Colm Kavanagh casts a jaundiced eye in the direction Paul Stretford and his Pro-Active money grabbers as they manipulate Our Wayne
The Oul' Dog For The Hard Road
Turning his back on the wisdom of the ages?
I'm certain I am not alone in expressing concern regarding the forthcoming usage of Wayne Rooney's 18th birthday party as a vehicle for Paul Stretford's Pro-Active money-making machine to ease up through the gears — and laugh all the way to the bank, courtesy of the free publicity and the glossy yet shallow pages of OK! magazine.
We have already heard David Moyes and his views on celebrity birthdays with b- and c-list celebs, all smiling their pearly whites at the flashing cameras to ensure they gain invaluable space in the column inches of various publications as a result. Media whoring, some would call it.
His view, sadly counts for nothing, as he is only the kid's manager at the football club who pays his wages. Wayne Rooney, these days, is owned by Pro-Active. It is they who will call the shots in time to come, not Everton Football Club. The only time I can see Everton Football Club having a definitive say in young Rooney's future is if the Club decides to cash in on the player and they instigate a move elsewhere.
Remember, it is less than one year ago, when Rooney was paraded alongside another young Evertonian (whose presence was immaterial to the press pack) as they both signed contracts for the Club. "Move over you (Hibbert)... we want a shot of Wayne and Bill...." I felt sorry for Hibbo that night. Here is a very promising young player and a strong candidate to earn international recognition sooner rather than later, providing he maintains his form on the pitch, getting shunted sideways, making way for the Wayne Rooney Show. Now, that's not his fault, nor Wayne's — it's just how the big boys work the media these days.
It also wasn't lost on me the following morning when we were ordered by Everton Football Club to remove an image placed atop the ToffeeWeb Discussion Forum of the two youngsters smiling for a photograph with Bill Kenwright. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... what are we getting ourselves into when one of the finest independent Everton websites is ordered to remove an image of Everton players as it is an infringement of copyright? The iron fist of Pro-Active lurked, menacingly, from the shadows...
It might be funny, in time to come, when we reminisce about the night Tony Hibbert was very much the afterthought on the evening Wayne Rooney signed a professional contract with Everton Football Club. 'Tis a funny game, football, but right now, I bet there are very few Evertonians who reckon we'll get more enjoyment — and service — from Tony Hibbert, than his more famous team-mate in the years to come. It just might happen!
The game of football is littered with broken dreams and promises unfulfilled — that is one thing we simply do not wish to see happening with young Rooney. The kid has it all before him if he wants it badly enough. He has the talent and the confidence. His hunger, though, will be questioned, as money tends to take away the necessary focus. Little more than 12 months ago, he was this shy faced scouse kid smashing one past England's Number One to end a marvellous unbeaten run by the then Champions. He was wrapped in cotton wool, for his benefit.
Twelve months on, he's a recognisable household face and name and the whole world has an opinion on the chap — inside and outside of football. From kicking a ball on "the mean streets of Croxteth", with his mates, the day after scoring a winner against Arsenal, to enjoying celebrity status and arguably the most famous birthday for an 18-year-old since God knows who... well, it has alarm bells ringing in my head.
To go from having practically nothing to "having it all" in a short space of time — and at a very young age — well, it's the sort of things a kid can only dream of. It's Roy of the Rovers stuff. It must be great when everyone raves about you and tells you what you want, and like, to hear. Head in the clouds stuff.
Well, Wayne — this season hasn't quite gone according to plan. A season, to date, laden with yellow cards, mostly gained thanks to a short fuse and frustration. The goals have also dried up. It's an unfair weight being placed upon young shoulders... but tough luck, pal — that's football.
Harsh words? Probably.
The fact remains though that Wayne's world (sic) has changed immeasurably over the past year and he needs to continue listening to the one true voice that matters most at this stage of his development. That is not Paul Stretford and his team of leeches, few of whom will have carved out careers in football by actually playing it. Forget not, also, that quite a number of footballers, past and present, are all shareholders in Pro-Active — so, when we get to hear ex-players offering their opinions on Rooney, try to see beyond their self-interest in the kid.
David Moyes knows precisely what is best for the lad, at this stage of his career. He played a minor role in the early development of David Beckham when working at Preston and so has some knowledge of how to deal with young players being shielded from the 'bloodthirsty' media. He has tried to mirror Alex Ferguson's protection of Ryan Giggs but it seems as though the goalposts have shifted somewhat — no longer does a manager hold the reins as tightly as a shylock agent promising the earth...
Old heads on young shoulders, particularly in the cash-laden sport of football, are very few and far between! It was with great interest that I read of Dion Dublin retaining his very first pay packet from a job he held outside of football, when his early career was stuttering to a standstill. It forever serves as a timely reminder to the player of where he once was.
Hard graft and the sheer will to enjoy the fruits of a successful career in football are nowhere to be found inside the glitz of OK! magazine. We have enjoyed a year of seeing young Rooney delight in an Everton shirt. We have taken immense pride in seeing others with no attachment to Everton Football Club acknowledge his talent and enthuse about his future career — but his senior professional career has only just started. He's still on that first step of the way.
With an unnecessarily glitzy affair, masquerading as his 18th birthday party, to be held at Aintree... well, we don't want to see young Wayne's career pulling up short of Beecher's Brook before he's crossed that Melling Road! Listen to those who matter most, young master Rooney...an oul' dog for the hard road will forever dispense better advice than a man who reckons you're better off inside the pages of a women's magazine.
Colm Kavanagh 28 October 2003