Rooney

[Satchmo Distel]

Goals are not the only measure of an attacking player but in the top flight Shearer had 260 from 441 appearances from 1992-2006. Rooney thus far 198 from 460.

[Patrick Thistle]

Shearer also didn't have a hair transplant.

[3 Colours Red]

I know that Shearer sometimes played out wide for Southampton but did he play in any position other than CF after he moved to Blackburn? Otherwise that renders comparisons to Rooney completely and utterly moot.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Goals are not the only measure of an attacking player but in the top flight Shearer had 260 from 441 appearances from 1992-2006. Rooney thus far 198 from 460.

Alan shearer was 22 in 1992 if you throw in the rest of shearer's top flight career, it's 283 goals in 560 games. or 379 goals in 734 games. 80 of which were penalties. Shearers golden period is between his first horrific injury in 1992, and his second horrific injury in 1997. he got 158 goals in 211 games (which is basically RVN's man utd career) Those were really amazing figures for the time.

It's also worth remembering that after that second horrible injury, and for the last decade of that time Shearer had to be wheeled into position in the penalty area by newcastle, while the other ten players ran around trying to pass the ball into him. Rooney only really had the benefit of that sort of arrangement in 2009-10 and in january and february in 2016. (Shearer's three years at blackburn and first season at newcastle, between his first and second terrible injuries were pretty slick. 158 goals in 219 games. That's basically the same as RVN's man utd career)

Rooney's totals for man utd were 544 games, 253 goals, and 147 assists. That's an average of 37 starts, and five substitute appearances a season, 19.5 goals and 11.5 assists. That's pretty decent going for a player who played more games starting from the left, than as a centre forward.

[Sam]

Where are you getting the extra three goals from, TAB? His last goal for United was the one that took him past Charlton to 250, wasn't it?

[mr smith]

I was genuinely shocked to be told recently that Ronaldo is older than Rooney. Doesn't seem right somehow.

[Lang Spoon]

Younger in chip years but. Fuckin olive oil.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Where are you getting the extra three goals from, TAB? His last goal for United was the one that took him past Charlton to 250, wasn't it?

Just because jose said that the last 10 league games didn't count, doesn't mean that they weren't played.

[Sam]

Ah sorry, I thought 250 was his final total (aided by that video you posted, which has him on that number). I've seen so much football played since the English season ended I've almost entirely forgotten what happened.

[Tennis Borussia]

Rooney's only 31 and Man Utd are essentially paying Everton to take him off their hands. At the age of 34, Zidane was taking the piss out of the Brazil midfield in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal. Why is Rooney essentially finished at Man Utd now that he doesn't have pace? Zlatan's pace is also gone, but he displaced Rooney from the team last season at the age of 35.

All of this talk of Shearer's hair and 31-year old players who may or may not be getting better made me curious to find out what recent top, top, top players accomplished in the year that they turned 31. Not up to then, not after then, but in that very year? Did they reach a peak or were they on their way down? Using some of the allusions from this thread, I subsequently wasted some of my employer's money and tried to put together a table. Some of this may be very slightly off, depending on exactly when during the year the player turned 31.

[Toby Gymshorts]

EDIT: Never mind, can't be bothered

[Ray de Galles]

That is a piece of art and an essential work of reference, TB. Kudos to you.

[ursus arctos]

*Applause for TeBe*

If only the football club displayed such quality

[Chopper]

Good work TB.

I invested some valuable time also...

Sir Frank Lampard : CFC : Community Shield Winner (& scorer), Premier League Winner, FA Cup Winner, 27 goals in the season (5th consecutive 20 goal season), Nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year (6th straight season). Hair = Massively underrated.

Steven Gerrard : LFC : FA Cup runner-up. 9 goals in the season. Hair = Like his medal collection, short.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Excellent, TeBe.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

meh, none of them were at a club where a narcissistic psychopath was trying to erase all evidence of anything that came before him. While trying to create an anti football shithouse team, that was out of date in 2006-7.

and most of those players listed are playing for teams in leagues, that if they had a really really bad year, they might finish third.

[ursus arctos]

Berbaslug, what kind of retainer are we looking at for me to reserve your services just in case I need an advocate before the Pearly Gates?

[Chopper]

Tea spat.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

In fairness, Mourinho driving rooney out of the club had a bit of an impact on his season. Mourinho has form for this sort of thing. There's not much difference between the way he treated rooney, martial and shaw, and the way he treated mata, lukaku and de bruyne when he moved to chelsea. Mata was the two time player of the year, and lukaku and De Bruyne were the jewels in the crown in chelsea's attempts to sign the best young players in europe. Mourinho was having none of that shit.

And none of those players were playing in a team where in games against remotely challenging opponents, the defenders were under explicit instructions not to pass the ball to the central midfielders under any circumstances. Man utd played fucking clueless garbage football, primarily based around banging in high balls for the big lad at the back post.

[Sam]

It's not that I disagree with a lot of what you're saying, Berba, but I can't help thinking you've taken TeBe's post a bit more seriously than it was meant.

Lovely stuff, TeBe.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Jokes where the humour is based around the idea that "this player is shit because jose mourinho says so" stopped being funny 15 months ago.

I find myself zoning out of Jose mourinho news if i don't hear the words pancreatic cancer or "gutshot by his son" in the first sentence.

[Kevin S]

One of the most underrated greats, if that makes sense - Pavel Nedvěd
Turned 31 in 2003 and achieved:

• Scudetto
• A beauty in the UCL semi final to bury Real Madrid, before getting himself suspended for the final
• Ballon d'Or
• UEFA Best Midfielder
• Serie A Footballer of the Year
• World Soccer Player of the Year

• Hair: gloriously full and floppy

[Kevin S]

Who wore it better? Like for Modric, share for Nedvěd!

[blameless]

Modric has better hair, but Nedved was a better player.

[tracteurgarcon]

Goals are not the only measure of an attacking player but in the top flight Shearer had 260 from 441 appearances from 1992-2006. Rooney thus far 198 from 460.

I know this is slightly off-topic but it always annoys me that Shearer's 23 First Division "top flight" goals get left off his records as football clearly only started in 1992.