Koeman nonplussed by Rooney controversy

Thursday, 17 November, 2016 18comments  |  Jump to most recent

Ronald Koeman has commented on the flap surrounding Wayne Rooney's conduct following the international draw against Spain on Tuesday as it pertains to his captain, Phil Jagielka.

The Everton boss was asked for his thoughts on the media reaction to photographs taken of Rooney revelling with a wedding party at 5am on the morning after the England game and whether he spoke with Jagielka.

Like his rival manager across Stanley Park, Jürgen Klopp, Koeman suggested it was a storm in a teacup based on how times have changed from when he was a player.

“I spoke with Phil about this and other aspects if football this morning,” Koeman said at his press conference this afternoon. “The case of Rooney is not my problem because he's a Man United player.

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“In the case of Phil, yes, he's an Everton player but it wasn't that a big problem for me with Phil. He was there, he had a drink but, ok, it was after the match. The behaviour of Phil was not bad.

“Of course, everybody needs to understand the dangers of social media and you always need to be an example as a professional football player, but that's my opinion in general.

“With Phil, there is no problem. I spoke with him and the rest is between him and I.

“[This kind of socialising] maybe happened a lot more 25 years ago than it does now but then there wasn't social media. But let's not make the story too big.”

 

Reader Comments (18)

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Peter Fearon
1 Posted 17/11/2016 at 21:37:15
Frankly, Wayne Rooney has done nothing but get splinters in his bum for some time. Why shouldn't he get shit-faced and try to bed a bridesmaid? It's all he's good for now. The reality is that Wayne never lived up to the hype.

What made me laugh was the observation in one of the papers that "Wayne's football future looks bleak. There are only 20 months left on his 300,000 pounds a week contract." I wish my future looked that bleak.

Eugene Ruane
2 Posted 17/11/2016 at 22:38:59
Peter - 'The reality is that Wayne never lived up to the hype.'

The reality is also that Wayne wasn't responsible for the hype.

By the way, if he finishes his career as England's top scorer ever and Utd's top scorer ever, but people say 'he didn't live up to the hype', that will simply show what a load of lunatic wank-thinking the hype must have been.

Fran Mitchell
3 Posted 17/11/2016 at 23:20:17
Football player got pissed after A football match. Shame on him, as good as treason. Off with his head, and also the head of any offspring.

And yeah, was always shit. I mean, he won fuck loads and scored bucket loads of goals. But in general, was shit. Should have been put down some time ago. He's been living off that goal he scored at Arsenal for years.

Liam Reilly
4 Posted 17/11/2016 at 23:33:22
I wish he 'didn't' live up to some of that hype with us. He's done very well; may not be in Messi or Ronaldo territory, but he's done pretty OK.

I personally wouldn't have him back now because I believe the new program should be based on younger players but, for fuck's sake; the boy was just having a drink.

Peter McHugh
5 Posted 18/11/2016 at 03:26:32
I suspect most football fans would disagree but I thought he was best player in England for years (yes, better than Ronaldo was when playing here). Ronaldo at Madrid has got better every year and is quite rightly now talked about as one of the best players ever.

Rooney to me has had a great career and been a great player. However, I actually think he never quite fulfilled his potential. 2 reasons I put forward are

1. because he played for Man Utd with Ronaldo and so Fergie quite rightly knew he would (and Ronaldo would not) play to instruction – i.e. Being a team played restricted his personal development; and

2. Fact he is who he is and all that comes with it (i.e. He is not a model professional like Ronaldo appears and you just can't change his make up entirely)

Still I would put him in top 5 players I've ever seen play in the premiership (Ronaldo for me would not get in he only reached heights in my opinion once he started playing in Spain)

Just to finish off only remember watching blues week in week out from 1994 (when I was 14/15). I remember vividly our fans, particularly my generation, hearing little snippets about him. Coverage / social media not as big as now. This was teh Walter Smith era. I was so excited when I went to watch him (in some youth team competition a semi final against Aston Villa I think over two legs). I only saw game at goodison and me and my mates after 5 mins had no idea what he looked like and who precisely he was and were asking each other. We got a corner and this kid did an overhead kick that crashed onto the bar and we we're all like "that's Rooney". He was quite simply sensational. Me and my mates when out on town afterwards shouting Rooney Rooney and getting odd looks!

He was an unbelievably good player and best outfield player I've seen play for us and although I was gutted he left, I was always thankful for the memories and performances he put in whilst he was here.

Tim Greeley
6 Posted 18/11/2016 at 04:14:25
I'm 37 myself and I'm not sure I've ever been to a wedding that didn't automatically result in my extreme inebriation. Weddings are fun. 'Tis a blessing and a curse. No-one should blame Rooney, even if he wasn't invited. I'd be doing the same kind of shit in his shoes!

Much more importantly, it seems clearer now than ever before that RoonDawg is obviously done with Man Utd and especially with Jose Mourinho. I am actually starting to think that the possibility of the prodigal son scenario might actually have some life... crazy.

I'm all for it; way too many weekends spent being annoyed, frustrated and bored with this team the last two years. Rooney in Blue changes that. Let's get wasted!

