Season › 2022-23 › News Toffee TV's Interview with Wayne Rooney Michael Kenrick 06/12/2022 27comments | Jump to last Barry Cass sat down with Wayne Rooney to talk about the former Everton, Manchester United and England striker's time at Goodison Park. » Read the full article at Toffee TV YouTube channel Reader Comments (27) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Rob Jones 1 Posted 06/12/2022 at 11:13:14 Have any of you seen this Wayne Rooney interview yet? Blunt, yes, but he was spot-on in his assessment of the 2002 crop of players. It's striking that, despite the downward management of expectations, even then, he expected and wanted better for Everton, and demanded higher standards. Tony Abrahams 2 Posted 06/12/2022 at 12:52:39 I haven't seen it Rob, but I've just been reading Rooney saying he wanted to stay another year at Everton, but found out the club had already tried to sell him to Chelsea. Was this the club? Or the desperate owner trying to keep hold of the club?????He then said to his agent that, if he's going to have to leave, then he should at least have a say in where he ends up going, because he didn't want to play for Chelsea.The real fucking Judas played the people like fools. He put it all on the kid, sold him, kept Everton, made a fortune, stayed on as chairman, and has presided over the longest barren spell in the club's history. What a fucking player. Clive Rogers 3 Posted 06/12/2022 at 13:18:28 Tony, and fixed us up with an incompetent owner who let him remain chairman. Tony Abrahams 4 Posted 06/12/2022 at 14:47:51 After 8 minutes listening to Rooney saying how much he wanted to be the youngest ever player to play for Everton, my thoughts were that the kid absolutely loved Everton. Around 20 minutes, I was back at Elland Road for a moment, sitting on the side amongst the Leeds fans, and getting a birds-eye view of the Evertonians going absolutely berserk.I remember coming out of Old Trafford when he came on as a sub, and Man Utd scored three late goals, and I started talking to a sensible United fan. "You have had it hard for a few years now," he said, "but at least you've got that kid to look forward to now. Did you see the way he's just tried to go right through Beckham? He's a proper little scouser, him, mate, he doesn't give a fuck for anyone, it was a pleasure watching him tonight."It didn't take long for that United fan to get the pleasure of watching Rooney full time, whilst we got stuck with our saviour, the greatest Evertonian alive, the bastard who lead Everton to managed decline, and made an absolute fortune in the process.Selling Rooney without a fight gave a skint Bill Kenwright, loads of breathing space, and it wasn't long before we were on the road to becoming "plucky little Everton". Heartbreaking, truly fucking heartbreaking. Rooney should have been our real saviour – although it's obvious that the actor could also play a great game. Dave Abrahams 5 Posted 06/12/2022 at 15:08:05 Tony (4),Kenwright was never skint, he just didn't like spending his own money. He had no qualms about spending Mr Moshiri's money… or was it Mr Usmanov's? If it was Mr Usmanov's, he might come asking for it back one day… Imagine that, they can be rough, these billionaires, if someone messes up with their money. He knows where you live, Bill!! Nick Page 6 Posted 06/12/2022 at 15:25:42 Tony @2,Sounds like you hate the bastard Kenwright almost as much as me. Fair play, like!! It's very telling what Rooney says and I've heard it all before but people should take note. The squad was crap thanks to years of underinvestment and then we got peak Kenwright managing the expectations down to zero. This is what killed Everton. This is why the players now couldn't give a fuck cos there isn't a fuck to give. You could spend a billion but it wouldn't matter one fucking bit because, until you install some pride and something to play for along with a strategy to make the club leaders once again, nothing will change. Kenwright and his awful acolytes should be run out of the club. Kieran Kinsella 7 Posted 06/12/2022 at 16:07:14 I guess it's time to remember this is an Everton site and that's why we are all here despite the distraction of the World Cup. Another grim interview reminder of all our mismanagement down the years. That being said, I think it's a bit off for Rooney to describe former teammates as "crap" while he and many of them are still active in the game as coaches, managers etc. You never know when he might cross paths with one. In the old days, people used to wait until they were in their 70s or 80s before taking the "tell all" avenue. Anthony Murphy 8 Posted 06/12/2022 at 18:36:01 On a related note, if you've not heard it yet, have a listen to the Unholy Trinity podcast with Danny Donachie - lots of interesting insights on the likes of Mina and James Rodriguez as well as Ancelotti and Brands. Great stuff. Kieran Kinsella 9 Posted 06/12/2022 at 18:37:29 Anthony,What are the key points he makes? Derek Cowell 10 Posted 06/12/2022 at 18:49:16 Rooney made his 'some players were crap' comment as a fan