being linked with Besiktas, what about him as our new number 9?
Jim Wilson
36 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:02:34 Great point Drew. I too hope Barkley will want to stay now but it maybe whether Koeman wants him to stay.
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.
Bjoern Haall
37 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:08:26 If all the players in the current squad will perform to the level they are capable of and if some of the youngsters step up - I think we can win the league.
Neil Thomas
38 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:19:54 Personally I think it's a great deal for Rooney and the club. The fact that the lad as taken a massive pay cut rather than sitting on the bench earning a fortune should tell you how much he wants this unlike some who have just jumped ship
Si Cooper
39 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:22:09 "Am pretty sure had he not been at Everton as a kid we would not be signing him now, based on footballing abilities alone."
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.
David Barks
40 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:23:20 Im happy we've signed him. I think he does bring a winning mentality into the team. I also think it's great to be winning the news cycle. No matter what happens this has absolutely raised the profile of the club. It's all over the news in countries around the world, not just in England.
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 zill 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.

Eddie Dunn
41 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:24:09 I really think this will be a seminal moment in our future. Rooney may be a yard slower, but he is still a class player and he will show the likes of Davies, Lookman DCL and Barkley the way to future achievement. Welcome back Wayne.
Shane Corcoran
42 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:37:06 Michael #7, can you tell me what it was that Moyes did with regards to Rooney leaving.
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.

Peter Lee
43 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:41:55 Okay, how was Moyes instrumental in Rooney leaving?
A verifiable fact or two would be welcome rather than a few "I think that's".

Ian Hollingworth
44 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:43:47 Whose next?
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

David Price
45 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:45:02 Welcome back Wayne.
Romu, Romuwho

Romu, Romuwho

Romu, Romuwho

Who the fucks Lukaku.

Brian Harrison
46 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:45:39 I hope most of the posters are correct and Wayne coming back will galvanize our club to again be challenging for trophies. But I always think the old adage of never go back is true, and there arent too many cases were its been proved wrong. He has been a brilliant player but age waits for nobody not even Wayne.
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.

Derek Valentine
47 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:47:50 Rooney is back. Lukaku is gone and arrested. Priceless. Trust in Koeman, Walsh and Moshiri. I said at the start of last season something special is happening at our club. It's now ramped up some more. Bring in another 20+ goal a season striker to replace America's most wanted and watch us go. Time to make history again.
Jay Woods
48 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:52:31 Never go back? Olaf Thon went back to Schalke after a long spell at Bayern Munich and almost won the Bundesliga, but for a disgusting refereeing decision in Hamburg that saw Bayern steal it with the last action of that season.
Graham Mockford
49 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:55:53 Shane #42
In Rooneys first ( I know!) autobiography he claimed Moyes 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 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 f*** you, there are teams who want to give me 10 times my wages.

Charles Barrow
50 Posted 09/07/2017 at 20:57:18 I wasn't that keen on Rooney returning but like nearly all fans - let's give him all the support we can - and let's hope it'll be re-paid with goals and a fantastic two years.
Graham Mockford
51 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:00:12 Ken Buckley #29

Link

I own a pair

Michael Kenrick
52 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:08:05 Fantastic words added up top to the main story, giving Koeman's take on bringing Rooney home.
Michael Kenrick
53 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:23:23 I felt at the time that Moyes was a poor and very limited manager who was not in anyway making the most of the lad's incredible talent.
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.

Brian Williams
54 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:27:46 Kevin Campbell is the first ex player I can remember going anywhere near the truth when he said on Sky today "Wayne was hung out to dry over that transfer."
He knows what happened, and others do too. ;-)
Gary Reeves
55 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:27:51 Ahh for fucks sake,posts on here saying it will bring out the best in Barkley. WTF!! . . best transfer business this Summer would be getting him out. Three seasons of gormless meandering. What do you watch???
Marc Jones
56 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:31:33 Just to echo the majority of posters I'm absolutely buzzing to have Wayne back. I think with his mileage in footballing terms he may be used conservatively (akin to Ronaldo this season), rested for certain games, withdrawn early in others. 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!!!!
Graham Mockford
57 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:33:22 Michael
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.

Sean Patton
58 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:36:16 Hung out to dry
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.

Mike Connolly
59 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:41:02 People still come on mentioning Rooney’s wages and saying he’s too old. We are not little EVERTON anymore, money does not appear to be a problem. He is also not the only signing this season. It’s great seeing Rooney as appose McGeedy, Kone and Niasse.
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.
Graham Mockford
60 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:41:33 Brian #54
Which Sky interview was it?

