Alex Ferguson Uses Cows To Explain His Beef With Wayne Rooney

Chris Wright

21st, October 2010

9 Comments

By Chris Wright

For those who may have missed it, Wayne Rooney released a statement last night that seemed to intimate that he refused to sign a new contract at Manchester United on the grounds that the current squad is a bit pap, and that the club don’t have sufficient funds to rectify the problem.

There were also a few paragraphs wholly dedicated to blowing smoke up Sir Alex Ferguson’s you-know-where, but let’s press on.

Ferguson is now set to hold talks with Gill over Rooney’s immediate future later this morning, but still saw fit to sum up the striker’s current situation via the popular medium of confusing dairy-based metaphor:

“Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it’s a better cow than the one you’ve got in the field. It’s a fact, right, and it never really works out that way. It’s probably the same cow and it’s not as good as your own cow. Some players like to think there’s a better world somewhere else. It never really works.”

The United manager then went on to insist that he does have money to spend on players and also backed his ability to spot potential talent:

“We will invest in signature players when the time is ready. This summer wasn’t right for me. There was no value. There was one player we identified, but he didn’t want to come to England (Wesley Sneijder? Karim Benzema? David Villa?).

We realised that, to maintain the high consistency of being [at the top], which is as important as anything, we had to inject youth into the club. We realised a few years ago that Giggs, Scholes and Neville were never going to last for ever and so our policy is to develop footballers in their place.

“I had a player once who said to me that Rooney and Ronaldo weren’t good enough and he was not prepared to wait until they were good enough (Roy Keane? Ruud Van Nistelrooy?). But that’s the trouble with potential. People don’t identify potential. They’re very poor at it.

I’ve identified all my life the potential in young people. I know potential. I know how to develop and have faith in it. And young people surprise you when given the opportunity. That’s what this club is all about.”

Posted in Man Utd, Transfers & Rumours

Share this article: Email

9 Comments

  1. Bizarre bovine buffonnery aside, he does have a point about his ability to spot potential and turn it into actual talent, whereas players themselves tend not to have this ability.

    That’s no surprise, of course.

    The whole thing just needs resolving and with the damn transfer window still months away that’s going to prove difficult. If you’re resigned to selling him but can’t for a few months do you continue to play him or do you let him rot in the reserves?

    The former is a risk and the latter will only breed resentment, which neither party can really want, surely.

    Messy, messy, messy. Like a cowpat.

  2. RedSkywalker says:

    Milk (Benitez) and cows (Fergie)??? Managers these days…

  3. Ed says:

    Yeah, on the face of it, that qoute sounds like something straight of of Benitez’ mouth.

  4. Fredmeister says:

    At least he’s not talking about seagulls…

  5. ploppy says:

    I think you mean covet, not covert.

  6. Gibby says:

    Rooney’s a talent no two ways about it but 2 seasons ago he was in the shadows of a certain Ronaldo, last season he seen his chance and at points looked like carrying Man Yoo but after a very poor WC and start to this season he’s not exactly in the position to slag others if you ask me especially a man whose been in the game for years and brought on more talent than any british manager i can think of. Problem is do you play him in a team where he’s rubbished his team mates and they all think he’s wanker……… square the ball or shoot ? ? ? Scheme boy above his stations. Spent too much time with JT at the WC2010 and filled his heid with jobbies.

  7. Chris says:

    @Ploppy: Good spot. Duly ammended.

  8. […] day, Manchester United released a damp squib of a statement at 7pm last night, announcing that the ongoing talks between the club’s hierarchy and outbound striker Wayne Rooney were adjourning for the night […]

  9. Sunday says:

    ROONEY GOING NO WHERE

Leave a Reply to Sporting Fare