and, let's face it, we all knew they were. He knew he was miles better than them, even at 16.I remember being in the Street End in a game v Middlesbrough when we were 2-0 down. The ball was cleared up to him from our defence and he was running towards us all on his own being caught by some defenders. He looked around in disgust for his missing team mates and just had a speculative 25-yarder over the bar. He waved his arms in despair. I thought then that he was far too good for us and would be sold. Tony Abrahams 11 Posted 06/12/2022 at 19:25:58 I hate what Bill Kenwright has been allowed to do to Everton, Nick. Rooney talking about his goal against Arsenal, was saying how united everyone seemed to be, and this is not something that has happened often enough over the last 28 years. A guest of Bill Kenwright's once confirmed to me on a train, when I was going to watch Everton at Goodison, that Bill didn't want to sell, he just wanted investment, and it was investment that he eventually got.One of Paul the Esk's tweets has just come up on the Everton page, saying Moshiri stands to lose over 𧺬 million, whilst Kenwright has made around 㿔 million. He definitely picked the wrong investors though, because the yanks, who invested into our neighbours, stand to make ١ Billion. Could you imagine if those Yanks, would have let Kenwright continue? Me neither. Colin Glassar 12 Posted 06/12/2022 at 20:03:09 The only words I have for Kenwright are four-letter ones. What a bastard that man is. Darren Hind 13 Posted 06/12/2022 at 20:03:22 Tony,Moshiri must rue the day he met slippery Bill. It has to keep him awake at night. Soft twat.Did his arl fella never tell him not to put his bollocks into a viper's nest? Anthony Murphy 14 Posted 06/12/2022 at 20:15:47 Kieran, the key points relating to those four were: Mina has worked incredibly hard and done all he can to be fit but his body just can't handle it – felt sorry for him. Rodriguez was desperate to stay and wanted to play in front of fans at Goodison. His attitude was first class and he even wanted to return. Brands was very knowledgable and respected but had to let Ancelotti dictate player purchases because of his status in the game. Carlo was amazing with him - showed him a lot of respect and invited him to Madrid as a special guest to meet the players etc. Lots of other interesting stuff…. Kieran Kinsella 15 Posted 06/12/2022 at 20:22:49 Thanks Anthony Mike Corcoran 16 Posted 06/12/2022 at 20:24:48 Laid up with a bad back today so spent a good eight hours listening to all episodes of The Debate on Toffee TV. Very entertaining and brought back a lot of memories, good and bad! Tony Abrahams 17 Posted 06/12/2022 at 20:46:14 Brands might have been very knowledgeable but he said himself he was met with way to much interference, and I also think he lacked experience of the English game.Moshiri was the man who just kept on giving, egged on by Kenwright the player, who was all over the fact that the Iranian loved being praised.Hopefully Farhad sells and takes away from Bill Kenwright the chance to be a part of the opening of the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which is incidentally the only successful thing that has happened at Everton under his very long and sickeningly tedious tenure, imo. Danny O’Neill 18 Posted 06/12/2022 at 22:07:39 That interview was very interesting.I know he's had controversy, but he's lived his life in the spotlight since at least 16. Earlier on the Merseyside scene. But he seems to remain pretty humble. Macdonald's breakfast followed by beans on toast before a match!! Looks like he's still on the Mackies.A sad reflection that, even as a teenager, he realised he was better and too good for the first-team players he had grew up watching. Too many of the players were not good enough. How long have we been saying that?He played with attitude, aggression and arrogance as well as his ability. It wasn't mentioned, but the goal that summed up Rooney for me was one for Man Utd against Newcastle. Pissed off, chasing and shouting at the Ref, suddenly spots the ball and angrily smashes it into the net with venom.I said at the time, I wish he'd have signed a new contract and given us another 2 years. It's easy for us supporters to slate the player, but clearly the club and agent had other plans and, as is often the case in those situations, Everton get seen off in terms of Market Value.It's clear that Everton never left him. It never can. Nice and genuine comments about his feelings after the 2016 semi-final. And I liked the fact that when he scored that goal against Leeds and there was a mini pitch invasion, several of his mates were on the pitch!! Don Alexander 19 Posted 06/12/2022 at 23:06:11 Keiran (#7), I hope you truly realise I respect your input but on Rooney speaking, erm, "plainly" about the mundanity at best of the squad he was in, I think you're wrong. Charlatans like Kenwright depend for survival on the "omerta" so prevalent among those former employees who go on to pontificate without blame on all things football. All sections of the media are entirely stuffed with them. Savvy critics such as Big Nev, Reidy, Ratters etc etc are afforded no public platform. And Kenwright (and other shysters) delights in this. It's his protection to the world beyond our Goodison faithful.Thus far, Rooney seems different. Gawd knows what he's going to say in Part 2 but he'll have to speil on a Byronic level to get close to the insight so many of us TWers have stated for decades, and counting. Kieran Kinsella 20 Posted 06/12/2022 at 23:30:19 DonI don't disagree that the team was crap obviously and agree on Nev etc. But I was more thinking in terms of old team mates like Stubbs and Weir working as coaches and now their players will be sniggering thinking “Who's this crappy old player to tell me what to do.