Wayne Rooney statement

Here is Wayne Rooney’s account of recent events:

"I met with David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad.

"I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract.

"I was interested to hear what Sir Alex had to say yesterday and surprised by some of it.

"It is absolutely true, as he said, that my agent and I have had a number of meetings with the club about a new contract. During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world.

"I have never had anything but complete respect for MUFC. How could I not have done given its fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?

"For me its all about winning trophies - as the club has always done under Sir Alex. Because of that I think the questions I was asking were justified.

"Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me from the day he signed me from Everton when I was only 18.

"For Manchester United's sake I wish he could go on forever because he's a one off and a genius."

Round 2 begin!

Champions League Update

A Gareth Bale second half hat trick almost brought 10 man Tottenham an incredible draw against Inter Milan at the San Siro after early goals from Javier Zanetti, Samuel Eto’o x2 and Dejan Stankovic left Spurs looking embarrassed at half time, but time ran out as the hosts held on to win 4-3. Meanwhile at Old Trafford Nani scored the winner winning a curling shot from outside of the box against a stout Bursapor defence as Manchester United won 1-0 but the match only provides temporary relieve for Sir Alex Ferguson as he meets with chief executive David Gill to discuss the future of Wayne Rooney this morning. Elsewhere, Barcelona overcame a battling FC Copenhagen side with 2 goals from Lionel Messi. For the latest league tables click here

FC Twente 1-1 Werder Bremen

Inter Milan 4-3 Tottenham

Lyon 2-0 Benfica

Schalke 3-1 Hapoel Tel-Aviv

Man Utd 1-0 Bursaspor

Rangers 1-1 Valencia

Barcelona 2-0 FC Copenhagen

Panathinaikos 0-0 FK Rubin Kazan

Ferguson admits that Rooney wants to leave

Sir Alex Ferguson has remarkably confirmed that Wayne Rooney wants to quit Manchester United following intense speculation over the last few days. In a press conference before the club’s match against Bursaspor, Ferguson admitted that Rooney declared that he wasn’t going to sign a new contract back on August 14th, and his immediate shock at the decision.

To see the BBC’s coverage of the conference click here.

Rooney to leave Man Utd?

According to latest reports, negotiations have broken down between Wayne Rooney and Manchester United, with the player’s current contract set to run out in the summer of 2012. Real Madrid and Manchester City are said to leading the chase for the 24 year old, who is currently struggling for a starting position at United. The club so far are dismissing any talk as “nonsense”  but speculation is rife amongst the press that Rooney has had a falling out with United manager Sir Alex Ferguson following recent allegations about the striker’s private life and his subsequent loss in form.

The Guardian offers an interesting insight into the rumours. Check it out here.

Everton stun Rooney-less United with injury-time blitz

Everton struck two injury time goals to snatch an unlikey point against Manchester United in today's lunchtime kick-off.

Arteta strikes another dent to United's early season title hopes

In a terrific encounter, Steven Pienaar opened scoring in the first half, before Darren Fletcher equalised minutes later. Nemanja Vidic and Dimitar Berbatov then gave United a seemingly unassailable lead in the second half, but Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta struck in the 91st and 92nd minutes respectively.

The result is likely to heap pressure on Alex Ferguson's decision not to select Wayne Rooney in the squad, fearing the "terrible abuse" he was likely to receive after recent revelations about his private life.

For a full match report and interviews, check out Sky Sports.

Wayne Says Sorry To England Fans

England striker Wayne Rooney has apologised to fans following his comments he made after the Algeria game.

England forward apologises for comments made after Algeria game. 

The Football Association today issued the following statement from England forward Wayne Rooney further to comments he made as he was leaving the pitch at the end of the game with Algeria which was featured on television:

Wayne Rooney said: "I am as passionate about the England team as anyone. Last night, on reflection I said things in the heat of the moment that came out of frustration of both our performance and the result.


"The most important thing now is to regroup be positive and work towards winning the game on Wednesday. To do this the players will need the support of the fans more than ever".

"For my part I apologise for any offence caused by my actions at the end of the game."

Fan Breaks Into England Dressing Room

Police are now hunting a England fan who managed to bypass security and get into the England dressing room after the match against Algeria.

According to reports the disgruntled fan is understood to have confronted former England captain David Beckham over the team’s poor performance. The team was booed at full time.

Police spokesman Colonel Billy Jones said the police were investigating why the fan wasn't arrested.

"Somebody who is believed to be an England supporter managed to get into the changing room of the England team. At this stage we are consulting with all the security agents that were present and will be looking at all the available surveillance footage to establish how this person got in. He has not been arrested.”

The FA have already began to ask questions about the safety of their players,

“A fan got in past Fifa security. We have formally complained to Fifa after the game and will follow it up in writing. This is not acceptable and thankfully no serious harm was done.”

The incident follows another disappointing draw against Algeria.

Bonus

Wayne Rooney has some words for England fans

 

That was turgid

England 0-0 Algeria. Oh dear. Oh deary dear.

We all thought that last Saturday's 1-1 draw with the USA was pretty disappointing, but England didn't lose and the performance would get better. We were playing Algeria next, after all.

How wrong we were.

No passion, no courage, no ideas. And no changes from boss Fabio Capello, who stuck rigidly with an increasingly outdated and static-looking 4-4-2.

I've mentioned this before, and clearly I'm not the only one. The commentators highlighted it, fans are calling for it, and Capello himself said something has to change - England need to try a 4-3-3 formation to get the best out of Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney.

Which brings me nicely to the Manchester United forward. It has long been argued that in the context of "real" world superstars like Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, he is a talented, but not truly great player.

After watching his lacklustre display, a few more people might sign up to that argument. Like the rest of the squad, he lacked any cutting edge. Even more worryingly, the desire and drive that has become such a well-known trait was nowhere to be seen.

Is he tired? Is he under too much pressure? Does he not enjoy playing for England as much as he does for Manchester United? Or, and I don't say this lightly, do the naysayers have a point - and is he just not that good?

His sarcastic reaction to the booing of England's fans after game will have endeared him to nobody - and attacking your own dedicated supporters is one of the big no-no's in any sport.

Luckily, and quite bizarrely, Rooneys, and England's, destiny is still in their own hands. A win over Slovenia and the 2nd round beckons. Even a draw could be enough if Algeria beat the USA.

God forbid if it comes to expecting favours from the Algerians, though. It's not what England expects, and it's certainly not what the FA expects of Capello - especially when they hand him £6 million a year.

So, its time for the Don to earn his crust. Because if things go t*ts up against the Slovenians, not only will Rooney and the team be lampooned - but people may just ask, is Fabio really that good?

Over to you, Mr. Capello. And a happy 64th birthday.