Arsenal continues to dominate the EPL. Could things get any worse for me?

They could have correctly called the handball on Saha.

If they get Rooney and when they get RVN and Rio back, I think they'll be in good shape. Problem is Arsenal and Chelsea could be 10+ points clear by then.

Have faith...it pains me a little to say it, but you can never count ManU out.

ManU won't be down for long. even though I'm a big Arsenal fan, i like watching ManU have success because I enjoy watching some of their guys play. but for now, Chelsea is the team the Gunners have to look out for.

i was hoping Newcastle would be a contender too...but i don't see that happening. so far, it's been a good and interesting start for Aston Villa and Boro. after watching both of them play a couple times...they each have some potential to surprise a lot of people. we'll see...

[This message has been edited by sixiron (edited 8/30/2004 10:49p).]

United finally made things official with Rooney today. $64M transfer fee.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,10631029-23215,00.html

ManU was not the team i wanted to get him. oh well, everton gets the money they need and ManU gets their guy. i was thinking Everton was needing closer to 30m pounds...but i guess 25 was good enough.

I am not quite sold that Rooney is all that. He made some great plays against some inferior competition but has he made it against quality competiton? Also, does he not have a conditioning problem?

He's had some good games against good teams. Seem to remember he played quite well against France. I agree about the conditioning/work ethic but he's young and if anyone can motivate, its gotta be Sir Alex.

On another note, how 'bout Jonathan Spector? An 18 year-old American starting for ManU and getting rave reviews to boot. Says a lot about how far the American player has come.

To say that you're not sold on Rooney because of inferior competition is ludicrous. Did you watch any of Euro2004 if you did you would have seen some spectacular goals from him not to mention that he was one of the tournement's leading scorers. As for Spector, it's great that he's seeing first team action. I just hope it stays that way when Ferdinand and some of the other defenders come back from suspensions and injuries. On another note I think you'll see a few other youngsters like Gaven, Szetela and Adu playing for big clubs abroad within the next few years.

honestly, i was hoping he would go to Liverpool to possibly replace Owen. but i'm not familiar with Liverpool's plans or if they had enough money. just a thought i had during the negotiations...

Rooney wanted out of Liverpool becuase of allegations related to his frequenting brothels. Kind of pissed him off that it leaked out in the papers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Adu can't play first team football in Europe until he's 18 since he's not an EU citizen. If that is the case, I don't see him leaving for at least three years. Szetela will have to perform in MLS before Europe comes calling but I have no doubt he will and Gaven could be gone really soon if MLS actually give him up. Although that's a huge if since they've sold a lot of players in the last year or so (McBride, Beasely, Bocanegra, Howard, Convey) and Donovan looks to be headed out soon. I think they'll start to curb the selling a bit to keep some young American stars here to increase the league's profile.

Personally, I was hoping Rooney would land at Newcastle. Seemed to be a great replacement for Shearer but I never really thought he would go anywhere other than ManU. With no EPL this week, all attention turns to qualifiers. USA needs three points Saturday and anything less would be a failure.

Just read an article about Rooney on ESPNSoccernet. He has an attitude problem.

^
'
Yup. Seems to happen a lot with folks who have been celebrities since their mid-teens.

maybe this guy will put Rooney in his place.

Dre_00, you're right on with the EU thing with Adu, so he's pretty much tied to the MLS until he's 18. I think you'll see more of our youngsters start out in the MLS rather than go through a club's youth system due to the progress players like Convey, Beasley and Gaven made while in the MLS. Also, to whoever wrote Rooney was from Liverpool, he came from Everton, where he was brought up through their youth system.

no one ever said he was from Liverpool. we all know he came from everton.

Everton is a section of Liverpool. Say you live in Houston in the River Oaks area. You tell someone from down here you live in River Oaks and we know right where that is. You say that to someone that does not live in Houston they won't know where that is. Everton is a section of the City of Liverpool.

My bad, I was thinking Everton was in London for some reason.

ahhh, now i understand what yall meant.

Rooney is a great young player & very strong for his age. Depending on how well he is managed both on & off the pitch will determine what kind of player he becomes in a few years.
Still, considering he could cost Man U up to $50 something mil, thats a lot of $$$.
Jermain Defoe cost Tottenham Hotspur about $11 mil, & I am not so sure Rooney is 5x the player of Defoe.



'It's been......emotional'.

He had more cards than goals last year. It has been reported he frequents brothels on a regular basis. He got into a bar brawl last year in Manchester. He is an accident waiting to happen.