Mike Hughes
62 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:43:38 Strange betting odds on Paddy Power for the PL.
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 the rs.
(d) Repeated after-match phone-ins on RM with rs 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 that's stadium cos it's our year etc. etc. etc. (All in a Norwegian dialect).
Chris Corn
63 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:45:56 Michael 53, I know that there was conflict between Rooney and Moyes in that last season. 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.

Ian Burns
64 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:52:34 For footballing reasons only I did not want this to happen. However now he is a Blue once again I give him a massive welcome back and pray I am eating humble pie quickly into the new season.
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!

Danny Broderick
65 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:55:35 Rooney was out of order when he left the first time, don't blame Moyes. Moyes sued him for libel afterwards, and Rooney issued an apology for some of the things he said about Moyes. 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.

Shane Corcoran
66 Posted 09/07/2017 at 21:59:25 Who knows what happened but nothing I've read has even close to convinced me that Wayne wanted out for Wayne's sake. Bad taste then, bad taste now for me.
Nick Dogan
67 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:07:06 Still torn here...
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! 😊

Stephen Scofield
68 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:08:33 Rooney looks fitter than he has in years. I think no one will recognise him when he plays and the Man U fans will get pissed that he didn't play like that for them the past few years.
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.

Jim Wilson
69 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:11:19 Rooney didn't have to apologise to Moyes for saying he left Everton when he did because of Moyes, because that bit was true.
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 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!

Keith Purcell
70 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:19:01 So happy to see Rooney back in Everton blue. I think he was getting stale at Man Utd cause the length of time he was there. Now he will be rejuvenated and hungry to win silverware with Everton. 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 ????
Steven Jones
71 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:23:00 Michael Kendrick - at Number 7 - great post .
Ken Buckley 29 - spot on .
and Stephen Scofield 68 agree - thing is Wayne hates them and has not really played at full tilt for years because of them booing him for the contract re-negotiations over the years (he became a bigger brand than then 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.
Graham Mockford
73 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:27:39 Jim Wilson
He did after settle out of court after making that allegation in his autobiography.

Bob Hannigan
74 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:28:13 My 2017-2018 season ending prediction, please comment
1 Chelsea
2 Man City
3 Everton
4 Arsenal
5 Tottenham
6 Man U
7 Liv
Jose out by March 2018

Mike Berry
75 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:30:07 It will be interesting to hear Ronalds comments about Wayne, after a training session or two as people say his legs have gone ?
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 !
Neil Thomas
76 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:30:30 Sigurdsson next by the look of it.
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.

Andrew James
77 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:30:50 On the Moyes v Rooney debate, my memories are that Rooney didn't have that good a season in his second one for us but, to be fair, nobody did given where we finished. 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 so 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.

Mike Benjamin
78 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:39:46 Fantastic that many of the media outlets are reporting that Rooney has returned to his boyhood club while Lukaku goes the other way. Which one is the £100m player?
Anthony Burke
79 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:42:52 Welcome back. Rooney! A birthday weekend I will never forget.
Dan Davies
80 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:45:12 1. Spurs
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Everton
5. Man U
6. Arsenal
7.Leicester
Happy Bob?
Anthony Burke
81 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:47:06 He does look fitter than he ever has. He wants to succeed at our massive club.
Jim Wilson
82 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:47:46 Graham
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
Bob Hannigan
83 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:50:53 Andrew James # 77
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 ManU 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.

Graham Mockford
84 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:55:45 Jim
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

Michael Kenrick
85 Posted 09/07/2017 at 22:57:28 That's right, Jim. What Rooney had to rescind was that Moyes had leaked his personal conversation with Rooney to the Echo, which miraculously published what Rooney assumed had been private revelations the very next day!
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.


Mike Gaynes
86 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:05:48 Bob #74 and Dan #80, I think you are wildly optimistic.
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 EPL. 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 ManU 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.

Jim Wilson
87 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:06:11 Thanks Michael
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.

Andrew James
88 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:13:55 Michael and Graham
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.

Michael Kenrick
89 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:23:28 Johm (#34 – is that a typo for 'John'?).
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,

Michael Kenrick
90 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:31:12 Andrew, I think there were a number of things going on at the time. The club's financial issues; slimeball Stretford looking to make a killing; Stubbs encouraging him to leave etc. Do you hang it all on one or look at all in combination?
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!

Dan Davies
91 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:43:27 Mike @ 86, I believe the first ten games will possibly define our entire season- bring it on.
Other than that MK and 'LL, have you seen the mess that is the ToffeeWeb Offside Forum?