†Brendan McLaughlin 21 Posted 06/12/2022 at 23:38:32 Kieran #20Not to mention what the players below Wayne Rooney standard at DC United must be thinking! Kieran Kinsella 22 Posted 06/12/2022 at 23:43:39 BrendanGood point! Tony Abrahams 23 Posted 07/12/2022 at 08:19:35 Isn't it possible that the likes of Ferguson, Stubbs and Weir, would have also thought that some of the other players were not very good?As good a career as Wayne Rooney had, I personally still don't think he hit the heights that he could have done. He was better than Ronaldo, and could have been compared to Messi, imo, but he went to Man Utd and started to become a team player, and was also often played out of position, by Alex Ferguson.I preferred him when he done that little bit more for himself, although I still think that United fan got lucky. Danny O’Neill 24 Posted 07/12/2022 at 09:20:39 Tony, totally on Rooney.For many well-publicised reasons, he never hit the heights he could have done. Which sounds a ridiculous statement when you consider his medal count and status in the game. But yes, he could have been even better.As for Stubbs and Weir, I wish we'd have got Stubbs earlier when he left Bolton for Celtic. There was always the link. I liked both of them. Experience and leadership as well as being very good defenders and organisers.One thing I remember about Stubbs was that occasional daisy-cutter bullet of a free kick he had up his sleeve. The type of shot that is the reason a lot of teams have a player lying on the turf behind the wall a lot now.Good examples of how you can have players of an older age at centre-back as it is an area of the pitch that arguably requires wisdom, experience and reading of the game. Pace helps, but if they can anticipate, it works. Dare I say, there was a former boyhood Evertonian from Bootle who is now an irritating pundit who was good at it. Tony Abrahams 25 Posted 07/12/2022 at 13:18:05 I instinctively thought of Carragher whilst reading your post, Danny. He was like Stubbs, he had loads of fight, and both of them became so much better with age and experience, which equates to wisdom.When Stubbs left Everton, allegedly over a clause in his contract relating to a previous illness, Everton struggled badly, and it was only when he came back from Sunderland a few months later that our season finally got going. Stubbs got a lot of stick over Rooney, but maybe he was on the kid's side, because he was aware of what Kenwright was forcing onto him?All guesswork on my part, but maybe this is why Kenwright wanted a clause put into Stubbs's next contract? But maybe I'm just playing the ‘Devil's Advocate' because I don't like or trust Bill Kenwright one iota!Gary Neville has a show on Sky where he sits in a little studio with a big screen in front of him (like being in a mini picture house) and he did one with Wayne Rooney, going over all the great goals he had scored in his career. I don't tell people to watch much (but I wouldn't mind a few Netflix recommendations, if anyone has got any) but anyone who gets a chance to watch this will realize how open and very astute Rooney becomes when he talks about himself and football. It's still not nice watching him in Man Utd colours but it really is a brilliant show for football lovers and comes very highly recommend from me!!! Tony Abrahams 26 Posted 12/12/2022 at 14:22:02 25 posts, with more than half written by three people, which can only mean that not many people have watched this interview. Sickening to think what we lost without a fight, and even more sickening to think that the only fight shown was the snide way our owners went about trying to get rid of a 17-year-old kid.Tried to sell him to a club he had no interest in joining behind his back, before eventually making him put in a transfer request. Evertonians were robbed the minute the decision was made from someone within the club that they had to sell Wayne Rooney. It was absolutely sickening that we sold one of the best players that this country has arguably ever produced at the age of 17 years, Mr Kenwright. We sold a great to keep a snide – a man that many people say has only got Everton's best interests at heart... 🤮 Michael Kenrick 27 Posted 12/12/2022 at 16:20:07 Part I was scintillating... so where's Part II? 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