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AR Ismael Mia

A post-Rooney era at Everton
28 August 2004

Well it was fun while it lasted. I have to admit over the last fifteen years of the comedy boardroom farces of slipping and sliding, and even more than that last victory over Man-ure at Wembley, Rooney's rise has been a real highlight of supporting Everton.

From the early days of watching and waiting, courtesy of this website no less, I have been honoured to actually see the development of true, raw talent of a potentially unparalleled level. I am also proud to have been at Goodison when he made his first team home debut, I admit it was playing in a friendly in 2002 against Athletic Bilbao — which we lost 1-0, but I remember sitting in the director's box [as they were selling cheap tickets and I thought why not?] I also took a group of old friends with me, some had never been to a game before, one guy had not been since he lived in Italy and used to watch his club Juventus sweep Serie A with Platini and Boniek, it was also the first game I hade been to in five years having lived in the US for that time

I remember pointing Rooney out to my father in law, who also had never been to a game before. I told him that the guy on the ball was only 16, and a debate boiled up — because every one I had taken to the game, refused to believe that the confident man twisting, turning, controlling, racing and assuredly firing — was only 16. Well the rest is history, and it seems that the sooner we all get over Rooney the better, but I would like to thank him for the experience, I do wish him the best, although I have a sad feeling that he will never reach the potential that we all know he has.

I am not being bitter, if he goes to Newcastle — good on him, I remember reading that Newcastle was also a team he had a soft spot for, I don't begrudge him that, it is just we all know that he is not really going to rake in the silverware he craves if he does go Toonside.

At Man-ure, I am sure that he will win trophies, and he will score goals — but for some reason I get the feeling that he is running away from a media storm into a typhoon of trouble.

I am with Moyes in that no one, not the chairman, not the manager, not even a very special home grown player is bigger than the club, and Rooney has become that. Rooney has got to get back to doing what he did in the youth teams, scoring goals — and lots of them. I have no doubt that he will score goals, but I get the feeling that he will never score them like we all thought that he might be able to — like Dixie did.

It is being mentioned that Moyes is after Beattie to replace Rooney. Now this has got me in a very good mood. The club has to move on, the club has to move forwards, and bringing in a 26 year old proven Premiership goal scorer is a very good thing indeed. Everton need to score more goals, and Beattie could well be the right player at the right time.

I remember when we had just won the Cup Winners Cup, and much to the shock of most people, Andy Gray parted company — our best striker, a talisman — somebody the opposition feared. Kendall astutely brought in Linekar — who scored goal after goal after goal, became England's No.1 and got the golden boot at Mexico 86.

My point is that we are going to lose Rooney, but I support Everton FC — not Rooney FC, and I would be more than glad if Beattie came in — alongside Bent, who I have always rated, and more and more so with every passing game I feel he has brought more guile, tenacity, power and more overall goals than Radzinski did or would have done.

With the money to go out and purchase two to three more players [beyond the supposed Traore and Finnan — who I welcome] particularly in the midfield, a defensive type and two attacking players, possibly wingers [look at Chelsea and the Duff situation].

I am feeling that selling Rooney is by far the best thing to happen to Everton.

AR Ismael Mia