What an embarrassment. ' Lurker' I must be.. Very sad.

If people have something to say, say it openly instead of hiding on the Offside Forum.

#sad.

Andrew James
92 Posted 09/07/2017 at 23:53:23 Michael
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.

Jay Wood
93 Posted 09/07/2017 at 00:01:41 Some very speculative distortion on 'the known' in relation to Wayne's departure from Everton.
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 £50m.'

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 WR'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, WR 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 WR 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.

Andrew James
94 Posted 10/07/2017 at 00:14:30 Jay
Can only agree with all the above - you put it better than I did sir.

John Daley
95 Posted 10/07/2017 at 00:26:06 Of course a clash of personalities could have played some part in Rooney's Everton exit, but there was plenty of other stuff going on back then besides a player thinking his manager was a bit of a prick.
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 S*n (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.

Davie Turner
96 Posted 10/07/2017 at 01:42:36 2004 is long ago and the why's and where's about Rooney leaving feel almost as if they in another world.
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?

Peter Gorman
99 Posted 10/07/2017 at 03:21:09 Kudos to Jay for hopefully quashing this twaddle. The main reason Wayne Rooney went to Utd begins in Paulstr and ends in etford.
Matt Traynor
100 Posted 10/07/2017 at 04:43:29 I've always believed there was a concerted campaign to get him to leave in 04 - and Wayne (and family) were just pawns in the game.
- The ill-advised S*n 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 £300k. 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

Danny Broderick
101 Posted 10/07/2017 at 05:12:35 Moyes forced Rooney out by playing him out of position??!!
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.

Mark Andersson
102 Posted 10/07/2017 at 05:28:05 Matt Traynor your last paragraph made me chuckle.. Good old Bill get's his wish This Rooney move will soon fizzle out from the media and it will all be about Lukka's every goal..
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..

Bob Parrington
106 Posted 10/07/2017 at 07:56:47 Either a stroke of brilliance by the management or a mistake. But not such an expensive mistake as he arrives on a fee free basis (I am lead to understand) and, OK a relatively high weekly pay that equates to Pds15.8m over the 2 year contract. As a total that's not too bad compared with the cost of paying large transfer fees for others. Plus, it leaves some dosh in the transfer kitty for perhaps Gilfy and another defender.
I'd back the stroke of brilliance at this point.

Peter Lee
107 Posted 10/07/2017 at 08:04:21 Michael Kendrick. I have objected previously to the use of "Presbyterian" as part of a term of abuse of David Moyes and yet you continue to allow it and, now, use it yourself.
You most certainly would not allow abuse which included adjectives drawn from other religious groups and their supposed negative stereotypes.

Such comments have no place in the public domain.

You should withdraw the comment, apologise to presbyterian blues, including my mate, and eliminate such comments from this site.

Bob Parrington
108 Posted 10/07/2017 at 08:12:48 Jay #93. Really well written. Hat off to you.
John #95 Yep! History repeats itself. OK, Rom is now a bit older that WR 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

Ian Hollingworth
109 Posted 10/07/2017 at 08:23:42 Take a look at the BBC sport football page today as it gives you a glimpse of the Rooney impact.
The site is covered in Everton blue with most of the headline stories about Rooney and Everton.
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
Andrew Ellams
110 Posted 10/07/2017 at 08:36:25 Exactly right Ian. I've got fans of other clubs at work moaning that Sky Sports should change their Tr

The post above wins MAM's very prestigious longest post of the day competition... congratulations CC -):

No probs, next question LOL!!!

Great crap post, CC.

(That's great as in 'massively big')

:o)

:o)

Genuine question CC? Needless to say I haven't read right through your post, but one bit (below) that did stand out interested me.

Why the negativity surrounding Kenwright and the others do you think?

"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."

Mainly his history in the Moyes era Stan and the way the club was depicted in those days. As for Koeman, Moshiri and Walsh, have to agree with with the posters sentiments above. Exciting times ahead.

Ken Wright wears his heart on his sleeve. A good man in a time when money and success, not loyalty, is what rules. I reckon he finds that hard to deal with.

Wenger has come into even more criticism, as a manager, so different circumstances, but he has been at the top for more than 20 years and I think it is great that the board stand behind him. I prefer him to that screwed up gadfly Mourinho. God knows how he interpreted for Bobby all those years ago, if his current level of english is anything to go by.

Thanks CC.

Now this is what you call a "real" mid-field signing http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40557497

..chortle chortle.

WOW!!! They'll have to sell a serious amount of pies to pay for him Stan :0)