Soundbite Bill and the Sunshine Kid

Bill Kenwright : Bubbling with anticipation of the next big thing

As the effusive mouthpiece for Everton Football Club, it's hard not to love Bill Kenwright and his unbridled enthusiasm for the club he has supported since childhood. He peppers his media interviews with references to his beloved Blues, is the driving force behind the Kings Waterfront bid and even the stage of his West End show, Blood Brothers, is adorned with the name of the club he helped buy out two and a half years ago in mock graffiti.

However, there are times when his boundless passion for Everton makes you wince just a little, wondering if his pride is beckoning a fall; if his desire to talk up the club's prospects will only leave him with egg on his face further down the line. This is Everton, after all.

The Vice Chairman's proclamation that Wayne Rooney is "the greatest thing around in football" (a sweeping statement considering the diamonds that Brazil alone churns out on a regular basis) is such a moment. When all many fans want to do is wait in nervous anticipation for Rooney to make his senior debut before forming any opinion of a kid who won't turn 17 until the season is two months old, Bill is telling anyone who will listen that a player capable of dethroning one William Dean as the greatest Everon player of all time has been discovered.

There is no doubt that young Rooney is different from the previous "great white hopes" of recent years — even the reserved David Moyes has been publicly stating his hopes for the talent he has the task of nurturing. Those who have been watching the development of this prodigous talent for the past two years attest to the fact that Wayne is in a different league than the likes of Michael Branch, Danny Cadamarteri, Billy Kenny, Michael Ball and even Francis Jeffers. From that point of view, Rooney's ability is not in question.

What is as yet unknown is 1) the way the lad will adapt to life in the toughest league in the world, 2) how he will manage the constant media attention as time goes on, and 3) what sort of injury problems might lie ahead for a player who will be thrown into the Premiership at the age of 16, possibly from the first whistle of the new campaign.

Again, observers will tell you that Rooney's physique is perfectly suited to the demands of the top flight and that he has a football brain second to none of his peers. He has already scored 7 goals in three senior pre-season friendlies — including, of course, two hat-tricks — so there is no doubt he can both score and create goals. If he can avoid a debilitating injury like that which has thrown Jeffers' career into doubt, he truly does have the world at his feet.

However, with that will come the trappings of fame and enormous fortune. How he will handle those is anybody's guess. Comfortingly, those same observers of his prowess on the pitch are confident that he will be able to deal with footballing stardom without going off the rails. One name that crops up fairly regularly in comparison is Alan Shearer, a player whose somewhat dour demeanour has ensured that his professional career has remained unblighted by off-the-field distractions — which is not to say our Wayne is dull, I've never met the guy!

Wayne Rooney: The buzz surrounding Everton's 16 year-old prodigy is frightening

The injury problems that have blighted the likes of Michael Owen, Ryan Giggs, Jeffers and Michael Ball are testament to the belief that starting players too fast too young can have an adverse affect on the duration and quality of their playing career. The danger is that Rooney's talent will make him an automatic pick for the first team this season and he will face burnout before he reaches 20, especially when you factor in his role at international level.

Rooney obviously has the talent to become a Goodison Great, but it would surely be more comfortable for all concerned if we could let him ease into the spotlight rather than feeding the increasing media interest with outlandish statements like that of Soundbite Bill. As it is we have wolves at home and abroad sniffing aroud the gates of Goodison and the Premiership's defenders on high alert for the new sensation.

We can take comfort in the fact that he appears to have unfailingly Blue blood and a manager determined to hang on to him no matter how much money is offered. But we Evertonians have a habit of heaping expectation onto our rising stars as we desperately search for some sunshine to illuminate the dark years of decline since the late 1980s. Together with the manager and the vice chairman, perhaps we should all stand back and let Wayne Rooney do the talking in front of goal rather than building him up to a stature he might never attain, not through lack of ability, but through an excess of attention and anticipation.

Lyndon Lloyd

©2002 ToffeeWeb, 26 July 2002