Berbatov was an emotional buy – someone SAF/we wanted, but not needed.
1. We needed a finisher, we got another Rooney/Tevez.
2. We needed another striker to make it 4, we got rid of 2 (and now have only 3)
3. We needed to substitute the pace of ‘the always injured Saha’, we got Berbatov.

I know I’m harsh on Berbs, but that’s because I’m frustrated at:
1. him getting preference over an in form striker
2. my fear of perhaps he will turn out not to be the Cantona I long for.
3. I noticed that United are starting to whip in crosses left right and center … and he’s not getting underneath any of them.

I really hope he succeeds, I really do…more than this, I hope we defend the double this season.

If the England matches are a trend and not a mirage, then maybe Rooney plays his best with a facilitator like Heskey. If that’s true, then Man Utd. should have gone after Robbie Keane. Who knows? Maybe if United had swooped in before Liverpool got their act together, then they would have had him at 2/3 of the price of Berbatov.

As for Tevez, I have no idea what’s going on with him. Things seem okay, but he has that really screwed contract situation, which only makes things complicated. Maybe Ferguson is pushing Tevez aside because he knows that if Berbatov doesn’t work out, Tevez will step in and play hard for him. If he benches Berbatov, then the sulking will start, and no one wants that…

Why does everybody shy away from the real problem in United’s squad – Berbatov? He totally nullifies our counter-attacking play. I desperately want him to succeed because a) I yearn for another Cantona, and b) we paid a piss lot for him. Unfortunately, I don’t feel he has delivered yet. We also cannot use the excuse about him not being match-fit anymore. IMO, he should have been subbed instead of Rooney. In fact, Tevez should have started instead of him.

Oh, and why the hell take Rooney off and not bring on his supposed substitute? I really think that all is not well in the United camp, regardless of what the PR states.

But whatever. Bottom line is that Man Utd. has a huge deficit to make up and they haven’t done well in big games this year. Regardless of which one of us is correct (and I’m man enough to admit that the truth is probably somewhere in the middle), they need him to continue playing well. Otherwise, they’ll be battling it out for 2nd or 3rd.

To suggest that it is reasonable to assume that Rooney is the same hotheaded player that he was when he was 18 is ridiculous. He has attained a reputation that proceeds him, and that is what his actions on the pitch have been measured by, and compared to. It is a bias that permeates most Man U coverage, even by those that support the club. It is not at all fair for you to assume that he lacks control of his emotions, or that his innate aggression as a player cause him to be excessively volatile.

I would only ask that you objectively view his performance and demeanor from match to match; even within the same season, a player can undergo radical change. There is no reason to assume that, in the absence of a prolonged string of performances confirming your bias that it can be assumed fairly that those biases are still warranted. Wayne Rooney has become a much cleaner and more mature player, and he has been so now for quite some time.

That’s not to say that he is not an aggressive player, and I would agree with you that it is what makes him such a special player. I am simply disappointed that your bias exists in advance of any recent performance in which he has confirmed it. Your only example being the penalty against Chelsea proves my point – show me a current string of offenses, not just one isolated incident in an otherwise thus far clean and composed season of football.

As for Rooney, I’m not saying that he’s still some crazy hothead. I recognize that he’s made great strides and matured considerably. But let’s not be deluded. He’s not Mother Theresa out there. In fact, I think his edge is what makes him a special player. Roy Keane was the same way. Rooney wouldn’t be as effective if he had Giggs’ demeanor, for example. Still, as much as he’s matured, he is still prone to lapses in judgment. After all, his petulant and stupid foul in the Chelsea match was what led to their equalizer.

I don’t see it as “bias.” In fact, I think it would be biased of me if I acted like a homer all the time and defended his or any other Manchester United player’s actions regardless of the situation. Take Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance. Does he have a reputation as a diver? Yes. Has he been doing that less and less as compared to his early EPL career? Yes. But does that mean that it’s unfair to question his intentions when he goes down to the ground? Absolutely not (in fact, Bolton fans would have a pretty good case on that point). I’m not saying that you never outgrow your reputation. But there’s a difference between relying on bias and relying on history. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one relying on history. Sir Alex was doing it too.

Regardless of the respect you may have for him, you still clearly hold his past against him. Wayne Rooney has made tremendous strides to cut down on displays of emotion during matches. I just think that it’s a shame that people like you will continue to hold his past over his head, especially when his past is a remnant of his teen years, where any player could be expected to be less mature than one would prefer. He is obviously not the same player he used to be, and it’s time for you and others to start giving him the credit he deserves. Don’t seek to confirm your bias against him with each challenge you deem overly reckless, or for each booking – because these instances have drastically and persistently been reduced, and will continue to decline in the coming years, as he continues to mature.

And as a bit of an afterthought here… I’m not calling you names – quite the contrary. I’m trying to help you see how your biases are affecting your perception of the player. I’m not being rude or confrontational, I’m just stating the facts. The facts here simply contradict what you have come to believe, and that’s a shame. I hope you’ll take a closer look the next time you watch a Man U game, because I think that if you watch objectively, you will see a stark contrast in Rooney’s play from what you have convinced yourself is true of his playing style and level of maturity. He is not a dirty player (anymore), he is not an immature player (anymore), and he has worked hard to reduce displays of emotion on the pitch that affect his play negatively, or that put him at greater risk of booking. He’s got a bad reputation, that he no longer deserves, and I hope you and others will come to recognize that sooner rather than later.

It’s amusing how you think your “opinion” is actually a “fact” while my “opinion” is stupid. You don’t need to resort to name-calling. Frankly, I’m entitled to my opinion just like you are entitled to your’s. Maybe you’re cranky because you had to stay up until 6 AM. Who knows?