Brian Porter
7 Posted 18/11/2016 at 06:24:24
Seeing photos of a well-blathered Rooney on the front pages of certain tabloids brought back memories of a certain Mr Paul Gascoigne, who managed to kill off his own stellar career with similar bouts of such antics.

At his best, Gazza was, in my opinion, head and shoulders above Rooney in terms of skill and instinctive football capabilities but, once his career began to wane (no pun intended), he hit the self destruct button and it all turned pear-shaped for him.

I hope this isn't the start of a similar decline for Rooney, but who knows how fragile his ego is after being regularly benched by Man Utd and no longer being considered a definite starter for England. A third of a million pounds a week should keep the wolf from the door, but really, is he worth it?

Martin Nicholls
8 Posted 18/11/2016 at 09:34:46
In my view, the most significant aftermath to the Scotland game is not that some players went for a few drinks but that the corrupt shower that is FIFA have decided to charge both FA and SFA for the players wearing poppy armbands. The reason given is that "we have to apply the laws of the game".

What law of the game stops a nation honouring it's war dead? England and Scotland should respond by withdrawing from FIFA – that would result in the sort of chaos that would cause the gravy train to hit the buffers and force a very swift rethink. Shame on these people.

Andy Meighan
9 Posted 18/11/2016 at 17:02:48
Brian (#7), I can't see him going the way of Gazza. Married with 3 kids She seems like a level-headed girl . She'll have well reigned him in. So he got arseholed at someone's wedding. He's a young lad ffs. It's just another story for the idiotic media to grab hold of.

The way Sky Sports News reported it, I thought he'd killed someone when I seen the headlines flashing across the bottom of my screen. This story wouldn't have seen daylight in years gone by. Now every one has got a smart phone, they can't fart without it being headlines.

Jack Convery
10 Posted 18/11/2016 at 17:10:39
Give me 11 never-met-the-hype players like Rooney and I'll be well satisfied. If he was born a Manc and achieved what he has at Man Utd, he would be a legend of the game. They will never accept him as one of their own but I doubt it worries him as the medals and money he has will calm any bruises to his ego.

Come home, Wayne.
Mick Davies
11 Posted 18/11/2016 at 19:07:57
Mr Koeman, you've answered questions about Rooney, Depay, Lukaku going to Barca, Brexit, global warming, the Treaty of Utrecht etc, but what about the disaster at Stamford Bridge?

Is it too much to ask that our 'media shy' manager keeps his mouth shut unless he's commenting about Everton? It's getting ridiculous: he'll be a SSN reporter soon the way he's carrying on

Peter McHugh
13 Posted 18/11/2016 at 19:10:20
Martin I agree. Rembrance Day is too important and must be respected at all costs.
Brian Williams
14 Posted 18/11/2016 at 20:51:05
Unfortunately for Wayne it's his turn. The gutter-residing media has decided he's to go through what Gasgoine and Beckham went through.
English footballing icons are built up by the media until it suits them to destroy them. It's an absolute disgrace and if I was Rooney I'd refuse any requests for interviews and I'd also give the football writers' do, arranged to honour him, the big "fuck off" as well.

Dave Abrahams
15 Posted 18/11/2016 at 20:57:35
Peter (5),

I'll echo all your thoughts about Rooney, an exceptional player at 15, too young to play for Everton's first team but easily good enough, Walter Smith said as much.

The game you first saw him, I think was against Spurs in the semi final, the Villa game was the final that year. Anyway, in the first minute of the Spurs game, the Spurs left back had the ball but hesitated for a split second, didn't know whether to hit the ball long or stop and control it. In that split second Wayne pounced on the lad and whipped it off his toes and was on his bike down the wing, put the centre right on the head of Everton's centre-forward who nodded it home. Every one who was there, and there were plenty, knew we had someone special.

In the Arsenal game, "Remember the Name", outside after the game, you couldn't move in Bullens Road for people on their mobiles to all quarters of the world describing the player and that goal. A great and very special footballer who has had twelve years at the very top, past his best now but a privilege to see him for the Blues and Manchester United.

Rob Halligan
16 Posted 18/11/2016 at 21:40:44
Can't understand what Wayne has done wrong? I went to many wedding receptions on a Saturday night, then got up the next morning and went and played Sunday league football. Never did me any harm cough, cough, splutter, splutter!!
Kim Vivian
17 Posted 19/11/2016 at 11:18:40
I agree, Martin. Absolute wankers at FIFA. Does the world not appreciate what the allies in two world wars have saved them from?

And for the sake of equanimity, I am surprised we do not see more of the Bleuets de France remembering their fallen and families.

Kim Vivian
18 Posted 19/11/2016 at 12:40:40
Oh – and sorry, I meant to say ... Rooney havin' a bevvy? No problem. Not worth the space. Fucking media tossers.
Got carried away with FIFA there!
Harry Wallace
19 Posted 21/11/2016 at 20:18:03
"By the way, if he finishes his career as England's top scorer ever and Man Utd's top scorer ever, but people say 'he didn't live up to the hype', that will simply show what a load of lunatic wank-thinking the hype must have been."

Bang on. Top career.


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