Overreaction of the week: David Moyes (& Apologists)

Good grief.  One game at home to a middling German side and Wayne Rooney is back 'on [the] road to legendary status' at Old Trafford, as the BBC's Phil McNulty writes.

That kind of hyperbole is somewhat understandable from manager Moyes, who is still trying to tie up the loose ends of that tedious but skilfully managed summer transfer saga, where Rooney once again appeared to be headed for the Old Trafford exit door.  However, McNulty & Co.'s brazen endorsement of this train of thought reeks of a sycophancy that is usually more discreetly delivered.

At 27 years old and in your tenth season with a club, you are either already on the road to greatness or you are not - Moyes' recent loud recommendation should be superfluous.  Now, Manchester United fans can feel free to tell me differently but, having lived in Manchester through both of his 'transfer sagas' of the past few years, I felt that the prevailing feeling towards Rooney among Reds fans was one of pragmatism.

These affairs have a tendency to shatter any cult of personality and leave a bitter taste in the mouth.  Those final few points that might put Rooney on a par with real club legends could well have been irretrievably lost.  By comparison, Steven Gerrard at Liverpool gives the impression of having just stayed on the right side of the line that Rooney has crossed several times now.

In the same way - to take an example from another sport - Michael Schumacher will never be embraced as a legend by many followers of Formula 1 because, despite his undeniable statistical achievements, he exhausted the fans' goodwill with multiple transgressions over several years.

Sure, you can't quibble with Rooney's goals return, and while there is a debate to be had about how good - and how consistently good - he actually is, goals win games and titles - end of.

Nevertheless, you can't re-embark on the path to greatness at this late stage in the game.  This isn't Snakes & Ladders (copyrighted, I'm sure) where you all plough on regardless of any falls from grace.  This is one game that Rooney, Moyes, and all the Red media apologists should admit they have lost; go and pick another English twenty-something - who promises to screw up less often - and start again.

- - -

Photo credit: nasmac